Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog)

About
This Asana Digest covers: Downward Facing Dog Pose and related poses such as Eka Pada
Adho Mukha Svanasana (One-Legged Downward Facing Dog Pose), Eka Pada Adho Mukha
Svanasana + Open Hip and Anahatasana (Melting Heart Pose).

Sanskrit & Naming

 Adho Mukha Svanasana

AH-do MOO-kuh shvah-NAWS-ana

“adho” = down
“mukha” = face
“svan” = dog
“eka” = one
“pada” = foot or leg
Downward Facing Dog Pose

One-Legged Downward Facing Dog Pose

 Anahatasana

Melting Heart Pose

 Uttana Shishosana

Extended Puppy Pose

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Heart of Pose

 Spinal Extension
 Mild Inversion

Notes

 Rejuvenating, whole body stretch

 See Cautions for sciatica and other conditions
 See Anatomy of Movement for more on spinal extension

See Also

 Asana Categories
 General Alignment Principles
 Alignment Cueing

Benefits
Energy, Mood, Emotion

 Removes fatigue
 Rejuvenating
 Quiets mind
 As a mild inversion, is calming to nervous system
 Considered to have both a “dynamic and restful” effect
 Can develop confidence

Musculoskeletal

 Stretches entire back side of body

 Develops whole body strength & flexibility
 Strengthens & tones upper body & arms
 Improves upper back posture
 Opens chest and shoulders

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Specific

 Stretches achilles tendon, calves, hamstrings, hips, shoulders, arms

 Opens arches of feet
 Strengthens hands, arms, upper body
 Lengthens spine; can help to reduce excessive spinal curvatures

Organs

 Inverts organs, said to result in stimulation of all systems of body

 Increases circulation to brain

Therapeutic Uses*

 Asthma
 Back pain
 Digestive issues
 Fatigue
 Flat Feet
 Headache
 Insomnia
 Menopausal symptoms
 Sciatica

* This pose is often associated with positive effects related to the conditions listed. But unless trained in yoga
therapy, teachers are usually advised against “prescribing” particular asanas to address specific conditions.

Cautions
Contraindications
This pose generally not recommended for students with these conditions:

 Carpal tunnel syndrome

 High blood pressure

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Alternatives
See Variations or these alternatives might be suitable.

Anahatasana

Learn more

Half Dog / Standing Wall Press / Right Angle Pose

Learn more

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Balasana

Learn more

Basic Form
Set Up

1. Start on hands and knees w/ knees hip-width.

2. Move hands forward of shoulders.
3. Find “dog tilt” – tilting the pelvis so the spine is arched.

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 Moving In & Out of Pose

Exhale

1. Roll over and curl toes of either one foot at a time or both feet at once.
2. Lift hips up and back.
3. Reach chest back toward legs.
4. Slowly straighten legs (as appropriate).

Gaze

1. Belly button is traditional gaze. This creates a stretch for neck but over time may
create stress as well.
2. Therefore, an effective teaching can be to keep head aligned with spine.

Hold Time

 5 breaths, working up to 6 to 12 breaths or more

Coming Out

 Exhale, release knees back down to floor.

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 To Emphasize

1. Spread fingers (although not excessively).

2. Press equally into both sides of hands and into root of fingers.
3. Extend spine and sit bones toward ceiling.
4. Activate quadriceps.

Verbal Cues
Legs & Feet

 Place feet hip-distance apart

 Align feet evenly (avoiding one foot being slightly in front of the other)
 Toes point toward front of mat
 Ensure feet are parallel with sides of mat
 Aligning feet enables backs of thighs and knees to spread (Roni Brissette)

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  Activate quadriceps
 Press quads into hamstrings
 Engage quadriceps to straighten knees
 Bend knees slightly, engage quads, and then slowly straighten knees
 Keep knees bent as needed for comfort and length in spine
 Press thighs back toward wall behind you
 Draw top of feet toward shins to contract shins, releasing calves
 Extend heels downward while lifting arches upward
 Reach through heels
 Or, lift heels for greater ease and comfort; can place rolled mat under heels
 Keep feet where they are but have the action of gently dragging them apart to
engage the TFL and stabilize knee; engaging TFL internally rotates hip and optimizes
positioning of knee

Legs are the Engine

The legs are the engine of Downward Facing Dog and need to work very actively to get the
weight out of the wrists, elbows and shoulders. – Roni Brissette

Pelvis & Low Back

 Feel pelvis lifting away from ribs

 Spread sit bones away from each other
 Lengthen side waist
 Lengthen side body from waistline to armpits

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  Reach chest back toward legs; feel work in tops of shoulders and between shoulder
blades
 Deepen groins toward sit bones
 Feel strength of low back, pulling it toward thighs
 Pull navel toward spine
 Keep natural curve in low back

Problem with “Reach sit bones up”

Consider the common cue: “Reach sit bones up.” While this has been suggested by many
teachers, Kathryn Heagberg writes here that lifting tailbone or sit bones can be destabilizing
for SI joints and lead to a general sense of feeling ungrounded. She suggests instead to ensure
legs are active on all sides and then cue, “move thighs back” followed by “root from sit bones
down through heels” to ground pose and stretch hamstrings.

