A regular yoga practice not only strengthens muscles and releases tension in muscles that need it, but provides a powerful awareness of the body that engages the practitioner in becoming more involved in wellness choices and healthcare. Aches and pains that are ignored in order to get through the day, suddenly become strong observations and loud messages to the practitioner.
In addition to physical awareness, a yoga practitioner will often find the power of a moving meditation to help manage stress. By presently focusing on the mat, the yogi will soon discover that the past is over and no longer relevant, and the future is not here. Being present on the mat can help today’s overworked or overstressed individuals manage seemingly infinite stressors.
Upward Facing Dog’s mission is to encourage readers to become their own wellness guru while inspiring them to find a way to manage negative stress through yoga practice. The content on this site is focused around yoga and wellness in relation to stress management.
About the Site’s Name
In the Sun Salutation, much attention is given to downward facing dog. Often more time being spent in the pose, breathing and feeling and living the pose, while upward facing dog seems to be just a stop along the way. The physical polarity of these asanas is obvious. Upward dog stretches the front of the body and opens the heart chakra, while downward facing dog stretches the entire back side of the body, from the ankles and hamstrings and journeys up the low back, through the mid back and finally up through the neck and shoulders and even the backs of the arms.
But how do these poses evoke energy and awareness? So much about yoga is about bringing awareness to the present, in the here and now. Be here now, on the mat. Put aside the past, don’t think about the future, just be on the mat in the present moment. Yet both of these poses bring polarity in energy and awareness.
In downward facing dog there is a downward energy, driving into the floor through the fingertips, palms and pushing it through the backside of the body. Metaphorically, downward dog can be considered an asana that looks backwards, a quick history lesson, of last night’s sleep, or if yesterday’s extra long jog added some tightness to the hamstrings. It is human to often find ourselves revisiting our history to help learn from our mistakes. We dwell in it sometimes for whatever reasons, and look back at the wisdom it teaches us, hoping that it will lead us to make better decisions in the present and the future. In many Vinyasa classes, downward dog is given a lot of attention, to bring awareness to how the body is presently feeling most likely as result from prior behavior.
Upward facing dog is an upward energy pose, driving energy through the front of the body, through the chest, out through the throat and even the eyes as they gaze forward or up. Metaphorically, the pose can be considered a future looking pose. It opens the chest, the heart and the mind and may even evoke a sense of hope, a future-based emotion. Upward facing dog allows us to hope and be open to whatever future has to offer. Perhaps as yogi’s we don’t spend as much time in upward facing dog simply because we need so much self examination to help us make better decisions for our wellness.
I chose the name “Upward Facing Dog” (Sanscrit name: Urdhva Mukha Svanasana) for the site as a metaphor for being open to the wellness that a yoga practice can bring about in your near and distant future both on and off the mat.