Saturday, May 11, 2013

Yoga Tip Tuesdays: Downward-facing dog with bent knees

Ok, ok, so it's not Tuesday, but I want to keep this part of the series, and I don't want to wait until Tuesday because this post is in response to a reader request. Brad, I hope you are reading, because this is for you - sorry it's taken me this long to answer!

Brad recently left this comment on one of my posts: "I am just starting out in yoga and I cannot do the downward dog pose with my legs straight. Are you able to show a post for beginners how to do the downward dog pose (for example with bent legs) and then how to slowly build up to doing it properly."

This is an AWESOME question, thanks for asking! So many of us, especially if we gravitate towards a vinyasa, ashtanga or flow-style class, will struggle with what feel like endless repetitions of downward-facing dog. I remember the flood of frustration and despair when one of my early yoga teachers used to quip "remember, downward-dog is supposed to be a resting pose, so just relax!" I would be there, quivering and trembling in the pose, just trying to hold it together, thinking "relax?! is she nuts?!"

Anyway, whether you find it relaxing or not, here are a few tips for how to modify downward-facing dog with bent knees, while still getting all the benefits of the pose. This is not just for beginners! In fact, I often get my intermediate students to practice this pose with bent knees in order to really get a sense of where the focus of the pose is.

1. Downward-facing dog in a class setting

First, it's important to remember that a yoga pose is not about "the pose" - it's about what the pose is doing for you. So when we modify a pose, we want to keep in mind what the pose is really about. In downward-facing dog, the primary anatomical focus is on elongating the spine and opening up your upper back.

So, it doesn't matter if your knees are bent, because this pose is not really about lengthening the hamstrings. Let me repeat: it doesn't matter if your knees are bent.

Here's what  does matter:
  • Your hips need to be high enough so that gravity can work its magic, and your whole spine can extend downwards from the pelvis
  • Your upper back needs to be broad, long and soft, and the backs of your shoulders should be opening - so that means that your centre of gravity has to remain in the pelvis, and most of your body's weight has to remain in the legs and feet
  • Your back needs to be long and fairly straight (apart from the natural curves of the spine), from the tailbone all the way through the back of the neck

So, let's have a look at two variations for downward dog with the knees bent, one in which you are still getting the benefits of the pose, and one in which you are not:



In the first picture, I am making a common mistake by focusing too much on trying to get my legs straight. As you can see, the spine isn't really getting that extension that we are looking for: the effort of trying to straighten the legs pushes too much weight forward onto the hands and drops the hips too low. The centre of gravity of the pose is somewhere just behind the shoulderblades. The backs of the shoulders are rounded, and, with the neck, working hard. We end up fighting against gravity instead of allowing it to help us stretch. The result is something that is hard work, but that isn't really getting us the benefits of the pose.

In the second picture, the knees are bent more deeply, allowing the focus of the pose to come back to the spine. Without locking your elbows, use the hands to press the hips up and back, and draw the belly button slightly towards the navel, using a bit of core engagement to help keep the centre of gravity in the pelvis. Broaden the toes and press strongly through the balls of the feet - don't worry about working the heels down. Broaden the upper back by wrapping your lower shoulderblades towards the armpits, and feel the backs of the shoulders opening. Keep your neck extending in line with your spine and keep your awareness on the stretch in your upper back and the back of your neck.

Depending on your body, you may need to take a longer stance (i.e. more distance between your hands and feet) in order to make this work. Don't worry if that's the case - just focus on finding that long stretch in your upper back and the back of your neck.

Props and modifications:
 
A really helpful modification if you are just starting out is to do the pose (with the knees bent) with each of your hands resting on a yoga block. This little bit of elevation helps you to bring the centre of gravity of the pose back, so that more of the weight of the pose can rest in your pelvis, legs and feet, and you can start to feel some of the "lightness" that allows you to really let your spine stretch out. I highly recommend doing this if your practice space has yoga blocks available, at least during those moments in class where you are asked to hold the pose for several breaths. This modification is especially helpful if you are feeling the strain of the pose mainly in your wrists, arms or the backs of your neck and shoulders.

Finally, an excellent alternative to those long holds in downward dog is to come down onto your knees and take Puppy Pose, pictured below. As you can see from the photo, by taking the hamstrings out of the equation all together, this pose allows you to get the same awesome stretch in your spine, without putting any strain on the wrists, arms, upper back or the legs. You can also do this with your hands resting on blocks for a bit of an extra shoulder-opener.

It's a great idea to do puppy pose and then downward-facing dog to compare the sensation of stretch in your back. If they feel more or less the same, you know you're getting the benefits of the pose.


