Adho Mukka Svanasana (Dog – Head down)

This pose may be entered from a variety of position, may be held for a few seconds or for two or three minutes depending on the intention of the posture. It is a pose in its own right but also integral to the classical sun salutation sequence.

Place the hands on a mat or suitable floor equidistant apart about shoulder width. The fingers should be separated but not excessively. The middle fingers should point forwards. The heel of the hand and the base and knuckles of the fingers and thumbs press down, the fingers extend. The feet are placed about hip-width equidistant apart, parallel and at a distance from the hands that allows rolling onto the backs of the balls of the toes (heads of metatarsals). The heels press towards the floor.

The shoulders are flexed by pushing them upwards and backwards away from the hands. The hips are flexed by contraction of the hip flexors muscles (psoas and illiacus) and the erector spinae (deep muscles of the lower back). These muscles also flatten the appearance of the lumbar region and help maintain a modest lordotic curve (concave from the back). The head and neck are relaxed. The elbows and knees remain in extension.