Tag: Yoga
Yoga Push-Up Guide: Muscles Worked, How-To, Benefits, and Alternatives
The classic push-up is one of the best exercises you can do for your upper body. Requiring nothing more than the space to lie down, you can pump out push-ups anywhere and anytime, which is why they’re such a favorite of the military, martial artists, prisoners, and home exercisers alike.
Standard push-ups are almost unbeatable, and training to do more push-ups will increase chest, shoulder, and triceps muscle size and endurance.
However, as potent as push-ups are, you can have too much of a good thing. Do enough push-ups, and they can lose some effectiveness and even become boring.
That’s why most push-up aficionados include different push-up variations in their workouts, including decline, diamond, paused, deficit, and explosive push-ups. While each of these push-up exercises uses many of the same muscles, they hit them in a slightly different way.
And now you can add a new exercise to your push-up arsenal – yoga push-ups.
In this article, we reveal why and how to do this fantastic exercise and some of the best variations and alternatives.
Yoga Push-Ups – Muscles Worked
Yoga push-ups are a compound upper-body exercise. This means they work multiple joints and muscles working together. The main muscles involved in yoga push-ups are:
Pectoralis major
Known as the pecs for short, these muscles make up the bulk of your chest. There are three sets of pec fibers, called heads: clavicular (upper), sternal (mid), and coastal/abdominal (lower). The pecs are the agonist or main muscle trained during yoga push-ups. All three pec heads are involved in this exercise.
Deltoids
The deltoids, or delts, are your primary shoulder muscles. Like the pecs, there are three sets of deltoid fibers or heads: anterior (front), medial (middle), and posterior (rear). All three deltoid heads are involved in yoga push-ups, but the anterior head is the most active. The medial and posterior delts work mostly as stabilizers.
Triceps brachii
Better known simply as the triceps, this three-headed muscle is located on the back of your upper arm and is mainly responsible for elbow extension. Because of its relatively small size, the triceps are usually the first muscle to fail during yoga push-ups.
Serratus anterior
Also known as the boxer’s muscle, the serratus anterior is located on the side of your chest and is responsible for keeping your scapulae or shoulder blades flat against your ribs. This muscle is so-called because, when well-developed and you are lean enough to see it, it looks like the blade of a serrated knife.
Trapezius
The unusual shoulder movement during yoga push-ups means your trapezius is more active than with regular push-ups. The trapezius is the large, flat, kite-shaped muscle of your upper back. It comprises three sets of fibers: upper, middle, and lower. All three groups of fibers work during yoga push-ups, but the upper fibers are the most active.
Core
Core is the collective name for the muscles that encircle your waist, including the rectus abdominis, obliques, transverse abdominis, and erector spinae. These muscles contract inward to increase intra-abdominal pressure, which helps support your lumbar spine and prevent unwanted movement. Yoga push-ups are more core-centric than regular push-ups.
While yoga push-ups are most definitely an upper-body exercise, your legs are also involved. You’ll need to use your glutes, quadriceps, and hamstrings to keep your lower body straight and rigid. However, the load on these muscles is pretty low, so you’ll still need to train your legs separately if you want to make them stronger or more muscular.
How to Do Yoga Push-Ups
Get more from yoga push-ups while keeping your risk of injury to a minimum by following these guidelines:
Squat down and place your hands flat on the floor, roughly shoulder-width apart, and fingers pointing forward. Brace your core and pull your shoulders down and back.
Walk your feet out and back so your body is straight. Engage your legs to stabilize your lower body.
Bend your arms and lower your chest down to within an inch of the floor.
Next, push up and back, lifting your hips up toward the ceiling. Gently push your head between your arms to extend your shoulders, open your chest, and stretch your lats.
Keep your legs as straight as possible, and press your heels down toward the floor. Your body should now resemble an inverted V.
Return to the starting position, bend your arms, and repeat.
Pro Tips:
Inhale as you lower your chest to the floor, and exhale as you push yourself back and up.
Experiment with the width of your hands to see what feels the most comfortable.