2. Downward-facing dog at home

If you are practicing at home, there are SO many everyday props available to help you do this pose. Essentially, these are similar to your in-class modification with your hands on blocks, but at home, you have so many more options that you can use to find exactly the right stretch for you.

Try doing the pose with your hands on a chair, a coffee table, the edge of your bed, your sofa, or the stairs, to figure out what feels right for you. The higher your support, the more you should be able to straighten your legs to get a stretch in the hamstrings while still maintaining the long, straight spine that is the essence of the pose. Please make sure that whatever you use is firmly anchored so that it doesn't slip out from under you!



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I hope this post was helpful! Stay tuned on the blog for some targeted hamstring stretches and shoulder-openers that may also be helpful!

If you've read this far, I'd love your feedback! Was this tip helpful? Is there anything else you'd like tips about? Leave a comment!

29 comments:

  1. Thank you very much. You clarified so much. That was an awesome post and I will definitely try those variations. What does it mean that the back of the shoulders are opening? Does that mean they the outsides of the shoulder (the part of the shoulder furthest from the body) is pushing outwards and then the opposite direction from the chest?

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    1. Hi Brad - glad I was able to answer your questions! Regarding the upper back, try thinking of the tops of your shoulders stretching away from your ears, and your shoulderblades stretching outwards away from the spine. One way to feel what this is like is to lie on the ground with knees bent, and grasp opposite elbows. Then gently release your arms back over your head towards the floor. Hope that makes sense!

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    2. Brad asked the exact question i was meaning to ask, this literally answered all my questions regarding downdog, thank you so very much La Gitane, we do not have many yoga instructors in Fiji this really helped. Shared the post with my yoga partner.

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    3. You're very welcome Alisha! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

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  2. i love this post- it's so informative! i have accepted that my heels will never reach the floor in DD, but that's ok. you're right though, at one point it becomes "rest" pose- which was a crazy realization :)

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    1. Thanks!! It's funny because a lot of people get caught up with the "I can't get my heels to the floor" thing... But that's not really what this pose is about! The calf stretch is a nice bonus, that's all. It's important to accept that we all do poses differently - what matters is that we are getting the benefits! And yes, it is funny how poses change their 'flavour' over the years. :)

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  3. Thank you for the clarification. I will try these other versions of the downward pose and will get my partner to take a photo of me to make sure that it is all aligned properly like your pics.

    Sorry for all the requests, but it would great if one time you can do a post on a series of exercises to improve posture.

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    1. Hey Brad - good luck working on this! And thanks for the ongoing requests, it's great to get new ideas. :)

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  4. Thank you for this post. I have been in despair, thinking I might have to give up ashtanga because my shoulders and wrists are too sore to bear any load, but I think I now understand how I can modify and still get the back opening and hamstring stretch.

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    1. I'm glad you found this helpful! Please just remember that no asana practice is worth hurting yourself for. There are many inspirational yogis who do not practice vinyasa-style yoga for the reasons you mention above. Put your health and safety first - that is the true practice of yoga!

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  5. I really liked the way you have explained it through images.

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  6. Is there a solution for a shoulder injury with down dog? Down and three legged dog hurt my shoulder too much and puppy pose and with a chair are the same lengthening of the shoulder that hurts. Thanks!

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    1. Hi Amanda, for an injury that's causing you acute pain the best advice I can give is to rest it and let your body heal. This doesn't mean you have to stop practicing yoga, but it does mean that you should temporarily modify your practice to avoid the poses that cause you pain.

      To get the lengthening stretch in your upper back, try reversing the dog: lie on your back with your knees to your chest. As you inhale, stretch your left leg up in the air and bring your right arm back over your head. Exhale come to centre. Inhale, do the other side. On your injured side, only stretch the arm as far as you can without feeling any pain at all, even if this is not very far. If you do a vinyasa-based practice, skip the vinyasas or check out my post on sun salutations for injured wrists. Or, if plank feels ok, do plank push-ups instead of downward-facing dog.

      The shoulder is the most unstable joint in the body and often shoulder injuries are a reflection of other imbalances in our practice or in our daily lives. If you haven't already, see a professional (a yoga therapist or a physio) and let them work with you to address the root causes so that you can practice injury free into the future!

      I hope that helped!

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  7. Oh holy wow, this helps so much! I am very flexible in the opposte direction-- back bends are a cinch!-- but forward folds, downward facing dog and other lower back and hamstring poses are very difficult for me and it frustrates me how a lot of books and videos never show how a modified downward facing dog should look. :> Thank you so much! Also, are there any poses that can help slowly open the lower back and hamstrings so that downward facing dog is eventually achievable in its full form?
    Thank you so much again!
    -Katrina

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    1. Hi Katrina, sure, there are lots of simple stretches that, if done on a daily basis, will gradually improve your hamstring and back flexibility, such as a lying-down hamstring stretch. Check back on the blog and I will do a post about these soon!

