Tom Songer, M.Ed Author
Aug 27, 20142 min
When I started Yoga there was one pose I would never forget. The downward dog. not just because of its cute name but the way you stick your butt in the air like your digging for a bone. Well that’s how I translated it at first (laugh out loud)
Later did I find its the most well known pose and named after man’s best friend: downward-facing dog pose, downward dog or simply down dog. In this position the yogi forms an inverted V-shape, with the hands and feet on the floor and the legs and arms straight and hip-width apart. If you’re new to this pose and prone to tight hamstrings, down dog might make you want to howl.
It came to me at class when starting something new you must begin with simple steps. My friend Yang always said to me, “you eat an elephant one bite at a time”. And sure as it improves flexibility, circulation and tone for the arms and legs, all I could think was when will it be over. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. We all know the saying, but we often fail to apply this lesson in our lives. If you view the elephant as one giant goal that your whole life depends on, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. Why not enjoy the bites along the way?
Now that the foundation is set, I can hold myself up right and move onto another pose. Like the crow, fish or even the tortoise UNTIL the cows come home! So when the instructor says “downward dog” I’m back at foundation center.