Pause at the midpoint of each rep to maximize the stretching and mobilizing effect of this exercise.
Do yoga push-ups as part of your warm-up or morning routine or during your chest or shoulder workout.
Use push-up handles to increase your range of motion and take stress off your wrists.
Yoga Push-Up Benefits and Drawbacks
Not sure if yoga push-ups deserve a place in your workouts? Consider these benefits and then decide!
Anywhere, anytime
Like most push-up variations, you can do this exercise almost anywhere and anytime. As such, yoga push-ups are perfect for home exercisers and anyone who wants an excuse-free upper body workout.
An effective mobilizer
While yoga push-ups are a great upper-body muscular endurance exercise, they’re also an effective full-body mobilizer. A few reps of yoga push-ups will stretch your shoulders, chest, upper back, lower back, hips, hamstrings, and calves. This means yoga push-ups aren’t just a conditioning exercise but are also suitable for warm-ups.
Increased shoulder engagement
All push-ups involve your deltoids, but yoga push-ups work them more than most. The semi-inverted position at the mid-point of each rep is similar to that of an overhead press or handstand push-up, both of which are great deltoid exercises.
While yoga push-ups are a mostly beneficial exercise, there are also a few drawbacks to consider:
No regressions
There is no obvious way to make yoga push-ups easier. With regular push-ups, you can always bend your legs and rest on your knees to do three-quarter push-ups. Unfortunately, there is no such regression for yoga push-ups.
Potentially more shoulder stress than regular push-ups
Some exercisers struggle with overhead movements and find they cause shoulder discomfort and pain. Yoga push-ups place your arms overhead, so they may cause more shoulder joint stress than other types of push-ups. If yoga push-ups bother your shoulders, you should drop them from your program.
7 Yoga Push-Up Variations and Alternatives
Yoga push-ups are a highly effective upper-body exercise, but that doesn’t mean you need to do them all the time. There are several variations and alternatives you can use to keep your workouts productive and interesting:
1. Feet-elevated yoga push-up
While there is nothing wrong with doing a few yoga push-ups to mobilize and warm up your upper body, some people prefer to do them as a main workout exercise. If you want to overload more than stretch your muscles, feet-elevated yoga push-ups are the answer.
Steps:
Adopt the push-up position with your feet on a knee-high box or step. Brace your core, set your shoulders down and back, and engage your legs.
Bend your arms and lower your chest to about an inch above the floor.
Push back and up and lift your hips into the air so your body resembles an inverted V.
Return to the push-up position, bend your arms, and repeat.
Muscles targeted:
Primary: Pectoralis major, deltoids, triceps.
Secondary: Core.
Benefits:
A more demanding variation of yoga push-ups.
A great movement for more experienced exercisers.
Even better for mobilizing the shoulders and hips.
Tips:
Make sure your bench/step is stable and won’t tip over.
Warm up your hamstrings before attempting this exercise.
Take care not to hyperextend your lower back.
2. Single-leg yoga push-ups
Yoga push-ups provide a welcome core workout. However, the core is not working all that hard. This single-leg variation is much more core-centric and provides an excellent flexion/anti-rotation core workout.
Steps:
Adopt the push-up position with straight arms, core braced, and shoulders back and down. Lift one foot off the floor.
Bend your arms and lower your chest to about an inch above the floor.
Push back and up and lift your hips into the air so your body resembles an inverted V.
Return to the push-up position, bend your arms, and repeat.
Switch legs set by set.
Muscles targeted:
Primary: Pectoralis major, deltoids, triceps.
Secondary: Core.
Benefits:
An intense core and upper body exercise.
More leg and glute engagement than regular yoga push-ups.
Requires and develops greater coordination and positional awareness.
Tips:
Wear non-slip shoes or do this exercise barefoot.
Lift your non-weight-bearing leg higher to engage your glutes more.
You can also do this exercise with your foot on a step or box, i.e., single-leg foot elevated yoga push-ups.
