Yoga - Adho Mukha Svanasana

Adho Mukha Svanasana - Downward Facing Dog Pose

In Sanskrit, "Adho" means downward, "mukh" means face and "svan" means dog. In this asana, the practitioner's face is downwards, hence the name.

Sequence:

1. Lie on the floor on your abdomen.
2. Raise your body to position the body on all fours, palms, knees and toes touching the floor.
3. Keep your knees apart and right beneath the hips and the palms a bit ahead of the shoulders.
4. Spread out your fingers.
5. Exhale and raise your knees off the ground.
6. Keep your knees slightly bent and your heels off the ground.
7. Raise your body up further, lengthening your tail bone.
8. Lift your buttocks further up so they face towards the ceiling.
9. Lengthen your thighs and stretch the heels so that they touch the ground.
10. Keep your knees straight but still apart.
11. Roll the upper thighs inward slightly and roll the heels outward slightly.
12. Press your palms on the floor and straighten your arms from the wrists to the tops of the shoulders.
13. Open up your shoulders and move them towards the tailbone.
14. Keep your head in between the two arms.
15. Hold the pose for about a minute. Gradually raise it to three minutes.
16. Return to initial position in reverse order.

Caution:

• Pregnant women should avoid this yoga posture
• If your wrists are sensitive or injured do not perform this yoga posture.

Benefits:

• The yoga pose can be used to overcome stress and depression.
• It improves the digestive system.
• Adho Mukha Svanasana can be very beneficial for patients of high blood pressure, asthma, sciatica and sinusitis.
• The shoulders, legs, spine and whole body get stretched.
• Woman with menopause can benefit from this posture.
• This yoga pose relieves fatigue and rejuvenates the body.

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Have Eye-Health Questions? Here Are 6 Surprising Myths

Parents ever tell you that eating carrots would save you from wearing glasses? Or that sitting too close to the TV could make you go blind? Their advice may sound rather mixed to you as an adult. But what exactly is good or bad for your eyes? Read on to find out whether any of the offbeat stuff you've heard is truly legitimate or the stuff of urban eye-health legends.

Myth: Eating carrots will improve your vision.
The truth: No studies to date show that your eyesight will get sharper just by eating more carrots. Carrots do, however, contain vitamin A -- a nutrient your eyes need to function properly -- so a deficiency would be bad news for your eyes. Keep the rabbit food on the menu. Just don't bother with vitamin A supplements, because your body doesn't need a ton of the stuff, and getting more than you need of the supplement form can be harmful to your health. Use this Nature Made Vitamin A, 8000 IU, Softgels, 100 ct.

Myth: Working on a computer is bad for your eyes.
The truth: Computer eyestrain has less to do with computers and more to do with the way you work on them. Most of us forget to blink and take breaks as often as we should while working or reading, so all that time spent staring at the screen can make eyes tired and dry. It might even give you a headache. But it won't damage your eyes, especially if you treat your eyes right while working. 

Myth: Reading in dim light damages your eyes.
The truth: Reading or doing crossword puzzles in lower light won't hurt your eyes, but it is very likely to tire them out. That's the extent of the damage. Still, you should try to make things easier on your eyes and work in adequate lighting as much as possible.

Myth: If you wear glasses or contacts, your eyes will become dependent on them, and your vision will get worse.
The truth: Wearing glasses or contact lenses doesn't weaken your eyesight. It's things like aging, injury, disease, or genetic factors that make vision worse -- not using vision correction.

Myth: Sitting too close to the TV is bad for your eyes.
The truth: Just like when you stare at your computer screen too long, you might get a headache from sitting too close to your TV. But there is no proof that the close distance is damaging. Still, needing to sit closer to the TV might be a sign of nearsightedness, so you may need to have your vision checked. 

Myth: Wearing the wrong eyeglasses is bad for your eyes.
The truth: Wearing the wrong prescription (like someone else's glasses) or not wearing glasses at all won't harm your eyes. But only wearing your correct prescription will give you optimal vision -- and who wouldn't want that?