Downward Dog is as Hard as Ever
Maybe even harder.
Keep both toes pointed in front of your mat and sink your heels toward the floor. Simple, right? Downward dog is as hard as it has ever been. Maybe even harder. I drink water and stretch on days I don’t go to the gym. I try and stretch at least twice a day.
For better or for worse, each downward dog feels different than the one before.
Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes
I can’t tell you all the things that make a perfect downward dog. But, when I get on a yoga mat, I know when I’ve been slacking.
I can feel my heels hover above the floor. I catch myself rotating my toes inwards. Yoga instructors, online and in-person, say similar things. Your upper arms should rotate and you should be in a steep pike. I have been there, done that, and have also seen myself slide backwards.
Downward Dog for Dummies
It all sounds easy enough, until you try it. Try a three-legged dog for the first time — that’s hard too. I never got, and still sometimes don’t get, how to hold a perfect downward dog and shift into a high plank without moving my hands or feet.
You’re not going to get better form by avoiding poses you don’t like, especially one that is foundational to the practice. At class, in a downward dog to plank, I found myself thinking about how I’ve always dreaded downward dog.
I also started thinking about learning curves.
What is Yoga
There seem to be more people on either end of the spectrum then there are in the middle. We have all heard of intermediate plateau. It is a common experience, so it seems contrary say that it’s isolating when you’re in between levels.
Everyone knows what it is like to be a beginner at something. You know nothing. After that point, your path diverges. From there, your journey is all your own.
Downward dog is as hard as it has ever been. Maybe even harder. And maybe that’s the point.
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