3. Toe-tap yoga push-ups
Toe-tap yoga push-ups increase shoulder and core engagement while adding a rotational element for greater spinal mobility. If regular yoga push-ups are not challenging enough, and you don’t have a step to put your feet on, this is the next logical progression.
Steps:
Adopt the push-up position with straight arms, core braced, and shoulders back and down.
Bend your arms and lower your chest to about an inch above the floor.
Push back and up and lift your hips into the air so your body resembles an inverted V.
Reach back with one hand and touch your opposite foot.
Return to the push-up position and repeat.
Alternate sides rep by rep.
Muscles targeted:
Primary: Pectoralis major, deltoids, triceps.
Secondary: Core.
Benefits:
More challenging than regular yoga push-ups.
Increased core engagement.
Greater mobility, balance, and coordination demands.
Tips:
Touch your shin and not your toes if you lack flexibility.
Try to hinge from your hips rather than round your lower back.
You can also do this exercise with your feet on a step or box, i.e., feet elevated toe-tap yoga push-ups.
4. Y-reach yoga push-up
This yoga push-up variation works your upper back as well as your chest, shoulders, and triceps. As such, it’s both time-efficient and a great way to prepare your major muscles and joints for upcoming workouts.
Steps:
Adopt the push-up position with straight arms, core braced, and shoulders back and down.
Bend your arms and lower your chest to the floor.
Lift your hands off the floor and extend your arms forward to form a Y-shape. Point your thumbs up to the ceiling.
Bring your hands back in and under your shoulders.
Push back and up and lift your hips into the air so your body resembles an inverted V.
Return to the push-up position, bend your arms, and repeat.
Muscles targeted:
Primary: Pectoralis major, deltoids, triceps.
Secondary: Core.
Benefits:
An excellent postural exercise.
Trains your pushing and pulling muscles simultaneously for a time-efficient upper body workout.
A great way to prepare your upper body for your upcoming workout.
Tips:
Place a folded exercise mat under your hips for comfort.
Keep your upper back engaged and shoulders pulled down and back throughout.
Take care not to lift your head and hyperextend your neck when lying on the floor. Tuck your chin in and look down.
5. Dive bomber push-ups
Dive bomber push-ups are very similar to yoga push-ups. However, they involve some additional movements designed to increase spinal mobility. Dive bomber push-ups are great for loosening up your entire back after a long day sitting at your desk.
Steps:
Adopt the push-up position and then lift your hips into the air. Brace your core and pull your shoulders back and down.
Bend your arms and lower your head toward the floor.
Imagining you are ducking under a low bar, lower your chest to the floor, and then, keeping your hips low, extend your arms and push your upper body away from the ground.
Reverse the motion, again ducking under that imaginary bar, and repeat.
Muscles targeted:
Primary: Pectoralis major, deltoids, triceps.
Secondary: Core.
Benefits:
An excellent mobilizer for the entire spine.
A challenging alternative to regular push-ups.
More lat engagement than with regular push-ups.
Tips:
Adopt a wide stance to take tension off your hamstrings.
Use push-up handles for less wrist strain and a bigger range of motion.
Take care not to hyperextend your spine.
6. Pike push-ups
Yoga push-ups work your chest and deltoids pretty equally. But, if you want to focus more on your shoulders and avoid working your chest, pike push-ups are the exercise for you. They also involve less coordination than yoga push-ups, so they may be a better option for some beginners.
Steps:
Adopt the push-up position with your arms straight and hands roughly shoulder-width apart.
Lift your hips and push your butt back so your body resembles an inverted V. Brace your abs.
Bend your arms and lower your head to the floor, taking care not to bump it.
Extend your arms and repeat.
Muscles targeted:
Primary: Deltoids, triceps.
Secondary: Core.
Benefits:
An excellent bodyweight deltoid exercise.
More weight on your arms than conventional push-ups.
Simpler to learn than yoga push-ups.
Tips:
Experiment with the width of your hands to see what works best and feels most comfortable.
Use parallettes, push-up handles, or yoga blocks to increase your range of motion.
