Downward facing dog is the seventh Pose in Surya Namaskar A, but it could be the 1st pose of your practice or even of your day. It is a wonderful and safe way to introduce heat and pressure into the body which is crucial for deepening flexibility and mobility. By putting weight on the joints we add pressure and heat into the synovial fluid which is the lubrication in ALL the major joints of movement and this pose pretty much hits them ALL. Not only that, but this pose is key to starting our inversion practice. When you think of it, downward facing dog half the distance to handstand and basically LOOKS like a hand stand folded in half. This pose is said to be a resting pose although it might not feel like it at first. It takes time to really get this one right and requires a moving balance between strength and openness. Putting this pose into ur practice is a great way to relive shoulder pain which can eventually lead to chronic headaches. Next time you hop out of bed in the morning, try setting a timer for 3 minutes and see if you can stay in the pose for the duration with a nice slow ujjai breath.
– Christopher Temple
