Downward facing dog Adho Mukha Svanasana, with beginner variations

What is downward facing dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)?

Downward facing dog, or Adho Mukha Svanasana in Sanskrit, is the asana where your hands and feet are on the mat and your hips lift toward the ceiling, so your body makes an upside-down V. Most people simply call it downward dog, or down dog.

It's one of the first asanas you learn in a yoga class, and it stays with you in almost every class after that. It's part of every sun salutation, it takes you from standing down to the mat and back up again, and it works just as well as a warm-up as it does later in class, when your body is warm and you can stay a little longer.

The goal: a long torso, not straight legs

Here's the most important thing to know about downward facing dog. The purpose of the asana is to lengthen your torso. Your back stays long and straight, from your hands to your hips.

Straight legs and heels on the mat are what we usually see in photos, so it's natural to aim for them. But when the back of your legs (your hamstrings) isn't ready yet, pushing your heels down makes your back round, and the pose loses its point. That's why, in this guide, your legs adjust to your back, not the other way around.

How to do downward facing dog, step by step

The easiest way into the asana is from tabletop, on your hands and knees.

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1. Hands under your shoulders, fingers spread.
2. Knees under your hips.
3. Toes tucked under, ready to lift.
4. A long, flat back and a long neck.

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1. Hands push the mat forward, fingers spread, the whole palm pressing down.
2. Feet push the mat back, as if you could stretch it.
3. Hips lift up and back, toward the ceiling.
4. A long, straight back, from your hands all the way to your hips.

This is the full pose, with straight legs and heels on the mat. Notice that downward dog is not a passive pose. Your hands push the mat forward, your feet push it back, and your hips keep lifting, so the whole body is gently working.

My tip for sun salutations: from baby cobra (Bhujangasana), push the mat away with your hands and come to tabletop first, then lift your hips into downward dog. In Sun Salutation A we often stay here for five deep breaths.

The most common mistake in downward dog

This is the mistake I see most often, especially in the first weeks of practice. We want our legs straight and our heels on the mat, so the body finds another way to get there. The back rounds, and the pose loses what it's for.

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1. The back rounds like a curve instead of staying long.
2. Heels pressed down at all costs, so the legs can stay straight.

How to fix it

Give your back the space first, then work on your legs. Bend your knees and imagine your belly and chest sinking toward your thighs, then actively lengthen your back. You can also lift your heels and stand on the balls of your feet, or do both. Once your back is long, imagine your heels reaching toward the mat, without letting your back round again.

Downward dog variations for beginners

These downward dog variations are not easier versions you grow out of. They're how the asana fits your body today, and many experienced students keep using them. Try each one and notice which lets your back stay longest. If you're a beginner, start with the last one, knees bent and heels lifted.

Knees bent

Bend your knees and let your belly move toward your thighs. Your heels can stay on the mat. This is the quickest way to feel a long back, especially if your hamstrings feel tight.

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1. A long, straight back.
2. Knees bent, so your back has room to lengthen. Heels can stay on the mat.

Heels lifted

Keep your legs long and lift your heels, standing on the balls of your feet. Your hips can now go higher, and your back has room to lengthen.

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1. A long, straight back.
2. Heels lifted, so your hips can go higher. Let them reach toward the mat.

Knees bent and heels lifted

My favorite way to start. Bend your knees, lift your heels, and bring your belly close to your thighs. Then push the mat forward with your hands and back with your feet, and imagine your heels reaching toward the mat. You'll feel a stretch in your hamstrings while your back stays long.

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1. A long, straight back.
2. Knees bent, belly close to your thighs.
3. Heels lifted, imagining they reach toward the mat.

Small changes that help

• Feet: hip-width apart or a little wider. Both are completely fine.
• Hands: turn them slightly outward if that feels better for your wrists, and explore what suits you.
• Head: let it relax between your upper arms, with your neck long.

More downward dog variations to explore

Once downward facing dog feels familiar, these variations add strength, play and new stretches. Keep the same rule as before: your back stays long, and your knees and heels adjust to it.

Pedaling the feet

Bend one knee and lift that heel, while the other leg lengthens and its heel reaches toward the mat. Then switch, slowly, like walking in place. It's a lovely warm-up for your hamstrings and calves.

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1. One knee bends and that heel lifts.
2. The other leg lengthens, heel reaching toward the mat.

Three-legged dog (Eka Pada Adho Mukha Svanasana)

From downward dog, lift one leg up and back, so it continues the long line of your back. Keep your hips level and square to the mat, and keep pushing the mat away with both hands. The standing heel can lift a little.

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1. The lifted leg continues the long line of your back. Keep your hips level.
2. Point or flex the lifted foot, or circle the ankle.
3. The standing heel can lift a little and reach toward the mat.

When I use three-legged dog to warm up, I like to add small movements with the lifted leg:

• Circle your ankle one way, then the other, to warm up the ankle of the lifted leg.
• Move the leg slowly up and down to wake up the back of the leg, your hamstrings.
• Flex and point the foot a few times. Then stay with the foot either flexed or pointed, whichever feels better.

You can also turn it into a hip opener. From three-legged dog, bend the knee of the lifted leg and let that hip open toward the ceiling, so your hips stack one above the other. Keep both hands pressing into the mat and your shoulders level.

Then lower the leg back down, take a breath in downward dog, and repeat on the other side.

Twist: hand to the opposite ankle

From downward dog, with your feet hip-width apart, keep one hand on the mat, and reach the other hand back to hold the opposite ankle or shin. Your knees can bend softly and your heels can lift. Let your chest open to the side, stay for a few breaths, then switch sides.

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1. One hand stays on the mat and keeps pushing it forward.
2. The other hand holds the opposite ankle or shin.
3. Your chest opens to the side.

Different ways to come into and out of downward facing dog

Because downward dog is a transition asana, there are many ways in and out of it. Which one you choose depends on where you are in your practice and what comes next.

When to use downward dog in your practice

• As a transition: sometimes you stay for just one breath. It takes you on to Chaturanga Dandasana, helps you come down to the mat to sit or lie down, or helps you come back up to standing.
• In sun salutations: it's part of both Sun Salutation A and B. In A, we often stay for five breaths.
• As a warm-up: pedaling the feet and circling the ankles in three-legged dog gently wake up the legs.
• Later in class: when your body is warm, you can stay longer and explore the variations.

New to yoga? Take my yoga and Pilates quiz to find a style that suits you, and explore more asanas in the asana library.

This guide shares how I teach the asana and isn't medical advice. If you have wrist or shoulder pain, high blood pressure, an eye condition, or you're pregnant, check with your doctor before practicing inversions like downward dog.

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Written by Emilija

RYT 200 certified yoga teacher since 2021

I write every asana guide on this site the way I teach it in class: step by step, with options that meet you where you are.

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