Page 25 - Flipbook

6. Adho Mukha Svanasana - Downward facing dog
From hands and knees, walk your hands slightly forward away from your shoulders and tuck your toes in toward your mat. Spread your fingers wide and make a "L" shape with your index finger and thumb. Push into the bases of your fingers (keep your entire palm on the mat) and lift your hips up and back, away from the mat, while keeping your knees slightly bent and your heels off of the mat. Lengthen your spine, while sending your chest toward your legs. Tilt your tailbone down to maintain length in your spin and lift your sit bones up to release your hamstrings. From here you can straighten your legs (staying soft in the knees) and gently reach your heels toward the mat (they may or may not touch). Stay in this posture for 5 deep slow breaths. If at any point you need to come out of this posture, return to hands and knees.
7. Plank / Side Plank
From hands and knees walk your body long, come on to the balls of your feet and reach back through your heels or from downward facing dog, bring your torso forward until your arms are perpendicular with the mat. Keep your neck long as you look down just beyond your hands. Push the mat away from you with your hands as you slide your shoulder blades firmly down your back while keeping your chest open by keeping your shoulder blades away from your spine and your collarbones spread away from the middle of your chest. Keep your core in towards your spine,
maintain a flat back with your hips just below your shoulders. maintain length in your lower back by reaching your tailbone toward your heels and reach your heels back towards the back of the mat. Stay for 5 deep breaths. Lower down on to your knees when you need to.
From plank, to come into side plank, push down into your right hand as you come on to the right side edge of your right foot. Maintain the same alignment as in the full plank. You can place your left foot with the knee bent, onto the mat just in front of your right hip and keep your hand on your left hip or up away from the mat (lining up the shoulders) for extra support. Your gaze can be down at your right hand or up at your left. Take 5 breaths in your side plank, return to the full plank, then take the side plank on your left and return to downward facing dog.
From downward facing dog, bend your knees and walk your feet forward toward your hands. Plug your feet firmly into the mat as you send your hips back as if you are sitting in a chair and reach your hands forward ahead of your face with your palms facing each other. You can look up at the space between your palms or keep your gaze straight ahead. Keep your thighs as parallel to the mat as possible, reach your tailbone down toward the mat and keep your core in toward your spine (belly button and low ribs), keep your shoulders relaxed and shoulder blades firmly down your back. Stay for 5 breaths or as long as you can, which ever comes first. With every inhale reach your hands higher and with every exhale sit back a bit deeper (do not send your hips below your knees).
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