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Familiar to many as the second of three ‘flow’ asanas characteristic of the vinyasa style, Upward Dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana) appears deceptively simple. Yet after the strenuous Chaturanga, it can be challenging not to allow the weight of the upper body to rest on the sacrum pinching the lowest lumbar. Its proper alignment is critical to opening the chest, lifting and lengthening the upper thorax from the sacral-pelvis, and strengthening the muscles of the upper back. The pose remains an essential pose on the road to mastering the more complex backbends.
Here, Mr. Land pays homage to the classic pose of B.K.S. Iyengar, the model’s head appropriately lifted from the seventh cervical, but tilted backward, face and eyes skyward. It is Urdhva Mukha Svanasana with its most satisfyingly graceful arc of the body from the bridge of the toes to the crown of the head.
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