A yoga teacher once told a class that I was taking that your downward facing dog should be different every time you practice it. I pondered this for a while because I was thinking that structurally, the pose is performed a certain way, so how could it change that much? I think he meant that you can adjust it a tiny bit each time to keep things fresh and keep your body challenged. And I suppose he also could have meant that our bodies are never quite the same from moment to moment, so you will always look and feel different each time you come into it.
Certain yoga traditions call for specific anatomical alignment in all poses. Fingers are open and spread wide, or fingers are closed. Head is looking up, or head is tilted down. There are endless variations, so it can be a bit overwhelming when attending a new class, unsure of what is “correct”. My personal approach is to gently guide my students with verbal adjustments (physical adjustments mainly when safety is compromised), but let them explore the pose on their own to find their own version, their own comfort level. I encourage them to try new things, listen to their bodies, and adjust accordingly.
Here are some ideas to try in ‘down dog’ (one at a time would be best, so you can take note of the effects):
Open your feet wide to outer edges of mat.
Walk your hands forward a bit.
Bring your feet together.
Bend your knees a lot.
Turn your heels out to the sides (toes in).
Play with bringing your heels to (or closer toward) the floor.
Press your weight into different fingers.
Shift your gaze to a different spot.
Life high onto your tip toes.
Drop your heels to the side (so the sides of your feet touch the mat).
Change one thing from the list above, and then hold for 3-5 breaths. Notice how your center of gravity may shift, or you may feel the stretch in a different place. Then reset back to the traditional down dog. Then next time you come to down dog in your practice, change something else on the list. Changing just one small thing can make a big difference in a pose and in your practice. Explore carefully, and find the joy in something new!
How do you switch things up in your practice?
Choose love,
Grace
