If you gave me three seconds to name one of the most common yoga poses, I’d say down dog every time. The asana is one of the foundational poses in yoga and it’s famed for its ability to stretch out your whole back and strengthen the upper body. Which is why I decided to put this much-loved pose to the test and complete a down dog every day for two weeks.
“Downward facing dog is one of the most well-known yoga poses as it’s a key posture in yoga styles such as Hatha, Vinyasa, Ashtanga and Jivamukti Yoga methods,” explains yoga teacher Nicole Windle, founder of The Soul Space Retreats. “It’s part of a warm-up sequence called sun salutations which is practised in the more Yang styles of yoga.”
So why is this downward-facing posture so popular? “It’s popular because although it’s a static posture where you have both your hands and feet on the floor, it stretches, strengthens and engages multiple muscle groups in the whole body,” Windle suggests. “And even non-yogis have heard of downward dog.” While Windle says this pose is often called a resting pose, for beginners, it can be quite a challenging posture.
But the good news is that: “The more advanced you get in your practice, the more comfortable you’ll feel in Downward Dog,” she goes on.
Keen to find out more about downward dog? Keep scrolling to discover what a downward dog is, how to do it with the correct form and the expert-backed benefits of performing this posture. You’ll also discover what I learned from completing this move three times a day for two weeks.
While you’re here, discover our guide to yoga for beginners and the best specific yoga poses for beginners before your first class. Plus, if you’re short on time and motivation, check out the 20-minute yoga workouts instructors do themselves from home.
Downward dog is one of the most popular yoga poses for a reason – so I tried it every day for two weeks
What is a downward dog yoga pose?
“Downward facing dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) is an asana posture (aka yoga pose) where the practitioner starts on hands and knees, then lifts their hips up and back creating the shape of an inverted V, essentially mimicking a dog stretching,” explains Ashley Galvin, yoga instructor at Alo Moves.
Karma Yoga teacher and director of social media and community at Beyond Yoga Katie Marylander adds: “Downward dog is what I call “homebase” in a vinyasa flow practice. It is all the things wrapped into one. It’s an inversion, arm balance, and restorative asana that requires both strength and mobility.”
To perfect the move with the right form, Galvin says:
- Start on hands and knees. Ensure your wrists are directly under your shoulders and your arms are engaged.
- Tuck your toes and begin to straighten your legs lifting your hips up and back.
- Melt your chest through your arms lengthening your spine. Keep your neck lengthened in line with your spine.
- You can hold the pose anywhere from a few breaths building up to a few minutes depending on your experience and fitness level and reason for practicing the pose.
- Modification: To modify the pose, keep a soft bend in your knees until your flexibility allows you to ground your heels with ease.
What are the benefits of doing a downward dog yoga pose?
If you’re a yogi, you’ll know that the benefits of yoga are vast. And according to experts, a downward dog is no different. “Downward facing dog stretches and increases the flexibility of your hamstrings, calves, arches of the feet, back and chest, making it one of the best yoga for flexibility moves,” Galvin highlights. “It strengthens the arms, shoulders, legs, abdomen, and core and improves blood circulation. The downward pressure on the spine is reversed and your vertebrae are realigned in a gentle way,” the expert adds.
According to a 2024 research paper, published in the International Journal for Multidisciplinary Research, downward dog also encourages venous return (the flow of blood from the body back to the heart) and lymphatic drainage which facilitates detoxification and immune function.
But physical benefits aside, the same paper states that there are psychological advantages of completing this posture, too. “The inverted position in a downward-facing dog calms the mind, relieves stress, and cultivates a sense of grounding and stability,” writes the author.
Plus, Marylander states that doing a downward dog can help you feel more present. “Mentally, it allows you to shift your perspective – you’re upside down, after all! – and bring your gaze inward,” she says. “This may help you become more present on your mat.”
Which celebrities are thought to love a downward dog?
Seeing as downward dog can be performed during different styles and types of yoga, from Vinyasa flow and Hatha to Ashtanga, there’s a good chance, yoga lovers Matthew McConaughey, Beyoncé, Gwyneth Paltrow and Dua Lipa have all performed this type of asana.
I tried down dog every day – and was pleasantly surprised
Before jumping into this challenge, it’s a good idea to flag that while instructors I spoke to say that completing a downward dog every day should be fine, yoga instructor and BAM spokesperson Rachael Wheeler said that if you have arthritis, carpal tunnel, or blood pressure issues, you might find this posture less suitable. The same goes for if you have wrist, shoulder, or back concerns.
