The Pose of Week is Puppy Pose! Do you ever experience low back pain? This pose may be helpful to you if you do! When we are standing or sitting gravity automatically places a pressure on our low back. When we have a rounded or slouched posture it can increase the risk of experiencing low back pain. This pose relieves the pain off your lower back and also provides you with an upper body stretch-how wonderful is that?!
Benefits:
Releases the load off the lower back, relieving back pain. Stretches the upper back, shoulders and chest. Stretches the abdomen and promotes shoulder stability in the active version.
How to:
- Begin kneeling down on all fours, in tabletop position.
- Align your knees to be hip distance apart.
- Place your feet directly behind your knees.
- Tuck your toes.
- Align your hands to be either shoulder width apart or a step wider if that is more comfortable to you.
- Keeping your hips stacked over the knees, begin to walk your hands forward.
- Press the chest down as your arms reach long.
- Reach your forehead down towards your mat.
- Check that your hips are still aligned over top of the knees.
- Spin your bicep forwards.
- Spread your fingers and press down through the palms of your hands.
- Without pulling the hips back, reach back through the shoulders as if you were lifting out away from the sockets.
- Press into your tucked toes. If it feels uncomfortable, it’s okay to untuck the toes as long as there is no knee pain.
- Continue to reach the heart down towards your mat with a slight core engagement.
- Breathe and stay here either as long as is comfortable or around 1-2 minutes.
- To come out, press into your palms and slowly begin to walk your hands in returning to table top position.
Modify it:
If your knees feel discomfort, place a folded blanket below them. If it feels like you have to hold your head up, place a block or folded blankets below the forehead, keeping your head supported. If the pose feels too intense, step your hands in closer towards the body so that you are less extended.