Upward Facing Dog Pose

About Upward Facing Dog Pose

Urdhva mukha svanasana represents the three root words of the pose. In Sanskrit, urdhva means “upward”, mukha means “face”, and svana stands for “dog”.

This asana is sometimes confused with Cobra pose. The big difference is that while both are reclining postures where the yogi is raised up on the arms, upward facing dog pose uses straight arms and lifts the belly from the floor. The cobra posture requires the practitioner to bend the elbows and keep the belly on the floor.

Benefits of upward facing dog pose include:

• Stretches the chest, lungs, abdomen, and back.
• Relief of symptoms of asthma, depression, fatigue, and sciatica.
• Stimulates internal organs.

Take caution if you are pregnant, have frequent headaches, or carpel tunnel syndrome.

Step into the Pose

To Perform Upward Facing Dog Pose

1. Lie on your stomach, arms at your sides.
2. Open your palms and bend your elbows, keeping the arms close to the sides.
3. On an inhale, straighten the arms and all at once, raise your torso and legs a few inches off the floor.
4. Draw strength from the core of the body by firming but not tightening the lower body.
5. Open the chest by drawing the shoulder blades down into the back.

For more instructions on upward facing dog pose, visit Yoga Journal.

Beginner

Bend at the small of the back, and don't go back so far as to put strain on the area. Also, don’t scrunch the shoulders up to the ears.