{"id":4440,"date":"2012-11-30T15:08:10","date_gmt":"2012-11-30T23:08:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.fitchicks.ca\/blog\/?p=4440"},"modified":"2012-11-30T15:08:10","modified_gmt":"2012-11-30T23:08:10","slug":"fitness-friday-downward-dog-is-much-more-than-a-yoga-pose","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fitchicks.ca\/blog\/2012\/11\/fitness-friday-downward-dog-is-much-more-than-a-yoga-pose\/","title":{"rendered":"FITNESS FRIDAY: Downward Dog is much more than a yoga pose!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hey Chicks!
\nToday is all about how to get your Downward Dog on!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Are you feeling a little unbalanced, maybe dealing with cold hands and feet due to the super cool weather approaching here in Canada<\/strong> or perhaps just need a good stretch for your entire bod after your Bootcamp classes <\/a>then you need to be trying this move on, like now!<\/p>\n

\"downward<\/a>

Doin' the dog..chick style!<\/p><\/div>\n

What is Downward Facing Dog?<\/h3>\n

This is one of the most well-known Asana\u2019s of the yoga world<\/strong>. Essentially it looks like an upside V and is said to be the resting pose in yoga, to help wipe the slate clean between poses<\/strong> and give you a chance to refocus your brain and bod before moving into the next sequence or movement.<\/p>\n

Yoga or no yoga this move is super awesome to do<\/strong> because it can help alleviate stress in your day to day, it is known to help alleviate\u00a0 headaches and tension by elongating your spine <\/strong>and other benefits of doing a sweet downdog, it can also build up muscles in your entire backside of your body.<\/p>\n

Extra Benefits of doing a Downward Facing Dog:<\/strong>
\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Increase full body circulation
\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Elongates shoulders and should blade areas
\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Strengthens your hands, wrists, lower back and hamstring muscles
\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Decrease back pain
\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Stimulates nervous system which can help with memory and concentration
\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Balances out your body<\/p>\n

How to do a Fierce Downward Facing Dog:<\/h3>\n

This is always the move that seems to be like the one everyone and their mama thinks you just know since it is so commonly used and talked about. Here is the step by step though to be sure that you are getting the benefit<\/strong>s out of it rather than just struggling through your upside down V stretch;)<\/p>\n

STEP 1. <\/strong> Start in table top position \u2013 hands under shoulders, knees under hip joints<\/p>\n

STEP 2<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Push up into an inverted V \u2013 press hands into ground and hips up high to the sky<\/p>\n

STEP 3. <\/strong>Feel like you are trying to place your heels down on the ground behind you while you evenly press the weight from hands and feet<\/p>\n

STEP 4. <\/strong> Pull in through lower abs \u2013 use those transverse abdominals chicks!<\/p>\n

STEP 5<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Keep hips high, settle your shoulders away from your ears, I promise they do nothing for you up there and breathe<\/p>\n

I know this seems simple enough but here is where peeps can sometimes go off the radar with this move and make it a super struggle:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Always be sure your shoulders are \u201cin\u201d your body so not by your ears but instead connected so pull those shoulder blades down and in<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 If your heels are touching the ground, step back a little you want to feel the stretch from your calves as well<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Spread fingers nice and wide on your mat so you have a lot of space rather than crunching it all up and adding stress to the body<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Relax your head that means like really relax. Let it go think of trying to look at your belly button instead of ahead of you or straight down, this will release your neck so you can align your spine a little more<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Feet are hip width apart, that is about 2 fists not the width of a yoga mat lol chicks your hips are not that big!!<\/p>\n

OK I think that is it \u2013 I know it seems like a lot of info for a seemingly simple move but since this is a foundation piece to yoga<\/strong> and can be used daily just to get your blood flowing it is uber important that we are doing this one right!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Also being a foundation piece this is also one of my sweet move<\/strong>s that I like to use in my bootcamp classes<\/a> as an added bonus, we take the basic move and then add a little bit of this and that to make it our own, to make it unique and to make it even more of a challenge!<\/p>\n

So if you haven’t signed up for December 2 week bootcamp,<\/a> make sure to do asap as we start again Monday and we will def be exploring thisamazing move \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

Have a FAB day!!
\nAmanda<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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