Hands

 Place hands shoulder distance apart

 Press down with hands
 Face creases of wrists forward (parallel to front edge of mat)
 Spread fingers (Please note that for some time, the cue to “spread fingers wide” was
common but more and more we are seeing growing awareness of uneven spacing
and too great of spacing of fingers or perhaps a flaring pinky fingers; so as always,
it’s best to focus on what you’re seeing in students more than verbalizing common
cues)
 Extend through finger joints equally

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  Wrist Safety: Place weight into knuckles, roots of fingers (not just wrist joint); draw
up from center of palms
 Press with pads of fingers and pull them back isometrically (John Friend)

Upper Back, Shoulders & Arms

 Face elbow creases toward each other

 Activate shoulders and arms to fully extend torso
 Firm shoulder blades against back, then widen them and draw them toward tailbone
 Try not to round the upper back
 Draw shoulder blades toward pelvis
 Spread shoulder blades across back while drawing outer arms in against the bones /
“wrap” shoulder blades
 Lift inner arms from wrists to shoulders
 Fully extend insides of arms
 Press through arms: down and forward
 Draw elbows in toward one another
 Engage triceps to straighten elbows
 Melt heart toward floor as you press shoulder blades flat on the back; be sure you
don’t sink into shoulders; instead lift center of armpits away from floor to protect
shoulder joint (John Friend)

Balanced Action

The game is to extend through your shoulders only as much as you can keep integrating them.
Then you get stability and freedom—which is balanced action. – John Friend, Yoga Journal,
Let it Shine

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Activate Muscles
Take a slight bend in your elbows, as this will ensure that the weight of your body is being
supported properly by the muscles in your arms, rather than the bones. – Alyssa Dodson,
doyouyoga.com, 5 Tips for a More Comfortable Down Dog

Going Deeper
The following cues are drawn from Leeann Carey’s advice in here for teaching how to bring
outer forearms in and internally rotate forearms, balance strength and flexibility, and
externally rotate upper arms and shoulders.
Use inner hand to push and outer hand to reach by:

 Pressing down into knuckles of thumbs, index and middle fingers

 Stretching into knuckles of ring & little fingers, right through fingertips

Next, lengthen outer elbows to the inner wrists, at thumb side of hand

 Keeping the work of the lower arms, lift & firm outer triceps & draw them up to
inner armpits
 Lengthen lower inner & outer armpits to upper inner and outer armpits

Cue to Avoid
Problem with, “Bring your ears in line with your biceps”

To understand why this instruction isn’t universally applicable, try this: Extend your arms up
overhead. If your shoulders are pretty open, you will likely be able to bring your upper arms
alongside, or even behind, your ears. If that’s the case, bring your arms a little more forward
so that they’re in front of your ears. Now, without moving your arms, bring your ears in line
with your biceps. See what happens? You just moved your head out of alignment! Same deal
in down dog. For a student with tight shoulders, “ears in line with biceps” isn’t the best
instruction. Instead, focus on teaching good shoulder alignment and keeping the head in line
with the spine. – Kathryn Heagberg, 10 Alignment Cues to Stop Giving, Yoga International

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More

Energetically Up and Back

Energetically, the pose is up and back—spine moves in and up as the legs move back.
Interestingly, the only thing “down” in Down Dog is the head (it eventually touches the floor).
– Roni Brissette

Settle In

Once you’ve taken time to check your alignment and make all of the proper adjustments, now
it’s time to settle into the pose. I love to gently turn my head side to side, or shake it yes and
no. This encourages my neck to relax and allows my head to hang heavy. This is a wonderful
release for the neck and for the tension in your shoulders as well. Focus on releasing tension
in your shoulders by taking a deep breath in and out, encouraging your shoulders away from
your ears. Maybe the most important thing to remember, in order to make your Downward
Dog as comfortable as possible is to just be… Take three to five deep breaths while you
attempt to clear your mind and relax… It can be difficult to take in all of the subtle adjustment
and alignment cues and still find relaxation. – Alyssa Dodson, doyouyoga.com, 5 Tips for a
More Comfortable Down Dog

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Variations
Bend Knees
Helpful for Tight Hamstrings

If hamstrings are tight & pelvis is not rotating, bend knees & lift sit bones to bring a natural
curve to the low back & length along side body. Extend heels down & lift arches up.

Wider Stance / On Toes

More Space

Take feet as wide as mat or wider. Another option: rise up onto toes, activating legs &
feeling strong lift of sit bones & pelvis.

Online Asana Digest

For many more variation photos, inspirational readings, and Hands-On Adjustments, see the
online version of the Asana Digest.

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