Downward-Facing Dog to Upward Bow
By Barbara Benagh
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All the while, continue to move your hips away from the shoulders.
Of course, the deeper the twist, the farther your torso arcs backward, which can bring up the fear of falling. Consciously feel any fear you may experience, strongly root your hand and foot, and release into the twist instead of focusing on the impending backbend. I encourage you to try this much of the sequence several times to get comfortable with hanging backward.
When you feel ready to take the right leg the whole way to the floor, take a breath in and extend your hips strongly away from the shoulders; on your exhalation, let the twist flip your leg all the way over. As you do this, your right hand will leave the floor.
Now comes the most critical part of the flow. A common response at this point is to windmill your right arm to the floor by your side. Instead, rest your right arm by your ear. Don't rush through this position; settle in where you are for a moment. Make sure your breathing is steady, slowing it down and extending the exhalation if necessary. Next, position your feet parallel with each other, a little wider than hip-width apart. Then put your mind in your belly and once again lift the pelvis, feeling it pull the weight of the torso away from the arm and elongate the shoulder joint.
The shoulders are critically important in this transition. Unless you maintain length in the joints as you approach the backbend, your shoulders will lock up and stop you from completing the movement. Actually, going no farther than the twist is probably your best choice if you have chronic shoulder injuries, a tendency to dislocate your shoulder, or cannot yet lift into Urdhva Dhanurasana from the floor. If, for whatever reason, you decide that going farther is beyond your abilities, simply enjoy the twist for a few breaths, releasing into the deepest rotation possible. When you're ready to come out of the pose, roll your chest back around to the left, pivot your left foot forward so the toes face the hand, and gently bring your right arm and leg back over to Downward Dog.
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