Upward Facing Dog

Upward dog
Upward Facing Dog

 


   
   Upward facing dog (Urdhvamukhasvanasana), often shortened to upward dog or up dog, helps to stretch the chest and abdominal muscles while strengthening the shoulders, triceps, forearms and low back.


   Doing lots of  upward dogs can be a very good thing, provided you do them properly. You'll gain strong arms and legs, a broad open chest, a supple spine and a deep powerful breath.


   Upward dog opens up the chest cavity and collarbones, which can counteract the rounding of the spine that occurs from working at a desk or hunching over in a chair. 
   
   Pressing yourself forward and bringing your shoulders back and down will maximize this benefit and potentially increase lung elasticity.


   To Do:

   Lie on your stomach, with your hands next to the ribs, fingers pointing forwards, elbows tucked into your sides.
   
   Press the tops of your feet into the floor and engage the thighs and knees, and keep the tailbone pointing towards the heels.
   
   On an inhalation press into your hands and feet, straighten your arms and lift your chest and legs off the floor.

   You can look straight ahead or up towards the ceiling.

   To come out, as you exhale, lower yourself down to the floor or lift yourself into Downward Facing Dog pose.


   Hold for 1/2 - 1 min.