Monday Moves: There is no place like the finish line

I got to cheer on my friend Bronwen last weekend as she ran her second1/2 marathon.  She did a great job and tore 20 minutes off her last time, claiming a new personal record.  Great job, B.!

That being said, I'm going to wind down this series of Monday Moves dedicated to the female long distance runner.  Next week, we will start a whole new series of Monday Moves!  But before we move on, I wanted to stress the importance of cross training.  Our bodies are only meant for so much pounding, so once you've met that goal or finished your race, it is a great idea to change up your exercise routine.  You don't even have to wait till the end of your training to add in some cross training. Runners can choose from a wide variety of cross training options - weight training, swimming, cycling, and yoga are all good options.

If you step into any yoga class you will most likely be asked to perform the asana (or pose) Downward Facing Dog. This pose is great for decompressing the spine and opening the shoulders.  It can also be a helpful pose for stretching the hamstrings, but this benefit is further down the list and there are other asanas that can target those hamstring muscles in a more beneficial way.  Now let's get going.

Start out on your hands and knees.  Widen your hands so that both pinkies touch the outside edge of your mat.  On the next exhale, lift your knees away from the floor.  Feel free to keep your knees bent and your heels lifted off the floor.  Begin to shift your attention to the bones that you sit on when you are sitting in the criss-cross apple sauce position.  We call these sit bones in yoga.  They're anatomy name is actually the ischial tuberosities.  So think about lifting these sit bones up to the ceiling and back to the wall behind you.  If you have tighter hamstrings, you  can keep your knees bent.  Remember, we are not as concerned here about stretching the hamstrings.  We are more concerned about lengthening your spine in this mildly inverted position.

Your grounding comes from your the palm of each hand.  You can even think of your palms like a suction cups or plungers, pushing the earth away from your palms.  Lengthen through the arm pits, keeping the shoulder blades firm on your back.  Continue to keep your abdominals firm.  Take 3 to 5 breaths here.

These are some of the basic instructions for Downward Facing Dog.  I'm sure there will be more Monday Moves dedicated to this one if the future.  There are so many more aspects of this asana that  we can uncover.