You can also do this exercise with your feet elevated, like this:
7. Mike Tyson push-ups
While boxer Mike Tyson probably didn’t invent this exercise, his use of it means it now bears his name! Yoga push-ups require good hamstring flexibility to perform them correctly. Mike Tyson push-ups work the same muscles but without needing such supple hammies.
Steps:
Adopt the push-up position with your feet pressed against the bottom of a wall to stop them from slipping.
Bend your arms and lower your chest to the floor.
Extend your arms, bend your legs, and push your hips backward so you’re in a semi-crouched potation.
Extend your legs and descend into another rep.
Muscles targeted:
Primary: Pectoralis major, deltoids, triceps.
Secondary: Core.
Benefits:
A more accessible exercise for people with tight hamstrings.
A challenging chest and deltoid exercise.
It was Iron Mike Tyson’s favorite exercise!
Tips:
Keep your feet pressed against the wall throughout.
Experiment with the position of your hands to see what’s comfortable and works best.
Take care to flex from your hips and not round your back as you move into the semi-crouched position.
Yoga Push-Up FAQs
Do you have a question about yoga push-ups or push-up training in general? Don’t worry because we’ve got the answers!
1. How many reps and sets of yoga push-ups should I do?
Because yoga push-ups are a bodyweight exercise, it’s hard to say how many reps you should do. Depending on your body weight and fitness, you might be able to do 10, 30, or even 50 reps, so telling you how many to do would be a mistake.
So, you’ll have to determine how many reps to do. Start your set and continue until you cannot do any more reps in good form. Then, as the weeks pass, do your best to crank out more reps. However, never sacrifice good (and safe) technique for more reps. The trade-off isn’t worth it.
In terms of sets, 3-5 should be enough for most people. If you can do more than this, you probably aren’t pushing your sets close enough to failure, or you are resting too long between efforts.
2. Can I do yoga push-ups every day?
You can do yoga push-ups daily provided you don’t train them too hard each time you work out. For example, you could do 3-4 hard sets close to failure one day and a couple of easy sets for mobility and warming up the next. This will give your muscles the time they need to rest, recover, and adapt to your more intense workouts.
Related: 12 Reasons to Do Push-Ups Every Day
3. Will yoga push-ups build muscle?
Provided you take your sets close to failure, yoga sets could help you build bigger pecs, delts, and triceps. However, this may entail doing high-rep sets, which is not the best use of your training time.
So, if you want to build muscle with yoga push-ups, choose a variation that takes you close to muscular failure in 20 reps or less. This will save you from doing long, inefficient workouts.
4. Are yoga push-ups safe?
Yoga push-ups should be safe for most exercisers. After all, with no barbell to come crashing down on your chest, they’re obviously much less risky than bench presses. That said, the overhead aspect of yoga push-ups means that they put some stress on your shoulders. So, if overhead presses bother your shoulders, yoga push-ups probably will, too.
If you have a history of shoulder pain, introduce yoga push-ups gradually and be prepared to drop them from your workouts if they bother your joints. However, people with healthy shoulders should have no problems with this exercise.
5. Are yoga push-ups better than regular push-ups?
While yoga push-ups differ from regular push-ups, that doesn’t mean they’re better. Yoga push-ups involve more shoulder and core engagement and also mobilize your hips and spine. Regular push-ups do not do this. However, if those benefits don’t interest you, it would be wrong to say that yoga push-ups are better.
In almost every instance, the best exercise is the one that delivers the results you want, is the safest, and that you enjoy. For some, this will be yoga push-ups; for others, regular push-ups will be the best.
Therefore, it’s up to you to determine which is the correct push-up for you.
Yoga Push-Ups – Wrapping Up
With so many types of push-ups to choose from, it can be hard to know which one to do. After all, they’re all excellent, and you can do most of them anywhere and anytime. Regular push-ups are most people’s first choice, but they have their limitations.
Yoga push-ups are an excellent exercise for working your chest, shoulders, and triceps while simultaneously mobilizing your hips and lower back. They’re also a little more core-centric than regular push-ups.
