A Yoga WOOFer or Downward-Facing Dog

Today I have a guest post by WOOF:  Wowen Only Over 50.  Diana Black, Mary Cunningham, and Melinda Richarz Bailey have put together a clever little book that gives women some truly inspiring things to think about, not to mention a few good laughs.

It’s simply not true that your feet get bigger from practicing yoga.

Okay, maybe a little bigger, but, WOOFers, let me tell you. It’s a small price to pay! So you have to buy a larger size shoe. Who cares when there are so many pawsitive physical, mental, emotional and spiritual benefits.

So what do you say we check out one of the basic yoga moves just made for WOOFers. It’s called Adho Mukha Svanasana or Downward-Facing Dog.

We begin by coming to the floor on our hands and knees. This is called neutral table position. (WOOFers, you remember what a table is. It’s that thing we used to set with dishes and spend hours preparing food to place on the dishes and then watched the meal get cold when no one came to dinner after we yelled ourselves silly so finally we took the dishes away leaving the table empty and our bodies filled with frustration. Which is not at all how we should feel in “neutral table position” so let’s just forget I said anything...)

Next, lift your knees away from the floor and your sitting bones toward the ceiling. This is an inverted “V” position. (Women over 50 understand inversion. At this age everything body-related has pretty much inverted one way or another.)

Now push your top thighs back and roll them inward slightly. Narrow the front of the pelvis. (Yes, enough said. Middle-age has taught us nothing if not how to narrow the front of our pelvis.)
Firm your shoulders. Keep your head between your upper arms making sure not to let it dangle. (Now, ladies, at this point you may notice other body parts sagging, swinging and swaying. Procuring a good sports bra will solve that problem. Hey, one more reason, besides shoes, to go shopping!)

Congratulations! You completed Downward-Facing Dog! There are countless yoga poses designed to bring overall serenity and build core strength. Sign up for a beginning yoga class in your community. As with any exercise, first get a “paws up” from your doctor.

Oh, one more thing. WOOFers, be forewarned that total relaxation of the body is essential at the end of a yoga workout. I say this because the most popular pose for this purpose is called Savasana or “Corpse Pose.” Yes, I know, we may feel a bit too close to that permanent position to relish it. But give it a try!

Yoga can be one of the most beautiful and beneficial things a WOOFer does for herself. Okay, gotta go…It’s mat time! Namaste.

Do you practice yoga? What's your favorite pose? Leave a comment and enter a drawing for "Accentuate the Pawsitive," a WOOFers guide to realigning your life!

"Mind spinning? Mood Swinging? Middle sagging? Get used to it! When you reach 50, shift happens. But, you're not alone. WOOFers to the rescue!"

Diana (aka - d.d.dawg)

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Melinda Richarz Lyons is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in many publications, including True West, Nashville Parent, Cats Magazine, Reminisce, Frontier Times and Cincinnati Family Magazine, Chicken Soup for the Soul: True Love. Lyons is author of Murder at the Oaklands Mansion and co-author of WOOF: Women Only Over Fifty (Echelon Press).


Mary Cunningham is author of the award-winning, four-book ‘tween fantasy/mystery series Cynthia’s Attic (Quake) and two short stories Ghost Light, Christmas with Daisy, a Cynthia’s Attic Christmas story, and is co-author of WOOF: Women Only Over Fifty (Echelon Press). A member of the Georgia Reading Association and the Carrollton Creative Writers Club, she lives in the mountains of west Georgia.


Diana Black is co-author of the humor book WOOF: Women Only Over Fifty (Echelon Press). A published songwriter and cartoonist, her professional work also includes illustrating children’s books as well as graphic and cover design. Her project, Wendel Wordsworth: No Words for Wendel, a picture book, song and educational materials, is designed to encourage young readers. Black is a member of the SCBWI (Southern Breeze Chapter) and the Carrollton Creative Writers Club.