Downward Dog Part 2- Hamstrings

Following from my previous post, I've observed that a lot of students try so hard to straight their legs in downward facing dog that they are compensating the elongation of the spine. They are so eager to have their heels reach the mat, that they would do anything to achieve this.

I love teaching downward facing dog starting from Child's Pose and asking my students to just lift up their hips without extending their legs. Then to breathe in here and peddle your feet. This is probably the best place to remind your students that not everyone's variation of the pose will look the same and that having bent knees is perfectly ok, if not better, for this pose.

Some cues you can possibly try that I found helpful as a practitioner:
- Lift your tailbone high, towards the sky
- Engage your core
- Bend your knees first then slowly extend your legs without moving your shoulder alignment

I think it is always good to start providing cues to students to ground the pose first and then work on the rest of the pose. If I remember correctly, that was how we were taught in training too!

Not sure what this position would be called, but definitely try this next time you go into downward dog or you teach students this pose! Let me know what you think, in the comments below!