Adho Mukha Svanasana

downward facing dog pose

From hands & knees, place hands 1 hand's width in front of shoulders and tighten bandhas. | Feet hip-width apart and hands shoulder-width apart.
Spread the fingers and curl the toes into the mat.
Push into your feet and the palm of your hands to raise the hips up and back.
Sit bones move slightly towards the back of the knees to create length in the lower back.
Straighten the knees.
Shoulders away from ears, head in line with arms.
Armpits “closed” to create space between the shoulder blades.
Extend your back and bring your heels towards the back of the mat.
Press into the fingertips and balls of the hands to relieve the wrists and activate the muscles in the forearms.
Pull up the kneecaps to activate the thighs.
Look towards the feet or knees.

Inhale: create length between your hands and your shoulders, between your shoulders and your sit bones and between your sit bones and your heels.
Exhale: relax, come deeper.

- Or -

Inhale: feel your chest widen and your lower abdomen pulled in a little further.
Exhale: let go.

Bring the knees back to the ground or step/jump forward into a standing position.