So, whether you’re bored of regular push-ups or just want a new challenge, why not give yoga push-ups a go? Try ‘em; we think you’re going to love ‘em!
How to Do Fish Pose (Matsyasana): Muscles Worked, How-To, Benefits, and Variations
One of the fun parts about learning yoga poses is that you can imagine how the name correlates to what the movement looks like. Fish pose is a rear bending, counterasana (to the shoulder stand) technique, where you prop up on the elbows, lift the heart toward the sky, draw the head back, and gently settle the crown of the head on the floor.
The term matsyasana, its sangskrit name, is also used to identify this pose, matsya or “fish”, and asana, “posture”.
The benefits of this pose extend (pun intended) from the head down to the hips, relieving tension in the neck and throat, lengthening the back and spine, strengthening the arms and delts, and refreshing the abdomen and midsection.
Fish pose is a good counter to keyboard neck, while targeting the throat energy center, chest, and abdomen where we hold lots of anxious tension from stressful habits.
In this guide, you’ll find the best fish pose techniques, while learning about the benefits, beginner variations, and how to make Matsyasana more challenging and advanced.
Muscles Worked During Fish Pose Matsyasana
The fish pose is an opportunity to stretch and strengthen your upper body muscles. The following section is for those who’d like to better understand how these muscles work, their location, and benefits.
Back
The fish pose is a type of backbend pose where the elbows help support the upper body. It’s similar to a bodyweight variation that works the back muscles. However, in a yoga pose, you’ll strengthen the back via an isometric hold, rather than performing actual repetitions with a positive and negative component.
Having several muscles in the back, each has a special role, moving the shoulder blades and arms.
Arms
The arms have an important role in supporting your bodyweight as you tilt your head back onto the floor. Without them it’s not happening. Try the pose and notice that it requires strong arms and shoulders. The tree heads on the ear upper arm, aka triceps are great for stabilizing the arm while the back delts keep the arms behind you.
Deltoids
Fish pose also creates resistance for the shoulders to support, stabilize and decelerate the body when dropping the head back. The anterior delt stretches out when reclining on the elbows, while the back delts decelerate the drop, and keep you up.
Core muscles
No one every thinks about stretching the core muscles and midsection. Yoga techniques like fish pose give us an excuse to do so. Made of the abdominal muscles both deep and superificial, obliques, and spinal column muscles, the torso has many muscles that stabilize our trunk and help us bend in various directions.
How To Do Fish Pose Matsyasana
Not too difficult, most reasonable fit people have the ability to get into a fish pose. Use the following step by step instructions and video demonstration to guide your technique. Then, once you’ve mastered it, or if you need a regression, scroll down for some awesome variations.
Steps
Come onto your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. You also want to keep your lower back flat on the ground so there’s no space underneath.
Slide your hands under your butt, tucking your elbows under your back as close to together as possible, then straighten your legs.
Inhale deeply, then sit up halfway, look down at your feet, and place your elbows and forearms under your back in a reverse plank to hold yourself up.
Now lift your chest, roll your shoulders back, and slowly drop the top of your head onto the floor. Balance gently on your elbows and head. Hold this position for 10-15 seconds.
Slowly undo the pose by lying flat on your back, bending your knees, and moving your arms out from underneath your back.
Spread your legs a few feet apart, and move your arms slightly out away from your body in what’s called a corpse or Shavasana pose. Stretch your neck by moving it to the left and right. Remember to breathe in and out.
Now bring your feet together, reach your arms back overhead, and inhale. Then bring your arms back to a resting position next to your body and exhale.
Then slowly sit up.
Here’s a beautifully done tutorial on the fish pose Matsvasana.
Tips
Ideally, you should not be an absolute beginner before performing this exercise. Fish pose places the neck in extension and loads the spine, therefore, you should be somewhat fit, and aware of your body before attempting this technique.
We highly recommend using a yoga mat or soft surface for this pose for comfort, support, and to avoid hitting your head hard on the floor.
