Upward Facing 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 ...