Ask a Yoga Teacher: Downward Facing Dog/Adho Mukha Svanasana
Welcome to this monthly series where you ask questions about yoga poses and I answer them! Learn to practice these poses mindfully, intentionally, and with more ease.
Downward Facing Dog is one of my favorite poses. It is a strengthening pose, a stretching pose, and, believe it or not, a resting pose in many flow practices. You either feel it as a resting pose or you struggle with it, baffled how it can be considered as such. Hopefully after reading today’s post, if you fall into the latter group, you may find yourself in the former group.
There are many ways to modify this pose, and I will get into multiple modifications further down the page. There is a way to practice Down Dog even if you have tight hamstrings, shoulder pain, or wrist pain. You can even practice in a chair, on a chair, or with a chair.
Let’s dig in:
The basics
Start in Table pose with your shoulders over your wrists and your hips over your knees. Spread your fingers apart and press every knuckle of your palm into the mat. Spread your shoulder blades apart and move them toward your waist (protraction and depression).
Tuck your toes under and shift your weight backward toward the wall behind you. Lift your hips upward and backward so you make an upside down “V” shape. Reach your heels to or toward the floor while you spread your toes.
Stay and breathe for 5-10 breaths, then rest in Child’s pose.
Details to keep in mind
Downward Dog is a combination of Mountain pose/Tadasana, Plank pose/Phalakasana, and Standing Forward Fold/Uttanasana. When you understand these other poses, all the alignment details of Down Dog fall into place.
Mountain pose:
Moving From Two Feet To One: Building Balance
Plank pose:
Ask a Yoga Teacher: Plank Pose
Forward bending:
Ask a Yoga Teacher: Fearless Forward Bending without Breaking
Once you’ve read these previous posts and know everything you need to know about these poses (or even if you skip my previous essays), here’s how to think more deeply about Down Dog for a more full body experience.
Connection to the floor
One complaint I used to hear from my students was that their wrists or hands hurt while practicing this pose. There are many possible reasons, like arthritis or weak wrists, but before falling back on those explanations, you want to make sure that your hands connect properly to the mat.
Spread your fingers wide, like a starfish (or sea star, as my son reminds me, that they’re not fish). Your middle fingers should be parallel to each other with your wrist creases parallel to the front of your mat.
When you spread your shoulders apart, the tendency is for your weight to fall toward your outer hands (toward the pinky finger). To counteract that, press the knuckles of the index fingers and thumbs into the mat.
If you feel the pressure in your wrists, chances are you are relaxing your fingers and they are rounding. Your entire palm and the length of each finger should press evenly into the mat.
Press the floor forward and downward. This will connect you to the floor and assist you with the oppositional movement of your pelvis. The pelvis moves upward and backward (more on that in a moment).
This arm position is similar to Plank pose. Like Plank, you are trying to rotate the elbow creases forward. However, in Down Dog, it is impossible to maintain that level of outward rotation. The elbow creases should face each other and aim slightly forward. Unlike Plank, the arms are at an angle and not perpendicular to the floor.
The back
Ideally you want a straight, flat back, the same as you have in Mountain pose and Plank pose. There should be a natural lumbar curve (lower back). Gently engage the abdominals to support your neutral spine.
This may or may not be possible for you depending on your hamstring tightness. If the hamstrings are tight, straightening the legs will cause your lower back to round (and sometimes your upper back). It’s more important for the spine to be straight than it is to have straight legs.
If your hamstrings prevent you from fully extending the legs, keep your legs bent. It’s totally legal, I promise. Press your chest toward your thighs and lengthen the distance between your sit bones (at the base of your pelvis) and your palms. The more you press your palms into the floor, the easier it is to reach the pelvis upward and backward (see photo in the modifications section).
The hip hinge is the same as you have in all forward bending poses. In Downward Dog you are upside down but the pelvis tips forward in the same way. You move the pelvis and keep the spine straight.
The legs
Like in Mountain and Plank poses, spread your toes, engage your quads, and lengthen your heels toward the floor. They don’t need to touch the floor but they should move in that direction. You’ll feel a delightful stretch in the hamstrings and calves. I think it’s delightful, you may or may not agree.
Make sure to keep the backs of your knees soft. Move the thighs backward, not the knees. Knees are only supposed to bend in one direction. If you are hypermobile like I am, you’ll have to pay more attention to your knee position so that you don’t over stretch your ligaments.
**Side note: Ligaments should be tight in order to stabilize the joints. Muscles are supposed to stretch, tendons stretch a little, but ligaments are not supposed to stretch at all. That’s why when you sprain your ankle, it’s never quite as stable. Sprains are when ligaments over stretch. When you are hypermobile, your ligaments are more lax and you need to activate your muscles more to stabilize your joints.**
Engage your quads and think of “lifting” your knees upward. Engaging the front of the leg creates support as you stretch the back of the leg.
Modifications
1. Tight Hamstrings
Like I mentioned earlier, it’s more important to keep the spine straight than it is to have the legs straight. Bending your knees takes the hamstrings out of the equation so that you can work to lengthen the spine.
2. Sensitive wrists
If spreading the fingers isn’t enough to take the pressure off your wrists, place your elbows on the floor in Dolphin pose. This variation is really good for making sure your shoulder placement is correct. Be sure to have the forearms parallel to each other and find that outward rotation of the upper arm.
3/4. Sensitive shoulders and trouble getting on/off the floor
If Downward Dog puts too much weight in your upper body, or you have trouble getting on and off the floor, a chair (or a wall) can be a handy prop. Press the palms into either the seat or back of a chair while extending the hips backward. Focus on the hip hinge, keeping the spine straight. You can also bend your knees if your hamstrings are tight.
5. Unable to stand
If you are sitting in a chair and are unable to stand, you can do this pose seated. Move your chair to wall and face it. Place your palms shoulder distance apart against the wall while tipping forward from your pelvis. Spread your fingers (middle fingers parallel) and your shoulders while engaging the lower abdominals to support the spine.
Do you have yoga related questions? I find that lots of students have questions but they are shy to ask for fear of not knowing something or looking “stupid.” There are no stupid questions. Asking questions brings you closer to understanding and that is always a good thing. Even perfectionists can have questions!
If you have questions about specific yoga poses, comment below and I am happy to answer them! You may even see a detailed response in this monthly series, Ask a Yoga Teacher! Feel free to ask about poses, yoga alignment, yoga related anatomy, and how to apply yoga to your daily life. I love hearing from you, and I am here to help!
