Rite 5: Up Dog - Down Dog
Anchor the Energy, Integrate the Flow
“Integration is the body moving as one.”
What is Rite 5?
This rite moves you through two opposing yet complementary postures, Updog and Downdog, but unlike static yoga postures, this is a fluid, breath-led sequence.
This Rite transitions the body between Downward Dog and Upward Dog-like positions, but unlike static yoga postures, this is a fluid, breath-led sequence.
It activates the full anterior and posterior chains, challenges coordination, and invites the entire system to work as a unified whole. Every lift and shift is an opportunity to reconnect the spine, reawaken the breath, and anchor your energy into the body.
Where Rite 4 introduced rhythm, Rite 5 embodies integration, drawing all the energetic threads together through movement, breath, and presence.
Symbolically, this flow teaches adaptability: rising up without forcing, and bowing down without collapsing. It mirrors the dance between humility and courage, surrender and strength.
Why Rite 5 Matters
Nervous System
Alternates between flexion and extension, helping regulate the balance between sympathetic and parasympathetic tone
Improves proprioception and full-body awareness
Encourages functional nervous system adaptability through coordinated transitions
Respiratory System
Inhales and exhales are synchronized with movement, enhancing breath-body awareness
Chest opening during upward movement expands lung capacity
Downward motion encourages diaphragmatic return and nervous system reset
Lymphatic + Glymphatic Systems
Inversions and dynamic transitions promote lymphatic drainage in the upper chest, arms, spine, and legs
Head movement supports glymphatic flow, especially when followed by stillness
Repetitive loading and release encourage fluid movement across fascia and vessels
Circulatory System
Alternating full-body extension and inversion boosts blood circulation
Stimulates venous return from limbs to the heart
Enhances oxygen delivery through breath-synced movement
Muscular & Skeletal Systems
Strengthens arms, shoulders, chest, legs, and spine
Lengthens posterior chain, from calves to neck, while activating the anterior body
Improves joint mobility and structural integrity, especially in the wrists, ankles, and spine
Fascia
Mobilizes superficial back and front fascial lines
Coordinates tensegrity across the entire body — learning how to balance tension and release
Encourages fluid, elastic movement through all connective tissues
Endocrine & Reproductive Systems
Supports adrenal balance through full-body grounding and breath regulation
Pelvic and abdominal movement supports reproductive health and circulation
Stimulates energetic lines connected to root, heart, and throat centers
How to Practice Rite 5
Begin in a prone position (lying face down), hands under shoulders, feet hip-width apart
Inhale, press through your hands, lift your chest, arch the spine - legs remain strong, thighs lifted off the floor, tops of feet pressing on the mat (Upward Dog)
Exhale, untuck your toes, lift your hips up and back up into a Downdog, lengthening your spine and pressing heels gently toward the ground
Inhale to move forward again, exhale to move back
Repeat slowly, building from 3 reps up to 21
Keep your breath steady, flowing in and out through your nose. Let each inhale guide you into extension, and each exhale ground you in inversion.
Modifications:
Keep thighs on the floor in Cobra variation
Bend knees slightly in Downward Dog to avoid straining
Pause + Ground
Let breath be the guide — inhale opens, exhale grounds
Keep hands, arms, legs, and feet strong and core active through each transition
Avoid collapsing into the shoulders; instead, press through the hands with control
Think of your spine as a wave, not a hinge. Lengthen rather than crunch
Allow the movement to feel like a conversation between effort and ease
After your final flow, rest in Child’s Pose or lie on your belly or your back. Let your breath settle. Feel the echo of movement through your spine, from root to crown.
Contraindications
Avoid or modify this Rite if you have:
Wrist, shoulder, or elbow injuries that limit weight-bearing
Cervical spine issues or neck sensitivity that make extension or inversion unsafe
Chronic low back pain, herniated discs, or spinal instability
Dizziness, vertigo, or unregulated high blood pressure, particularly with the inversion component
Modifications
Bend the knees in Downward Dog to reduce hamstring and spine strain
Use fists or yoga blocks under the hands if wrist extension is painful
Lower thighs to the floor in the Upward Dog portion (or substitute Baby Cobra) to reduce back pressure
Pause between each rep, focusing on breath and spinal length over speed or intensity
Rest in Child’s Pose between reps or after the full set to integrate and recalibrate
Why This Rite Is Foundational
Rite 5 is the integration point. The moment where your entire system is invited to sync, stabilize, and unify.
It brings together:
The centring of Rite 1
The core-breath rhythm of Rite 2
The heart-spine lift of Rite 3
The rhythmic motion of Rite 4
…into one coordinated, full-body recalibration.
This Rite is where you meet yourself in flow, not only with breath-to-movement, but also with awareness-to-body and intention-to-action.
It grounds energy through motion, invites clarity through effort, and completes the circle with presence.
Final Note
Integration Is the Practice
The fifth Rite reminds us that wholeness is not stillness. It’s coherence.
Each time you move between postures, you’re not just stretching or strengthening. You’re teaching your system how to respond, reset, and return, again and again, to your center.
This is about remembering how to move through life with your rhythm, breath, and presence.
Reflection Questions
What does it feel like to move as a whole, not in parts?
Where does effort feel natural, and where does it feel like strain?
Can I let movement be a mirror for how I relate to challenge, flow, and grounding?
Practice It With Me
Rite 5 is part of the full 5 Rites sequence in my guided video practice, or try the 2-minute flow + recalibration version to bring your system back into alignment anytime you feel scattered or disconnected.
You've Completed the 5 Rites
What you've just encountered transcends a simple sequence. These movements are a powerful, interconnected system at work.
Each Rite:
Revives a part of you
Regulates a system within you
Reconnects you to something deeper than routine and brings you into rhythmic presence
And when practiced with breath, awareness, and care, this simple daily ritual can become a powerful energetic anchor.
Rites Journey
Intro: The 5 Tibetan Rites
Rite 1: Spinning
Rite 2: Leg Raises
Rite 3: Camel
Rite 4: Tabletop
Rite 5: Up Dog to Down Dog
Anchoring the Five Rites: A Return to Rhythm
