People always want to hate on this pose but once you get it it’s awesome! The foundation of this pose is your hands. I know you don’t want to be, but it is. Specifically the bridge of your hands where your fingers and palm meet. This is where the pressure should be greatest. Yes, It’s going to suck and it may hurt your wrist. (FYI if your wrists are weak you’ll really have to work up to this.) It took me months of daily practice and wrist pain until I finally got past it. I also was massaging my arms and wrists. In the perfect down dog those wrists shouldn’t have one bit of pressure on them. If you stick with it I promise one day you’ll see! You should also notice that your nails turn white from pressing them into the ground. Imagine you have little suction cups on your finger tips holding them down. Also be aware that the index fingers are parallel with one another, then spread all the other fingers an equal distance apart just like a fan. Now move to the next area of awareness. The shoulders or scapulas, your focal point. As you press your fingers and the bridge of you hand into the ground squish your shoulders up into your ears and then roll them back. Hold those shoulders back! This will create space between your arms and your ears.  You can then begin to feel the opening of your heart space as you press the head closer to the floor. Believe it or not this pose is a backbend. It’s also the first step to a hand stand. Ohh yeah I almost forgot what about those legs? Personally one of the things I love best about this pose is stretching my calf muscles (gastrocnemius and soleus). I just peddle my feet pressing one heal toward the floor then the other. I do this every time I do my dog. Try it, if you haven’t.  There are plenty of other alignment points to talk about but I’ll leave you with these to try.

PHOTOs By amyelizabethbruce