Downward Facing DogSave PDF
Adho Mukha Svanasana
ah-dho moo-khah SHVAHN-NAH-sah-nah
Strengthens arms and legs
Improves digestion, brings fresh blood to brain
Brings energy
How to perform Downward Facing Dog
- Lie on your stomach. Bring your hands under your shoulders and spread your fingers wide. Bring your feet as wide as your hips and curl your toes under.
- Push into the floor and come onto your knees with an exhale, then slowly straighten your legs. Release your heels toward the floor. Reach your tailbone toward the sky behind you to lengthen your spine. Bring your head in between your arms.
- Hold the pose and take slow, deep breaths.
- Release your knees to the floor with an exhale and sit back on your heels.
Alignment cues
- Bring feet hip-width apart
- Bring hands shoulder-width apart
- Spread fingers and push thumbs and index fingers into floor
- Draw shoulders away from ears
- Align ears between arms
- Reach tailbone up and back
- Release heels toward floor
Avoid this pose if you have high blood pressure or carpal tunnel syndrome.
Discover our best-selling Yoga Cards – professional study, class sequencing and practice guide for beginners and beyond.
Studying to be a yoga teacher? Learn the essential yoga poses the easy way with Yoga Stacks app!
New to yoga? Our Yoga for Beginners pack covers everything you need to know to get started with your practice.
Personal trainer? Try Train - our beautifully simple training platform you and your clients will love.
More yoga poses to discover
Downward Facing Dog · Adho Mukha Svanasana
Feathered Peacock · Pincha Mayurasana
Upward Lotus · Urdhva Padmasana
Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana in Sanskrit) is a beginner yoga pose that belongs to the forward bends and inversions categories. This asana targets calves, hamstrings, middle back / lats and spine, and also involves abs, ankles, glutes & hip flexors, quadriceps, triceps and wrists muscles. Downward facing dog improves digestion, brings fresh blood to brain; strengthens arms and legs and also brings energy. Refer to the illustration and instructions above for how to perform this posture correctly. Discover more yoga asanas and yogic breathing exercises in our free yoga pose directory – a visual resource for yoga teacher training students as well as practitioners of all levels. Finally, shop our best-selling Yoga Cards products!
Exercise illustration licensing: Our exercise and yoga pose illustrations (static and animated) are selectively available for licensing for commercial and non-commercial projects. Visit our exercise illustrations licensing page for detailed information and to submit in inquiry.
©
Our exercise illustrations represent original artwork registered with and protected by the U.S. Copyright Office. Unauthorized use violators will be prosecuted. More details.
Discover our best-selling Yoga Cards – professional study, class sequencing and practice guide for beginners and beyond.
Studying to be a yoga teacher? Learn the essential yoga poses the easy way with Yoga Stacks app!
New to yoga? Our Yoga for Beginners pack covers everything you need to know to get started with your practice.
Personal trainer? Try Train - our beautifully simple training platform you and your clients will love.
