Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)
Adho means downward, mukha means face, svana means dog and asana means posture: the downward-facing dog posture. It looks like a dog stretching forward with its hips high after a nap.
At a glance
- Sanskrit name
- Adho Mukha Svanasana
- Pronunciation
- AH-doh MOO-kuh shvah-NAHS-uh-nuh. Svana is often said with a soft sh sound at the start.
- Family
- Inversions
- Practised in
- Vinyasa yoga
- In pregnancy
- Adapt
- After birth
- Adapt
Downward-Facing Dog is the pose a Vinyasa class keeps coming back to, a place to pause between flowing sequences once it becomes familiar. At first it rarely feels restful, and that is normal.
In a private Vinyasa practice we shape it to your hamstrings and shoulders, bent knees included, until it starts to feel like the pause it is meant to be.
In a flowing sequence it often follows Upward-Facing Dog, its partner in the flow, lifting the hips back as you breathe out.
How to do Downward-Facing Dog
Come onto hands and knees with the wrists under the shoulders and the knees under the hips. Spread the fingers wide with the middle fingers pointing forward.
Tuck the toes under and, on an exhale, lift the knees off the mat, sending the hips up and back.
Keep the knees bent at first so you can lengthen the spine all the way from the hands to the sitting bones.
Press evenly through the whole hand, especially the knuckles of the index finger and thumb, and turn the upper arms slightly outward so the shoulders widen.
Slowly straighten the legs as far as your hamstrings allow, reaching the heels toward the floor without needing them to touch.
Let the head hang between the upper arms, breathe for five breaths, then bend the knees and lower back down to rest.
My cues
- Long spine first, straight legs second. I would take bent knees and a flat back over straight legs and a rounded one every time.
- Push the floor away with your hands, as if you wanted to slide the mat forward. The weight travels back into the legs and the wrists get lighter.
- Pedal the feet for a few breaths when you first arrive, bending one knee and then the other, before you let it settle.
Modifications
- Bend the knees generously and lift the heels high if the hamstrings are tight.
- Put the hands on blocks, or on a wall or a chair seat, to take load off the wrists and shoulders.
- Fold the edge of the mat or a towel under the heels of the hands if the wrists feel sore.
- Rest in Child's Pose between rounds instead of holding for a long time.
In pregnancy. Adapt. If it feels comfortable, keep holds short, the feet wider apart and the hands on blocks. Because the head is below the heart, come out if you feel dizzy, breathless or unwell. Check with your OB or midwife before you start.
After birth. Adapt. When your doctor or midwife has cleared you to exercise, start with the hands on a chair or wall for a few breaths at a time. The wrists and shoulders may be tired from carrying and feeding, so add weight to them gradually.
Common mistakes
- Forcing the heels to the floor while the back rounds. The heels are the last thing to worry about.
- Walking the feet too close to the hands, which cramps the shape into a short arch.
- Leaning into the heels of the hands and letting the index-finger side of the hand lift.
Pairs well with
- Plank PosePhalakasana
- Child's PoseBalasana
- Sun SalutationSurya Namaskar