If you’re an absolute beginner, we recommend having something to support your back like a junior bolster, or some yoga blankets to prop you up roughly five to six inches high.
It’s important to not place too much weight on the head, the hips and shoulders be supporting most of your weight.
It’s crucial that your head is aligned with an even spine, not allowing your head to just fall back at a sharp angle.
This Exercise
Target Muscle Group: Back, abdomen, neck
Type: Yoga
Mechanics: Isolation
Equipment: Cushioned surface, exercise mat, junior bolster (Optional), yoga blankets (Optional), yoga blocks (Optional)
Difficulty: Intermediate
Benefits of Fish Pose Matsyasana
Fish pose incorporated a backbend which has many benefits in itself. Here are the highlights of this yoga technique.
Stretch your neck, chest, shoulders, back and throat muscles
Stretching is a healthy habit for healthy, flexible, mobile, and strong muscles. Functional joints that bend and move can only do so when a muscle contracts and expands. If they’re tight, you’ll have limited range of motion, and open yourself up for injuries.
The fish pose is a type of backbend technique that places the body in a position to lengthen the abdominal muscles in the core, the spine, back, neck, and even the front deltoids. It’s so useful that you could do it everyday.
Interrupts negative affects of declining posture
Let’s face it, our postural muscles take lots of abuse especially nowadays, due to being so immersed in the dopamine that comes out of our electronic devices. Forward head posture is a pose itself, although not a good one.
Fish pose does the opposite, helping to improve and reverse this common modern problem. Your chest, spine, shoulders, and neck are all affected from bad stance, and doing the opposite is part of the solution.
Counter stretch tech neck
Forward head posture, turtle neck, or whatever you’d like to call it… a common modern body posture where the neck is far in front of the head. This can cause pressure, sore muscles, a weak neck, more stress, and it’s bad news. The fish pose counters this posture by pulling the head back and stretching the muscles in the neck.
Target the stress centers
Fish pose is a triple whammy for relaxing and shedding off some stress. It targets the throat chakras (associated with expression, and confidence), the stomach muscles, and opens up the chest which are key areas we feel noticeable discomfort when anxious and stressed.
Opening up the chest is also good because we lean forward so much looking at our phones. This can cause thoracic outlet syndrome where the nerves, veins, and arteries become compressed in the neck and chest, causing numbness and the tingles in the arms, shoulders, and neck.
Common Mistakes While Performing Fish Pose
In a pose like this one, you want to be sure to avoid mistakes that could place you in a dangerous position.
Too much weight on the head
What you don’t want to do is focus on leaning your weight back on your head. Although it’s tempting! Instead, use your legs, core, back, arms and shoulders to control the movement, then gently tip the crown of your head on the floor into the fish pose.
A helpful trick is to try and distribute 80 percent of your weight through the legs, core and back, while only allowing 20 percent of your weight to shift onto the head.
Steep drop off at the head
If you’re in the correct position from toe to head, then you should be in the proper alignment to safely tilt your head back and rest it on the floor. The mistake is letting your head snap back, steeply bending at the neck. Think of arcing your torso in a semi rainbow shape, actively engaging your back muscles and shoulders to help you get in an accurate and safe pose.
Too much uneven (Lower) back arch
There does need to be some lower back arch to effectively complete the fish pose. But you don’t want to overdo it. You see, the lower back is more mobile compared to the upper back. And if you don’t have a proper hold on your positional abilities it’s easy to overcompensate and overarch your lower back. While that’s not reciprocated for the upper back.
This can cause issues in the disc fluids in your spine and hence, result in pain while making you more susceptible injuries.
The solution: Focus on lengthening your spine, lifting the chest toward the sky, and pulling the shoulders back to create more arch in the upper back, and torso as a whole.
Variations of Fish Pose Matsyasana
These variations can make the fish pose easier, more challenging, or touch an area that the basic fish pose doesn’t. See some common variations below.
Fish block with yoga block under the back
If the basic fish pose is too hard, yoga blocks are much appreciated. It’ll support your back so that you can rest in the arched position, and focus on your breathing with less muscular effort.
