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Adho Mukha Svanasana | Make Your Spine Flexible

Adho Mukha Svanasana Yoga Asanas

Working for many hours regularly at the office or home can often make your back stiff. This is something that a lot of people who work deal with. When they start experiencing back pain or stiffness, people start taking medicines and are compelled to pay the hospital bills. What they don’t realize is that there is something happier and better that won’t make you spend a single penny: Yoga. Yoga has helped many individuals with different health problems, including back pain, and many people have seen great recovery and transformation.

Many individuals have been suffering from back pain for ages, and they have now found relief by doing yoga. Among the many yoga asanas that can help with back pain, one of the best is called Adho Mukha Svanasana yoga. Now, yogaasan is going to cover what is Adho Mukha Svanasana, Adho Mukha Svanasana steps and benefits, and many more.

What is Adho Mukha Svanasana Pose

Adho Mukha Svanasana is a part of Suryanamaskar. Sun Salutation, or Suryanamaskar, is a sequence of 12 yoga asanas used to worship the Sun in the Hindu religion. The asana in the 8th position of the sequence is the Adho Mukha Svanasana yoga pose. In Sanskrit, Adho means downward, Mukha means face, and Svana means dog. Adho Mukha Svanasana pose is a forward bend and is also known as the Downward-Facing Dog pose or bent-head dog pose. Beginners can also perform this asana and enjoy all the benefits it has by including this yoga asana in their daily routine. It’s now time to discuss the benefits of this asana in detail.

Adho Mukha Svanasana Benefits

Now, when we talk about the benefits, asana Adho Mukha Svanasana comes with numerous benefits for the mind, body and spirit. Let’s discuss some of the benefits of this asana in detail:

  • This asana makes you feel refreshed and full of energy.
  • It straightens the spine and enhances lung capacity.
  • This yoga pose makes your arms, shoulders and legs stronger.
  • The asana relaxes the shoulder joints.
  • Adho Mukha Svanasana reduces lower, middle and upper back pain.
  • It relaxes the mind and reduces headaches, insomnia and the conditions of fatigue.
  • This pose helps to improve blood circulation in the body and the brain.
  • This asana stretches the whole body and improves posture.
  • Downward Facing Dog rejuvenates your brain cells and makes your thought process clear.

Adho Mukha Svanasana Procedure | How to do Adho Mukha Svanasana

Asana Adho Mukha Svanasana is not complicated, and it is very easy to perform this bend. Let us now discuss the detailed steps for performing Adho Mukha Svanasana in the correct form.

  • Sit in the Vajrasana to start with Adho Mukha svanasana Pose.
  • Now, place your hands on the mat, with your fingers separated, and press equally into the floor. Keep your legs a little backward.
  • Tuck your toes and engage your navel. 
  • Inhale and slowly lift your hips back and up as much as you can. Ensure that your stomach is sucked in.
  • Once you are comfortable in the position, drop your head completely and relax.
  • Do not fold your elbows, and ensure that your arms are kept straight.
  • Try to touch your heels to the ground to go deeper into the pose.
  • Take deep breaths and feel the stretch in your lower body, shoulders and arms.
  • Maintain the Adho Mukha Svanasana yoga pose for 4-5 deep breaths, and make sure that your body resembles a mountain.
  • To relax, keep your knees down on the floor, press your hips back towards your heels and go back to the child pose.
  • Stay there for a moment and come back to Vajrasana again.

These are the Adho Mukha Svanasana Steps. Add this asana to your daily routine to get the most out of it.

Adho Mukha Svanasana Contraindications You Need to Know About

After talking about Adho Mukha Svanasana steps and benefits, it becomes very important to discuss Adho Mukha Svanasana precautions to avoid any injuries that can happen while performing the asana. Read on for more.

  • Pregnant ladies are advised not to perform this asana if they have body pain and should consult a doctor to avoid any further injuries.
  • Any individuals suffering from joint issues should not do this yoga pose.
  • People suffering from migraine, high blood pressure or heart problems should not perform the asana.
  • Also, individuals who have arthritis or carpal tunnel syndrome should avoid doing Adho Mukha Svanasana yoga asanas.

Conclusion

After reading this entire article, we hope you have received all of the Adho Mukha Svanasana information. This asana offers many benefits for the body and mental health. We encourage you to add this yoga pose to your daily routine. Perform this asana correctly and take precautions to avoid any unnecessary injuries. We hope that the steps are simple and helpful for you. Additionally, there are many more asanas like Naukasana, Mandukasana Yoga, Padahastasana, and several others that can also help to make your spine flexible; you can explore and discover their advantages as well. Happy practicing!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How many times should I do Adho Mukha Svanasana?

There is no strict rule when we talk about how many times this asana should be performed. As a beginner, you can perform the pose around 2-3 times in each session. As you become an expert, you can increase the count and try different Adho Mukha Svanasana variations. 

What is the English name for Adho Mukha Svanasana?

Adho stands for downward, Mukha stands for face, and Svana stands for dog; hence, the asana is called a Downward-Facing Dog in English.