It's crazy that it would be a basic position, but I think of it as one too. I find it so hard to keep my back straight and have my body hinge only at the hips, also the burn in the shoulders and arms can be harsh
You aren’t alone Tony I used to loathe Downward Dog with a passion because my hands and feet would slide away and I constantly felt like I’d go splat on the floor. Sometimes the basic postures are actually the hardest.
omg you have just changed my life! i have never been able to figure out downward dog, like so confused and so uncomfortable. i just tried this, and it all suddenly made sense and felt so much more natural and good. thank you!!
Great advice thank you! Always wondered how it is supposed to be. I did what felt right, but will happily check if this measurement works for me. Love your content!
I know what you mean. I don’t think this works for everyone and I like to take a little time to readjust too but I think this is a good place to start.
Thank you for this. My problem with DD is that it feels like my shoulders are not right, like they're too close to my ears in this position. I try to start the position with my back straight, shoulder blades close together but as I go into the asana I often lose that and it feels frustrating as if I'm missing an important part of stretching this asana provides. I take longer to do it and adjust it, not sure if I'm just being perfectionist. This was really helpful, thank you.
Hey it’s great to hear from you, thank you for sharing your struggles. I know many teachers cue to draw the shoulders away from the ears in down dog but I think this cue can be quite harmful and potentially lead to shoulder impingement. When you lift your arms overhead like they are in down dog you elevate your scapula which is like shrugging your shoulders, so drawing them down in this position goes against what your body needs to do to hold you in position. So instead of drawing the shoulder baldes down, to create better stability try to externally rotate the upper arm bones to broaden the upper back. This will also protract the shoulder blades providing more stability for your shoulders and will hopefully feel better in your body.
Is it acceptable to move out from the tabletop when entering down dog? I find myself always stepping my feet back or moving my hands forward once I get into down dog? I feel as though my body proportions are off. I have long legs and a short torso. Do you find this happens in some practitioners or do you have any insight or advise for me? I am always looking for ways to set a solid foundation to build from and would love to know if I am doing things correctly or if I am one off. Thank you in advance for your time and expertise.
Hey Jess there is nothing wrong with adjusting your down dog. Mine differs from day to day depending on what I want to feel. I opt for feet further away for more of a Hamstring/Achilles stretch. I hope this helps you feel like it’s okay to change your alignment depending on how you feel.
I have a question about this! I have slightly shorter legs than my torso/arms so when I do the position my natural instinct is to move my hands slightly to bring them closer to my legs. It's not much but I instinctly do it everytime cause otherwise it doesn't feel right. Is it correct to move my hands to adjust the position or should I just follow the position that my body naturally enters?
Hey no please adjust as you need to. There is no one size or alignment that fits everyone as we are all built differently, so if it feels better in your body then I say go with that.
