If
you do not get it from yourself, where will you go for it?
-Zen Saying
STARTING A YOGA PRACTICE <<< complete list >>>
Backbend Asanas (13-17)
13. Upward Facing Dog / Urdhva Mukha Svanasana
From downward dog (12), keeping your elbows straight, slowly lower your hips and pelvis towards the floor. Keep the shoulders away from the ears. The only thing touching the floor will be your hands and feet. You can shift to the tops of your feet. After a few breaths, either raise the hips back into downward facing dog, or simply bend the elbows and lower your pelvis to the floor and rest on your belly. From there, press back up into child’s pose. Repeat a few times. Benefits: Intense backbend: opens the heart and lungs; increases flexibility of the spine; stimulates the nerves and muscles of the back.
Note: There are many variations to cobra pose. You can experiment to discover the one(s) that work best for you. Lie on your belly and rest your head on your folded arms. Take a few breaths. Place your hands on the floor (palm down) on each side of your rib cage with your forehead on the floor. Draw your shoulders back and down towards your waist. Keep them down and the elbows hugged close to the body. Slowly raise the head and chest. Don’t forget to breathe. Hold for a few breaths. You can rise up as high as you can as long as the shoulders don’t hunch up towards the ears and there is no discomfort. Very slowly lower down. Breathe. Repeat. Benefits: Same as upward dog (13). This back bend is not as intense as upward dog, so it can be practiced to prepare for upward dog. A gentle version is to wing the arms straight to the sides from the shoulders and simply raise the upper body and arms.
From the belly, bend the knees and grasp the feet or ankles. If you can’t comfortably reach the feet, bend the knees one at a time and press your flexed foot to the ceiling, trying to raise the thigh off the floor. Repeat to the other side. (This will prepare you for bow pose.) Slowly raise the head, chest and thighs off the floor. Keep breathing! Slowly lower down. Rest and then repeat. Benefits: Same as 13 & 14.
