Strike a [Yoga] Pose: Downward-Facing Dog

In honor of my awesome adaptive/gentle/restorative yoga class that I’ll be taking today, I thought I’d shine a spotlight on everyone’s favorite pose, downward-facing dog (Sanskrit: Adho Mukha Svanasana). No matter what type of yoga class you take (or if you practice at home), you will run into this resting posture. Yes, it really is a resting posture, even though at first it seems like the hardest pose ever! Thankfully it does get easier as strength improves.

I really like this pose because you can modify it in several different ways, like deeply bending your knees or placing your knees on the mat for puppy pose, for example. You can also further work on your strength by placing both forearms on the ground for dolphin pose, or raise a leg for one-legged downward-facing dog (Eka Pada Adho Mukha Svanasana).

Strike a Yoga Pose: Downward-Facing Dog | FrenchFryRunner.com
Getting better at the One-Legged Variation

 

According to Yoga Journal, this asana has quite a few benefits, from being energizing to improving digestion. I have a Kino MacGregor video that shows how to do this foundational pose.

Other Resources about Bridge/Wheel Pose

Which variation of Downward-Facing Dog do you like best? #Yoga via @frenchfryrunner Share on X

Other “Strike a [Yoga] Pose” Posts

Does downward-facing dog make you feel energized?

Do you prefer to modify this pose? How?

 

This post is linked up for Wild Workout Wednesday with Annmarie at The Fit Foodie Mama, Angelena Marie from  Angelena Marie: Happy, Healthy & Balanced, Upala at Pretty in Pink Fitness, and Amber at Bold Fit Mom

Week in Review: February 9-15

Well, hello there! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! Hope Valentine’s Day (or Saturday) was great for you. I’m back again with my week in review.

Workouts in Review

Here’s the rundown for the week:

Monday: 1-hour yoga, 38 minutes elliptical

Tuesday: total of 40 minutes strength, cardio, and yoga

Wednesday: 1-hour yoga class, 35-minute run, 30-minute walk

Thursday: honestly I don’t remember

Friday: 30-minute morning yoga practice at home–and a 2-hour yoga workshop (1 hour of alignment and 1 hour Ashatanga)

Saturday: Chasing Cupid 5K  (ran it in 30:45; week four of Jeff Galloway’s half marathon training plan. It called for 2.5 miles, but I had the 5K)

Sunday: Rest

What I’m Most Proud Of

Two things: (1) I ran a solid 5K on Saturday. It was a great race on a great course. (2) I attended a kick-asana yoga workshop on Friday and learned a lot/improved. AND while there, I got into/held crow pose. I’m getting stronger! Yesssss.

Where I Fell Short

I didn’t write down what I did on Thursday. Journaling fail.

Training

This week’s runs were great. The whole “run slow to go fast” is really working!

 Thought for the Week Ahead

Do more of what makes you happy.

Let’s be happy this week!

Don’t forget to visit Jesica’s blog and check out her weekly update post and other linked-up posts. I’m also linking up with Tara from Running ‘n’ Reading for her Weekend Update link-up.

What makes you happy?

Did you race this weekend? How did it go?

 

 

Weekend-Edition

5 Things I Love about Yoga

I’m linking up with Courtney from Eat Pray Run DC, Cynthia from You Signed Up for WHAT?!, and Mar from Mar on the Run. This week’s Friday Five theme is Five Things I Love about ____ . . . And I chose YOGA! 

Things I Love about YOGA! | FrenchFryRunner.com

 

I’m still running and lifting, of course, but I’ve been focusing a lot more on yoga lately. So, to celebrate that, I thought I’d share five things I love about yoga.

  1. I can practice in my pajamas! They say you can just roll out of bed and go running, which you can–once you put on shoes. But you don’t need shoes with yoga! You don’t even need a mat. You can begin your practice anywhere and at any time.
  2. I know what utkatansana, vrikasana, trikonasana, and savasana mean. Being the word nerd that I am, I love that I know a little Sanskrit. 🙂
  3. Yoga helps me center myself. I can be pretty high strung and stressed out, but yoga helps me focus inward and let my worries and stresses dissolve. I can better live in the moment through yoga.
  4. Yoga makes me happy. And happy people just don’t shoot their husbands. They just don’t. . . . In all seriousness, though, I can honestly say that yoga has improved my relationship with the world around me, myself, and my husband. I’m a much happier and nicer person after I’ve practiced yoga. And people want to hang out with a happy person, right? No one likes a downer. Sometimes the Engineer and I practice together, and he is calmer and happier too. Everyone benefits from yoga in my house! 🙂
  5. Yoga meets you where you are. This is why yoga is a practice. You don’t have to force anything. You can just be where you are, whether you’re a beginner or you have been practicing for years. With yoga, I always see improvement–in my flexibility, my strength, my focus, and my heart.

 

Looking pretty graceful, I gotta say! :)
Looking pretty graceful, I gotta say! 🙂

Rebecca from Strength & Sunshine encouraged us in one of her posts to find our own yoga, which is different from others’. I’d like to share with what my yoga is, and I hope you’ll read her post and contemplate what your yoga (or running or favorite activity) really is and be mindful of that.

Here’s what I wrote:

My yoga is fulfilling, strengthening, contemplative, calming, and invigorating. It helps me center myself and look inward. It is a spiritual experience for me, and I feel this way whether in class or at home. After spending years in competitive sports in my youth, yoga is the perfect opposite for me. It’s all about my personal practice and no one else’s.

So do you love yoga? Why?

What pose are you working on right now? I’m trying my darndest to get into bakasana, or crow pose.

What do you love?

What do you love? It's #FridayFive with @eatprayrundc @yousignedup & @marmaone1. Share on X

Don’t forget to #taketheleap with prAna and Fit Approach. Details here.

It’s not too late to join in the 12-day #bringingyogaback mini challenge. Details here.

 

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I’m also linking up with Jill Conyers’s Fitness Friday and B.J. for #FitGeekFriday. Be sure to check out the hosts’ pages and find other fun blogs to read!

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