If you've ever tried yoga, I'm sure you've come across this pose before.

Downward dog is a strengthening pose as well as a resting pose in many vinyasa sequences.

There are many benefits to practicing downward dog, just make sure you are practicing with proper form.

Here are my tips for proper alignment in downward facing dog.

Focus on having your weight distributed evenly between your hands and your feet.

You want to create a 90 degree angle at your hips, creating a triangle shape with your body.

For your hands, spread your fingers wide, pressing firmly through your palms and fingertips.

Rotate your upper arms outward slightly to broaden your shoulders.

Your feet should be hip width distance apart, with your heels pressing towards the ground and your quads engaged to straighten your legs.

If you have tight hamstrings, don't worry, you may micro bend your knees and lift your heels slightly.

Keep a neutral spine and avoid over rounding or over arching your back.

There should be a straight line from your tailbone to the crown of your head.

Let your head hang naturally, aligning your ears with your biceps and avoid tensing your neck.

There are many positions you can access from downward facing dog and many variations as well.

Once you are comfortable with your alignment in standard downward facing dog, feel free to explore.

Let's get into the anatomy of this posture.

Your hamstrings are lengthened as you work towards straightening your legs.

Your calves are stretched as your heels press towards the ground.

Your spinal erectors are elongated to create a neutral spine and your latissimus dorsi and teres major are stretched as your arms reach forward and your back broadens.

As for your shoulder girdle muscles, the deltoids and pectoralis major are stretched as your shoulders open.

As for your muscles working in this posture, your deltoids and triceps are used to stabilize your shoulders and arms in an extended position.

Your core, transverse abdominis and rectus abdominis are engaged to support spinal alignment and prevent sagging in your lower back.

Quadriceps are active to support your legs and protect your knees.

Gluteus maximus helping to lift your hips upward and maintain proper alignment and intrinsic hand and forearm muscles are activated to distribute weight evenly throughout your hands.

By focusing on alignment and engaging the correct muscles, downward dog becomes a pose that strengthens, stretches and rejuvenates the body.

Thank you guys so much for tuning into my channel and watching this yoga instructional.

I so hope you enjoyed.

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