Sinking into Downward Facing Dog

Ever since I took a workshop on the Thoracic Spine, Shoulders, and Upper Arms with the amazing Megan Davis , I've been hyper-aware of watching out for my students who sink, or slump, into down dog. What do I mean by this? I mean the many people (myself included), who have extremely flexible shoulders, open hamstrings, and hyper-extendable elbows, who can do a down dog that looks like this: 

Image via fitnessnyc.wordpress.com

Although yes, this may seem correct to some (and some schools of yoga will teach this as the "right" way to do downward-facing dog--especially since this picture is of Mr. B.K.S. Iyengar himself!), what I learned last month is that anatomically, doing the pose this way  is all kinds of crazy for the body. This sinking, slumping, head-towards-the-ground version of adho mukha svanasana = an injury waiting to happen. And here's why: 

1. The shoulders are hyperextending. When we do this, we are not engaging the proper muscles to keep the shoulders in the shoulder girdle, and thus, are not strengthening the muscles it takes to stay in this pose for long periods of time, and instead, are putting unnecessary stress on the connective tissues and joints.

2. Often, when we hyperextend the shoulders, we also collapse through the wrists, and in turn, hyperextend the elbows. Same things here as above (hyperextension in yoga is not good!).

3. When hyperextending the shoulders, we also often hyperextend the spine, or at least collapse through the spine and make downward-facing dog into a backbend. It's not supposed to be a deep backbend, and since most people who collapse into down dog in this way aren't engaging the proper muscles, turning this pose into a sinking, loosey-goosey backbend can cause compression between the vertebrae in the spine. 

4. If your heels are touching the floor and you tilt the pelvis in order to sink into the shoulders and spine (and again, turn down dog into a backbend), it can cause overstretching of the hamstrings or hamstring attachments. Especially if you practice a lot and therefore, spend a lot of time in down dog each day. 

5. For most students who practice down dog this way, it can cause a lot of crunching and clenching in the shoulders, as the shoulders often get hugged in towards the ears in order to sink the belly forward more. If you roll your upper arms away from your ears and draw your shoulderblades aware from your ears, you can create much more space in the neck and shoulders. 

Here are two more examples of what I am talking about here:

Image via yogaymedicinaoriental.blogspot.com

Image via yogaxtc.com

So do you see what I mean? Look at the backbend in the picture on the right! Look at the crazy hyperextension in the shoulders and elbows! 

Now, lets look at two examples of correct anatomical alignment for the shoulders and spine: 

Image via cnyhealingarts.com

Image via YogaJournal.com

See the difference? In these images, the spine is long (no backbend), the shoulders are engaged, the neck is in line with the rest of the spine, and the wrists and hands are active and engaged (thus freeing up the elbows and not putting too much pressure on the joint). Just looking at these versions of the pose makes me sigh with relief.

So how do you ensure that you're not doing this in your own practice? Well for starters, you can ask your teacher to check out your alignment in down dog. And you can also take a look for yourself. Come into the pose and look at your elbows--are they hyperextending (bending a little past straight)? If so, bring a gentle bend to the elbows, and then turn your upper arms away from your ears and draw your shoulderblades down your back. Check out your wrists--are they active? If not, spread the fingers wide and press the pad of each finger into the floor. Check out your spine--do you feel like you're in a bit of a backbend? If so, pull the bellybutton in towards the spine and lengthen out the low back. Turn your gaze towards the place between your feet to lengthen the neck. 

Ahhhhh, much better, no? 

I've been making small changes in my own adho mukha svanasana lately, and it's felt so much better. I think that my problem is that it's honestly easier for my body to sink into the pose (relying less on the muscles and more on my natural joint flexibility to hold me up), and so when I'm tired, my body naturally sinks into the pose and I let it, creating bad muscle memory and incorrect patterns in my body. It's been really nice to come back to the more active, aligned version of the pose when practicing, and I know my joints will thank me later :) 

And with that, I'll leave you with an amazing image that I found while googling down dog--don't you wish we could all work like this all day long?

Image via yoga.isport.com

Hysterical. 
Although honestly, I'm a little worried about her neck...

Namaste!
Mary Catherine