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  8. Hi, because my hamstrings are VERY tight, I experience the same problems with the downward facing dog pose that you describe above. Looking for solutions I came upon your website. However, I asked my Iyengar-Yoga teacher, who is also a physiotherapist and a very helpful yoga teacher, about my problem and your suggestion to do the puppy pose instead. He thought it was not a good idea to "take the hamstrings out of the equation", because he wants to involve my lower back too and ultimately wants me to be able to do the standing forward bend. So he suggested to do wall push (http://www.pathtoayurveda.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/wall-push-yoga-pose.jpg) instead and eventually work my way towards the downward facing dog from there, also with a chair like you suggest. I can't explain his reasoning any better, but it feels right for me. What do you think?

    Also, I wanted to share a hamstring stretch pose that works great for me: It's called one leg up, one leg out, that means I lie on my back and one leg goes up the wall, the other leg straight on the floor. You need a door frame or something like that.

    Mary Schatz describes the poses here: http://maryschatzmd.com/q-a/q-a-stiff.aspx

    Anyway, thanks for your ideas and I am curious what you think!

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    1. Hi Anonymous,

      These posts are generic and are not a substitute for getting personalised advice. It sounds like you are very lucky to be working with a teacher who can give you individual guidance!

      Puppy pose is a great alternative for getting a deep upper back stretch or for resting if you are in a class with lots of downward dogs. But your teacher is completely right that just doing puppy pose on its own won't increase your hamstring flexibility. Doing targeted hamstring stretches and modified versions of the poses is exactly the right way to approach this.

      Thanks for sharing the stretches that work for you! You can also ask your teacher to show you some stretches that use reciprocal inhibition - those work really well for me!

      I hope that was helpful. :)

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  9. Thank you so much for this article -- very good tips.

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  10. Best explanation and examples I've seen....and I've looked at a lot! Thanks so much!

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  11. Hi, I can't straighten my lower back as much when doing this pose. I can't do the downward "V" as much. Although I really have no problem with straigthening out my legs and putting my heels down, I always get a curved (outward) lower back even if my upper back looks straight enough.. A friend always see this and say that I'm doing the pose all wrong. Is this normal? How can I eliminate this problem because we do a lot of this pose as our rest pose.. I'm just beginning at yoga, I hope you could help me out with this.

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    1. Hi Anonymous, it's too hard to answer your question without actually seeing your practice. The answer could be a number of things - I suggest you consult your yoga teacher next time you are in class. Best of luck. :)

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  12. Oh gosh you seriously just made my year, thank you for this! I wanted to attempt yoga again, as I've attempted it in the past, but the second I started watching a class I remembered why yoga is an impossibility for me... I can't bear weight on my right wrist. not more than 10 lbs or so at least. I'd looked in the past for alternative poses for people with bad wrists, but I never had any luck. So I just searched and found this, and I am so so excited! I am going to search and see what other alternatives you have because maybe I can actually do yoga now.. even with a bad wrist? That would be awesome!

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    1. Hi Rain, thanks for commenting. There are indeed styles of yoga that you can do without putting too much strain on your wrist. Avoid vinyasa styles and instead look for an experienced Iyengar or Hatha yoga teacher, and consider doing a one-on-one before you start a new class so that you will know how to modify your practice.

      Also, have a look at this post: http://yogagypsy.blogspot.com.au/2013/07/sun-salutation-ideas-for-injured-wrists.html for ideas on how to modify a practice for an injured wrist.

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  13. Thank you, this is very helpful. I'm coming off shoulder surgery in the fall and have not regained all my strength or range of motion, but would like to start getting back into yoga. Most if the classes I have access to have at least some sun salutations in them. Any other recommendations for ways I could modify while still building up my strength and flexibility?

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    1. Hi Kat, I'm glad you found this helpful! There are certainly ways you can do sun salutations while still being gentle to your shoulders (for example keeping your knees on the ground during yoga push-ups and down-ward facing dog), but the best advice I can give you over the internet is to approach an experienced teacher one-on-one and get some individual recommendations based on your specific case. :)

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  14. Thank you for this post :) I was not doing the pose right because of my hamstrings being so tight. Is it good to eat breakfast an hour before yoga or eat afterwards?

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    1. Hi Marquissmomma, thanks for your comment! I'm glad you found this post helpful. With regards to breakfast, everyone is different! The general advice is not to eat too soon before doing a yoga practice because if your stomach is full you may feel uncomfortable in some yoga poses. But if you find it difficult to do yoga on an empty stomach, having a very light breakfast (e.g. some fruit) an hour before is absolutely fine! If you have a big meal you should wait 2-3 hours before practicing.

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