Making Yoga Work For You: Tackling the Troubles With Downward-facing Dog

I’ve been doing yoga in one form or another for almost 12 years, and I’m pretty sure I’ve never made it through an entire practice without at least one downward-facing dog pose.

I’ve never understood why this wasn’t called downward-facing cat pose. Just look at this perfect form!

That being said, I don’t think I can adequately express to you just how much I loathed this pose for nearly the entire time I’ve been practicing it.

It was uncomfortable. It hurt my wrists. My shoulders ached. Sometimes my neck felt weird. And it felt ENDLESS.

As I’ve been talking to many of you about yoga over the past several months, I’ve realized that almost everyone experiences these same small miseries in one form or another when doing this pose.

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3 Yoga Mistakes That You’re Probably Making

The more I talk to friends about yoga, the more I realize the importance of small adjustments.

I’m absolutely not an expert, but I’m happy to say that I’ve been able to help quite a few people completely change how they feel about yoga over the years just by talking them through minor adjustments and modifications.

Since pictures of small adjustments aren’t a thing, here’s a small birb instead.

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Making Yoga Work For You: The Anatomy of Child’s Pose

Between the holidays and abruptly getting the flu (fml), I had to take a short break from posting.

I’m back now though, and I’m going to start breaking down some of the most common yoga poses. One of the most important lessons I’ve learned over the years is that small changes can completely change your outlook on a pose or sequence.

With yoga, as with a lot of things, it can be hard to know that you’re doing something wrong until someone comes along and notices it. If you practice at home or in a really big class, chances are good that you don’t have anyone to make adjustments or suggest another way.

Personally, I would love to get yoga advice from a cat.

My goal with this series is to try to be that person for you. It’s a little tricky to explain things without showing, but I’m hoping that I can at least encourage you to look at the poses you struggle with in a different light. Most likely, there are some minor adjustments you can make that will help a lot!

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How to Start Doing Yoga at Home

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I’ve been talking for several weeks about lots of different aspects of yoga, and it occurred to me that some of you might want to start doing yoga, but you’re not sure how.

This…is not how.

Going to a yoga studio can be overwhelming, and for some people it can be much too expensive. I get that! Group classes at your local gym are also an option. While they’re usually a bit less intimidating, I know you still have to be a paying member to participate.

If yoga studios and gym classes are unappealing or out of your budget, doing yoga at home is a totally viable option, even if you’re a brand-new beginner.

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