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The ASFYT Blog

Yoga anatomy related articles and videos for yoga teachers and movement professionals seeking to learn more about functional anatomy, biomechanics, common injuries and the anatomy of yoga asana.

Balancing Opposites in Downward Facing Dog

8/25/2015

3 Comments

 
The Inner Spiral of the wrist vs the Outer Spiral of the Shoulder

When students first begin to practice Downward Facing Dog, one of two common misalignments typically occurs in the upper body:
  1.  the upper arms medially rotate at the shoulder joints, causing a downward facing "bulldog" shape in the upper body (Figure A), and/or
  2. the inner heels of the hands (thumb side) come up off the floor, such that all of the weight shifts onto the pisiform bone on the outer heels of the hands (Figure B)
Picture
Figure A: Downward Facing "Bulldog"
Picture
Figure B: Weight Shifting to Outer Heel of Hand
As teachers, most of us probably spend a lot of time telling students to ground the inner heels of their hands and an equal amount of time telling them to work the external rotation of their arms at the shoulder joints, while performing corresponding hands-on assists that encourage these actions.  These cues will help for awhile, but over time there is the potential that many students will take the "externally rotate the shoulders" cue too far, causing biomechanical stress/torque at the shoulder, elbow and wrist joints.

In the following video...
I talk about how to create a balanced action between the inner spiral of the wrist joints and the outer spiral of the shoulder joints in order to cultivate optimal alignment and more ease in the upper body.  Neither one of these spirals should be practiced aggressively, and each should keep the other in check.
3 Comments
shelley gilbert link
9/16/2016 07:30:09 pm

Brilliant. Have heard the external rotation of humerus bone so eyes of the elbow forward, while grounding the base of the thumb and index finger for so long! Fortunately I knew it was nonsense in my own body, so stuck with the foundation cues and have been muddling through the shoulder girdle cues. Will play with this!
Thank you.

Reply
Jason link
9/20/2016 09:25:01 am

Hi Shelley - thanks for watching the video. Yes, trying to force the eyes of the elbows to face forward is way too much external rotation force at the shoulders. In my experience, when someone is balancing the inner spiral at the wrists with an outer spiral at the shoulders the eyes of the elbows will be at about a 45 degree angle toward the front during plank, but will then gradually turn to face each other as you transition to downward dog as some inward rotation needs to happen as you go into full flexion.

Reply
Judith
11/7/2018 05:52:57 am

Very helpful video and insights - it makes so much sense that we need to balance everything out and not overdo one particular thing, and yoga is such a great way to explore this balance between effort and ease. Thank you!

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  • HOME
  • ONLINE STUDY
  • ABOUT US
  • STUDENT RESOURCES
    • The ASFYT Series >
      • ASFYT-1 >
        • Orientation for Home-Study Students
        • S1 Intro to Kinesiology >
          • S1 Quiz
        • S2 Overview of the Skeletal System >
          • S2 Quiz
        • S3 Classification of Joints >
          • S3 Quiz
        • S4 Leg Ankle Foot >
          • S4 Quiz
        • S5 Hip Thigh Knee >
          • S5 Quiz
        • S6 Pelvis >
          • S6 Quiz
        • S7 Shoulder Girdle and Arm >
          • S7 Quiz
        • S8 Elbow Forearm Wrist Hand >
          • S8 Quiz
        • S9 Axial Skeleton (Bones) >
          • S9 Quiz
        • S10 Axial Skeleton (Joints) >
          • S10 Quiz
        • S11 Bone Lab
        • S12 Massage Moves for Yoga Teachers I (Shiatsu-Based)
        • Final Exam (ASFYT-1)
      • ASFYT-2 >
        • M1 Overview of Muscular System >
          • M1 Quiz
        • M2 Muscles of the Leg >
          • M2 Quiz
        • M3 Muscles of the Thigh >
          • M3 Quiz
        • M4 Muscles of the Pelvis >
          • M4 Quiz
        • M5 Muscles of the Shoulder and Arm (Part 1) >
          • M5 Quiz
        • M6 Muscles of the Shoulder and Arm (Part 2) >
          • M6 Quiz
        • M7 Muscles of the Forearm >
          • M7 Quiz
        • M8 Muscles of the Posterior Trunk and Neck >
          • M8 Quiz
        • M9 Muscles of the Anterior Trunk and Neck >
          • M9 Quiz
        • M10 Roles of Muscles >
          • M10 Quiz
        • M11 Neuromuscular System and PNF Stretching
        • M12 Massage Moves for Yoga Teachers (Myofascial-Based)
        • Final Exam (ASFYT-2)
      • ASFYT-3 >
        • K1 Seated Postures
        • K2 Sun Salutation Postures (Part 1)
        • K3 Sun Salutation Postures (Part 2)
        • K4 Side Facing Standing Poses
        • K5 Forward Facing Standing Poses
        • K6 Balancing Postures
        • K7 Prone Backbends
        • K8 Core Strengthening Postures
        • K9 Inversions
        • K10 Supine Backward Bends
        • K11 Hip Openers
        • K12 Seated Forward Bends
    • Short Course (for RYT200)
    • Printing and Saving Quiz Results
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