“However, most poses can be modified to suit a student’s needs,” Wheeler adds. “For example, you can come down onto your knees to reduce pressure on your legs or spine, place a block under your heels, use fists instead of flat hands if you have wrist issues, or take puppy pose or tabletop instead of downward dog. For anyone with serious medical ailments, it’s always worth consulting with your doctor.”
Week one
Having shifted my mat from under my sofa to take front and centre stage in my living space, my down dog challenge could begin. I decided to complete three 30-second reps of this pose every day for two weeks.
During any usual week, I tend to practice low-impact exercises during Pilates workouts and yoga sessions, along with strength training workouts that involve chest presses, squats, deadlifts and Bulgarian split squat lunges. I also rack up hours sitting behind my laptop screen. Both of the above can leave my body feeling a little achy and stiff and my calf muscles, hamstrings, chest and back in need of some TLC – which is where downward dog (which can be done pretty much anywhere) steps up to the plate.
The first thing I notice from taking on this pose is how little attention I pay to my calves and feet. But when you’re staring into space (or at your feet on the mat) for 30 seconds at a time, it’s hard not to give them some air time. For the first few downward dog sets, my calves feel tight. I also notice that I’m unable to ground my heels down to the ground while completing this posture.
But, as Wheeler notes, this isn’t a deal breaker. “In downward dog, it’s more important to maintain length in the spine to avoid compression in the vertebrae or excessive weight in the shoulders rather than focusing on having straight legs or getting your heels to the mat,” the expert highlights.
The second thing I pick up on is how little time I spend upside down (naturally!). But after performing this pose and returning to my feet slowly, it felt like compressed ends of my body, like my back and hamstrings had been oh-so-satisfyingly stretched out.
And the third? While completing sets of this static posture throughout the week, once I’ve adopted the correct form — with my wrists directly under my shoulders, my arms engaged, and my neck in line with my spine — I feel strong, balanced and as though I’ve pressed paused on, well, everything.
Rebecca during week one of her down dog challenge, trying the move on her yoga mat at home
(Image credit: Rebecca Shepherd)
Week two
By week two, I’ve started pedalling into my feet to carefully dig a little deeper into the areas I feel some tightness and tension, and relieve some weight off my hands. This helped to gradually melt away some areas of tightness in my calves and helped me sink my heels a tiny bit closer to the ground.
Again, after performing this pose every day for two weeks, it also felt like my spine had been relieved of some tension, each time I melted through my chest (although I’m sure gravity might have had something to do with it too!). And it turns out I’m not wrong. “Downward dog is great for easing back pain as it creates space and stretches the lower back area,” Windle explains. “You’ll see when dogs and cats have been lying down for a prolonged period of time, they essentially do an upward facing dog and downward facing dog to stretch their entire body. Maybe we should take note of this!”.
While downward dog is often referred to as one of the best yoga poses for beginners, after doing this pose every day for two weeks, I’ve discovered it can still be quite a challenging posture to hold. Not only on your arms and legs, but I felt my core working on overtime to keep my spine stable. While I wouldn’t consider myself to be brand new to yoga, I would say this pose felt like it was more of a reset pose than a resting pose — as, no matter what my day or week had thrown my way, it felt like I was rebooting my mind, body and posture.
Over my days, weeks, months and years of performing exercise — whether it’s strength training, Pilates or yoga — I’ve noticed that monumental changes don’t happen overnight. Nor does it always happen in two weeks. But it’s little things, like feeling less stiff during your day-to-day or being able to sink a little bit deeper into a pose than the time before that keep you coming back for more. This is why the humble downward dog will always have a place in my home, heart and soul!
Rebecca at the end of her two week challenge
(Image credit: Rebecca Shepherd)
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Is downward dog an inversion?
“Downward dog is a gentle inversion,” Windle says. “Your head is basically upside down, not quite like a headstand, but you invert your upper body and this enhances your circulation, encouraging blood flow to the brain and heart.”
“This can be a great way to shift stagnant energy and feel refreshed in the mind,” Windle says. “It has a calming effect on the body and the mind and gives you this space to focus on your breathing. It’s a posture that makes you tune into yourself which improves your overall body awareness.”
According to a 2019 article published in the International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology, inverting can also decrease back pain, relax muscles and increase joint mobility and flexibility.
