YOGA FOR YOUNG ‘UNS - Down Face Dog pose and Up Face Dog pose

It’s a disconcerting time for all at present, one major disruption is the Schools closure due to Covid-19. If you're looking for Home School ideas why not try some daily Yoga for Young Un’s (yoga for children).

Have you ever tried to stand as still as a mountain or as tall as a tree?  Yoga poses are exercises which started in India hundreds of years ago. They make our bodies strong and stretched at the same time as making our minds still and quiet. They can help us stay healthy, happy, fit and free from worry or distraction. 
Today have a go at ………
 
DOWN FACE DOG POSE: One  of the languages in India is called Sanskrit, in Sanskrit the word Down is “Adho”, face is ‘Mukha”, dog is “Shvana” and pose is “asana”, so Down Face Dog pose is also called Adho Mukha Shvana-asana

Stand upright with your legs squeezed together.
Bend in half and put your hands on the floor. 
Jump or step your legs back about a metre, keep your feet a hip width apart and toes pointing straight forward. 
Keep arms and legs straight and take your hips high to the sky so you make a triangle shape. 
Let your head hang to the ground and relax your face.   
Imagine you are a dog stretching its front legs and back with its bum high up in the air….. have you ever watched how dogs stretch? 
This pose is good for runners and for achy backs and necks. Enjoy the feeling of stretching your whole back and body, keep your arms straight and let your head hang easily and maybe eventually your head will touch the floor! 
Relax your face and slowly silently count for as long as you can.
Then jump back to stand up, and repeat it. 
With daily practise you’ll be able to hold your Down Face Dog pose for longer,  and your mind will also become still and steady; you won’t even need to count, all you’ll be aware of is your breath.  


Now try 
UP FACE DOG POSE , in Sanskrit the word up is “Urdhva ”, so Up Face Dog pose is also called Urdhva Mukha Shvana-asana

Lie on your  tummy with your toes pointed. 
Place your hands down on floor at the side of your chest, fingers forward 
Straighten your arms, lift your chest high. 
See if you can lift you trunk and things off the ground and just rest on your hands and tops of feet. 
Keep your legs straight and tuck your tailbone under.
Keep your arms straight and pull your shoulders down and back. 
Imagine you are dog stretching its belly and  back legs, lifting its head and chest and howling at the moonlight. 
This pose makes your spine strong and flexible.
 Enjoy the feeling of stretching your whole front body.
Relax your face, hold the pose for as long as you can, but remember to breathe. 
Silently count for between 10-20 seconds. Rest and Repeat.