Downward-Facing Dog
Benefits
- Stretches hamstrings, calves, and shoulders
- Strengthens arms and legs
- Relieves mild back pain and fatigue
- Improves circulation
Contraindications — when to avoid or modify this pose
- Carpal tunnel syndrome or wrist injury
- Late-term pregnancy (modify)
- Uncontrolled high blood pressure
- Detached retina or eye pressure issues
- Diarrhea
- Osteoarthritis (avoid holding for a long time under load on the joints)
Muscles worked
Contract / work (engaged)
- Shoulders (deltoids)
- Triceps
- Core / abdominals
Stretch / lengthen (released)
- Hamstrings
- Calves
- Lats (latissimus dorsi)
Chakra
Traditional association, based on common hatha yoga teaching — not a medical or scientific claim.
Externally rotating the upper arms (rolling the elbow creases forward) helps protect the shoulders from impingement in this pose. Dolphin Pose (forearms on the floor) is a common preparation for it. This pose expands and relaxes the pelvic floor — often taught paired with Cobra, which does the opposite.
Shoulder mechanics cross-checked against Ray Long's Key Muscles of Hatha Yoga. Osteoarthritis caution, Dolphin progression, and pelvic-floor detail cross-checked against the user's own yoga-teacher-training course material.
This page is for general education only and is not a substitute for guidance from a qualified yoga teacher or medical professional. If you have an injury, a chronic condition, or are pregnant, consult a doctor and a certified instructor before practicing this pose.