Reasons to Love Downward Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana )

Downward Facing Dog - Adho Mukha Svanasana aka Down Facing Dog, it's a classic! I believe almost any physical Yoga class will involve a variation of this pose at some point, in fact it is often repeated over and over again. 'Is this really necessary?' we hear you think! Keep reading and you will see why we love this amazing pose.

Benefits of Downward Facing Dog

• Relieves stress, depression and calms the brain.
• Energises the body, Mr Iyengar recommends at least 1minute in the pose to bring back lost energy to runner in a race.
• Stretches the body and strengthens the body evenly. So it is great to counter pose (rebalance) the body - after more challenging or one sided poses.
• Improves digestion, relieves headache, insomnia, back ache, fatigue and menstrual discomfort.
• Can help prevent osteoporosis and be therapeutic for high blood pressure, asthma, flat feet and sciatica.

Whats more, it can feel great! To me downward facing dogs are like bananas, you can never have enough, they are satisfying, filling and each one tastes slightly different. If done correctly they are so good for you! Plus there are so many variations and things you can do with it. Banana Split, Banana Fritters, Banana smoothy and more yum yum. So make sure where ever, what ever you are doing, throw in a down dog or two to keep yourself feeling great!