This week’s pose, often called updog, is urdvha mukha svanasana, upward-facing dog pose. It is part of the traditional morning prayer to the sun known as a Sun Salutation, Surya Namaskara. If you have ever taken a Freedom Flow class with us you have surely stumbled upon this one!
Benefits:
Stretches the chest, shoulders and abdomen. Strengthens the core, arms, and legs. Stimulates digestion, helps with posture and fatigue.
How to:
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Start on your belly with your forehead on the mat, hands beneath the shoulders, legs extended long hip distance apart with tops of feet on the floor.
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Press the tops of feet, thighs and pelvis into the mat.
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Engage the low belly and the glutes as you lift the chest and forehead off the mat.
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Press into all-4-corners of both palms of hands to straighten your arms, lifting the pelvis and legs off the mat (hands and top of feet are the only thing touching the floor.)
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Wrap the biceps forward as you spin the forearms back to open across the chest.
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Lengthening from the navel through the sternum.
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Gaze the same direction as your heart, keeping all 4 sides of the neck long.
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Exhale release back into Downward-Facing Dog or bring knees onto the mat and press back into child’s pose.
Modify it:
If there is sensation in any of the joints (ankles, si joint/lower back, or wrists) then swap out Upward-Facing Dog for Cobra pose(check out last week’s blog post.) Each body is unique and so not every shape will work for each body and these two are easily interchangeable!