Do your heels need to touch the floor in downward dog?

No. How close the heels get depends on how long the calves and hamstrings are, and many people's heels stay well off the floor. Let them sink toward the floor without forcing them, since pushing them down usually rounds the back.

Is it OK to bend your knees in downward dog?

Yes. Bending the knees lets the hips tilt forward and the spine lengthen when the hamstrings are tight, and a long back with bent knees serves the pose better than straight legs with a rounded back. Straighten the legs gradually as flexibility improves.

How long should you hold downward dog?

In a flowing yoga sequence it is often held for one to five breaths as a transition. Held as a stretch, 5 to 10 slow breaths repeated two or three times is a common approach, coming down to the knees whenever the wrists or shoulders tire.

Why do my wrists hurt in downward dog?

Usually because too much weight is sitting on the heels of the hands. Spread the fingers, press through the knuckles and the base of the index finger, and shift the hips back so more of the weight moves into the legs. A folded towel under the heels of the hands also reduces the bend in the wrists.

Is downward dog safe with glaucoma or high blood pressure?

Check with your doctor first. The head drops below the heart and eye pressure rises noticeably within a minute or two of holding the pose, so people with glaucoma or uncontrolled high blood pressure are usually advised to keep holds short or choose a pose that keeps the head up.

How is downward dog related to the pike push-up?

They share almost the same inverted V shape. Downward dog holds it with straight arms and the head between them, while the Pike Push-Up bends the elbows to lower the head toward the floor, turning the shape into a shoulder pressing exercise.

Downward Dog

What Is the Downward Dog?

Downward Dog is a compound exercise that primarily targets the hamstrings and also engages the calves, shoulders, triceps and abdominal muscles. It is a beginner-level movement and one of the most widely practiced yoga poses, in which the hands and feet stay on the floor and the hips lift to the highest point, so the body forms an inverted V.

Its main job is to lengthen the back of the legs. With the hips high and the legs reaching toward straight, the hamstrings and calves take a long, steady stretch, while the arms reaching overhead open up the shoulders and the sides of the back. At the same time the arms, shoulders and trunk hold a good share of body weight, so it is a stretch with a working upper body rather than a passive one. In yoga it is a staple of the Sun Salutation, where it often follows Cobra Pose and serves as a transition and resting point between other poses. Outside yoga it is a common warm-up and cooldown drill for runners and lifters who want to free up the hamstrings, the calves and the overhead shoulder position.

Where the stretch lands depends on the legs. Straightening the knees and letting the heels sink toward the floor puts the most stretch on the hamstrings and calves, while bending the knees eases the hamstrings so the hips can tilt forward and the spine can lengthen, which shifts the emphasis toward the shoulders and the sides of the back. The abdominal wall works throughout to keep the trunk steady: in an EMG study of 30 yoga practitioners, downward dog was one of three poses, with the high and low plank, singled out as effective for working the external obliques.

It suits almost anyone, from beginners in their first yoga class to athletes using it between sets, and it needs no equipment. Anyone with very tight hamstrings or calves can practice it with generously bent knees from the start. Anyone who finds the weight on the hands too much can build wrist and shoulder tolerance on hands and knees with Cat Cow Stretch, rest in Child Pose between short holds, and add time in the full pose gradually.

Muscles Worked

MuscleActivation

Biceps Femoris: Primary
Semimembranosus: Primary
Semitendinosus: Primary
Deltoid: High
Gastrocnemius (Lateral Head): High
Gastrocnemius (Medial Head): High
External Oblique: Medium
Latissimus Dorsi: Medium
Serratus Anterior: Medium
Triceps Brachii (Long Head): Medium

Instructions

Start on your hands and knees with your wrists under your shoulders and your knees under your hips.
Spread your fingers wide with the index fingers pointing forward, and press the whole palm and the base of each finger into the floor.
Tuck your toes under and walk your hands forward about a hand's length, letting your chest sink slightly toward the floor.
On an exhale, press the floor away, lift your knees and send your hips up and back so your body forms an inverted V.
Straighten your arms and let your head hang between your upper arms, ears in line with them, looking back toward your knees or feet.
Lengthen your spine from your hands to your tailbone, bending your knees as much as needed to keep your back from rounding.
With your feet hip-width apart and parallel, straighten your legs as far as your hamstrings allow and let your heels sink toward the floor without forcing them down.
Hold for 5 to 10 slow, steady breaths, keeping the weight moving back toward your legs rather than into your wrists.
To come out, bend your knees and lower them to the floor, then return to your hands and knees or sit back into Child Pose.

