Downward Facing Dog
Downward Facing Dog is a foundational yoga pose that stretches and strengthens the entire body.
- Start on your hands and knees, aligning your wrists under your shoulders and knees under your hips.
- Press into your hands and lift your hips up and back, straightening your legs and forming an inverted V shape.
- Keep your head between your arms, with your ears aligned with your upper arms.
- Hold the position, breathing deeply, and feel the stretch in your hamstrings and calves.
How to perform the Downward Facing Dog
- Set up. Set up in a stable, balanced starting position appropriate for the Downward Facing Dog using your body weight.
- Brace and execute. Brace your core, control the descent, and move through a full pain-free range of motion while emphasizing your biceps.
- Reset. Reverse the movement under control and reset between repetitions, keeping your form crisp on every rep.
Coaching cues
- Move with intent — every rep should feel deliberate, not rushed.
- Drive force through your biceps rather than momentum.
- Keep your breathing steady: exhale on the hard part, inhale on the reset.
Common mistakes
- Using too much weight and losing positional control.
- Cutting the range of motion short and missing the target muscle.
- Letting your spine round or hyperextend instead of staying neutral.
Detailed cues, common mistakes, and demonstration video are available in the Fitly app.
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View staged routine (0)Variations of Downward Facing Dog
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