Upward Facing Dog

There was once a yogi so inspired by the way his dog looked up at him with the utmost respect, he felt moved to embody their experience and thus established Urdhva Mukha Svanasana, Upward Facing Dog Posture.

This posture embodies the essence of Animal-Assisted Yoga as you feel the connection, the way your body relates to your animal's, stretching through your ankles, groin, chest and shoulders, pulling and strengthening through your legs and glutes.

From chaturanga, come to the tops of your feet, squeeze and lift through your legs and glutes, and straighten your arms, allowing your gaze to be determined by the position of your spine as you lift up through your chest and push your shoulders down your back

There are countless ways your animal can interact with you here, but I find that your pet sitting tall while you practice creates a beautiful moment of shared reflection, both of you hyper aware of the energy and space that you are both entangled in, like you are pulling the strands that connect you taught with every breath as you lift through your torso.

Here are some other options:

You can test your communication skills with your dog by asking them to walk around your body, crossing over your legs.

You can hold onto a tug toy and let your play-motivated dog go nuts while you counterbalance by pressing into the tops of your feet and hold your shoulders over your wrists by pressing into your hands. Be sure to continue pushing your shoulders down your back to prevent and strain in your neck.

You can also ask your animal to lay on your legs to add a weight resistance aspect and increase the strength-building aspect if you have build enough strength throughout your legs to be able to lift through your thighs and glutes while protecting your knees by engaging your calves and keeping your legs straight. If you feel any strain in your knees or low back, stop. You can check out my animal-assisted yoga membership page for exercises and activities to help you build the necessary strength to practice this interaction.

Check out this week's live class for a visual demonstration and more instructions:

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