Steps
Place the block on the mat standing on its long end.
Lie back on the block so it’s across both shoulder blades, then straight your legs, and relax your arms by your sides after you’ve found a comfortable position.
Drop your head back until its resting on the floor. You may need to adjust the block under your back, then continue the technique. Bring our feet together and relax your body.
When you’re ready, lift up on your elbows, remove the block, and then lie flat on your back in the corpse pose. Rest here, then slowly get up.
For more support, use a block or junior bolster under your head and neck too.
Fish pose in lotus or with legs crossed
You can do a more basic or advanced version of fish pose with legs crossed. You can cross your legs under your bottom, or if you have good flexibility, you can cross them over your your upper thighs. The former is good for beginners, while the former will take more time.
Both will stretch the hips and groin, supporting healthy movement in the hip flexors and lower body.
Steps
While lying on your back with your arms under your body, cross your legs under your butt.
Proceed to lift up onto your forearms, and pull your head back to the floor.
Camel pose
More of a preparatory technique, the camel pose is a modified exercise that includes a backbend while sitting upright. It still carries all the same benefits, but is just performed a little differently to the fish pose.
Steps
The following instructions and video tutorial demonstrate two phases of the camel pose. One to prepare you for the backbend, and then the actual technique.
Begin in a vajrasana position sitting on the floor with your knees bent and calves under your bottom.
Stand on your knees, so that your shins and the top of your feet are in contact with the mat, and your torso is tall and upright. Widen your legs into a comfortably balanced position.
Now place your hands on your lower back, with the fingers pointed down.
Inhale, then slowly push your hips forward, while slowly arcing your upper body, leaning back, exhaling, and shifting your gaze up.
Repeat this a few more times.
Inhale, slowly push your hips forward while exhaling, slowly lean back and bring your arms down to your ankles. Arch your torso and drop your head back toward the floor, so the crown of the head is pointing straight down.
Inhale, then transition to the child’s pose where you lean forward into the floor while outstretching your arms forward.
Flying fish pose
You’ll engage more core, hips, and anterior deltoids, while the flying fish pose includes muscle strengthening components involving the legs and arms. Consequently, it’s more advanced but also more risky because now there’s more weight on the head and neck. So you need to be proficient in the regular fish pose, and you need to understand how to safely focus your weight through your body.
Steps
Note: For the flying fish variation, start with your arms by your sides, not underneath your back and butt.
From the fish pose position with your head back and resting on the floor, lift your legs until they’re roughly 45 degrees to the floor.
Now extend your arms in the same direction as your legs, so they’re roughly parallel.
Hold for about 10 seconds.
To undo the pose, bring your elbows to the supporting position, then slowly drop your legs down to the floor.
Reverse plank
While it’s not technically a type of fish pose, you’re already in a similar position. The reverse plank is arguably more challenging than basic plank where you’re facing the floor, and it will help to strengthen the muscles that we use in a fish pose.
FAQs
Who should not do the fish pose?The people who should avoid fish pose are those suffer from blood pressure issues, migraines, vertigo or injuries in the neck, back, and spine.
How long should I hold the fish pose position? Try to maintain the fish pose for 10-15 seconds which is approximately 3-5 breaths.
We recommend using props like yoga blocks or blankets if you want to hold the pose for longer and up to a minute or more.
Wrapping Up
Fish pose is a technique that’ll get you excited to get down on the mat, because it tackles elements that we’re not typically used too. Stimulating the throat chakras, expanding the pecs, stretching the abdominals, and unraveling bottled up tension and stress is an easy sell.
This guide has everything you need to simulate matsyasana, and if you’re not ready or a novice, there are beginner techniques, as well as a bigger challenge in more advanced versions. We strongly recommend checking out the fish pose tips section and don’t skimp over the common mistakes as this meditation includes neck and spine extension. But it can be performed perfectly safe with attention to proper technique!
How to Do a Tree Pose (Vrksasana): