Downward Dog, Safely
People love this pose. As one of the most popular yoga poses, down dog can pose some problems for your shoulders if you aren’t aware of where your weight is all the time. The way you approach and do down dog makes all the difference in the world on how much you will gain from it. Properly done, most of your weight in down dog should be centered in your hips and legs. For many folks, the weight often shifts to the shoulders, neck, elbows and hands, which can injure and/or hurt these areas. This video shows you how to shift the weight back into your hips without creating unnecessary stress to your upper body.
Some tips to get the most out of your Dog:
Keep the natural arch in the low back the whole time.
Use blocks or a chair to elevate your hands so the weight of your body is more in your hips.
Keep your knees bent so that you don’t lose your arch in your lower spine.
Let your heels come up off the ground. This also helps prevent you from losing the arch in your spine or position of your hips.
Stretch back in to your hips away from your hands by focusing on your crotch stretching back and up.