Title

Dog-N-Fire Hydrant

Authors

Mary Myers, Illinois Mathematics and Science AcademyFollow

Files

Description

Begin on your hands and knees. Align your wrists directly under your shoulders and your knees directly under your hips. The fold of your wrists should be parallel with the top edge of your mat. Point your middle fingers directly to the top edge of your mat. Stretch your elbows and relax your upper back. Spread your fingers wide and press firmly through your palms and knuckles. Distribute your weight evenly across your hands. Exhale as you tuck your toes and lift your knees off the floor. Reach your pelvis up toward the ceiling, and then draw your sit bones toward the wall behind you. Gently begin to straighten your legs, but do not lock your knees. Bring your body into the shape of an “A.”

Imagine your hips and thighs being pulled backwards from the top of your thighs. Do not walk your feet closer to your hands — keep the extension through your whole body. This is Downward-Facing Dog. Step both feet together. Then, with your arms and legs straight, inhale and lift your right leg straight back and up, high in the air. Flex your right foot and reach back through your heel. Internally rotate your lifted leg so your knee and the top of your foot point down toward the mat. This will cause your right hip to lower slightly. Reach back further through your right heel and then draw up again through the back of your thigh. Keep your standing leg strong and your shoulders squared to the top of your mat. Imagine that your hands and heels are aligned along one straight, diagonal line. To open your hips even further, bend your right knee and lift it high toward the ceiling. Tilt your pelvis, drawing your right hip up. Lift your thigh high so that your right hip stacks directly above your left hip. Reach your right foot across the back of your body, as if you’re trying to touch your left ear with your right toes. Press the floor away from you as you lift through your pelvis. Firm the outer muscles of your arms and press your index fingers into the floor. Draw your shoulder blades into your upper back ribs and toward your tailbone. Broaden across your collarbone. Keep your standing leg firm. Sink your standing heel toward the floor. Align your ears with your upper arms. Relax your head, but do not let it dangle. Gaze between your legs or toward your navel.

Publication Date

2019

Disciplines

Health and Physical Education

Recommended Citation

Myers, Mary, "Dog-N-Fire Hydrant" (2019). Critical Instances. 14.
https://digitalcommons.imsa.edu/yoga_crit_inst/14