Common Mistakes

Rounding the back
Forcing the legs straight with tight hamstrings rounds the lower back and turns the pose into a spinal stretch instead of a hamstring and calf stretch, so bend the knees until the back is long.
Forcing the heels down
Pushing the heels to the floor before the calves and hamstrings allow it drags the hips down and rounds the spine, so let the heels hover wherever they naturally land.
Weight in the wrists
Letting the body drift forward onto the heels of the hands overloads the wrists, which is avoided by pressing through the fingers and sending the hips up and back.
Collapsed or shrugged shoulders
Letting the chest sag toward the floor or hunching the shoulders toward the ears hangs the body on the shoulder joints instead of holding it up with straight arms and active shoulder blades.
Stance too short or too long
Feet too close to the hands crowd the pose and round the back, while a stance that is too long drops the hips toward a plank and puts more weight on the hands.
Holding the breath
Holding the breath builds tension and pressure in the head, so keep breathing slowly and steadily for the whole hold.

Injuries

Downward Dog is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The places it most often strains are the wrists, which hold a good share of body weight while bent back, the shoulders, which bear load with the arms overhead, and the hamstrings, which can be overstretched when the legs are forced straight. Most wrist trouble comes from weight drifting forward onto the heels of the hands, so spread the fingers, press through the knuckles and the base of the index finger, and keep sending the hips back toward the heels. Bend the knees whenever straight legs would round the lower back.

Because the head hangs below the heart, the pose also raises pressure inside the eye. In a study of 10 people with glaucoma and 10 without, eye pressure rose from about 17 to 28 mmHg or more in both groups within two minutes of holding downward dog, the biggest rise of the four head-down poses tested, and came back down after they sat up. Anyone with glaucoma, uncontrolled high blood pressure or a tendency to dizziness should check with their doctor before practicing it and keep holds short.

To make it easier, bend the knees, place a folded towel under the heels of the hands to reduce the bend in the wrists, and rest in Child Pose between holds. To make it harder, hold it for more breaths or move slowly between downward dog and Plank. The Pike Push-Up builds pressing strength from a similar shape once the pose feels comfortable.

Stop if you feel sharp or lasting wrist pain, numbness or tingling in the hands, pinching at the front of the shoulder, pain behind the knee, or dizziness, pressure in the eyes or a pounding headache.

Overview

Primary Focus: Hamstrings
Equipment: Body weight
Modality: Yoga
Difficulty: Beginner

Alternative Exercises

Other Names for the Downward Dog

The Downward Dog is also known as:

Adho Mukha Svanasana
Downward Facing Dog

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Do your heels need to touch the floor in downward dog?: No. How close the heels get depends on how long the calves and hamstrings are, and many people's heels stay well off the floor. Let them sink toward the floor without forcing them, since pushing them down usually rounds the back.
Q: Is it OK to bend your knees in downward dog?: Yes. Bending the knees lets the hips tilt forward and the spine lengthen when the hamstrings are tight, and a long back with bent knees serves the pose better than straight legs with a rounded back. Straighten the legs gradually as flexibility improves.
Q: How long should you hold downward dog?: In a flowing yoga sequence it is often held for one to five breaths as a transition. Held as a stretch, 5 to 10 slow breaths repeated two or three times is a common approach, coming down to the knees whenever the wrists or shoulders tire.
Q: Why do my wrists hurt in downward dog?: Usually because too much weight is sitting on the heels of the hands. Spread the fingers, press through the knuckles and the base of the index finger, and shift the hips back so more of the weight moves into the legs. A folded towel under the heels of the hands also reduces the bend in the wrists.
Q: Is downward dog safe with glaucoma or high blood pressure?: Check with your doctor first. The head drops below the heart and eye pressure rises noticeably within a minute or two of holding the pose, so people with glaucoma or uncontrolled high blood pressure are usually advised to keep holds short or choose a pose that keeps the head up.
Q: How is downward dog related to the pike push-up?: They share almost the same inverted V shape. Downward dog holds it with straight arms and the head between them, while the Pike Push-Up bends the elbows to lower the head toward the floor, turning the shape into a shoulder pressing exercise.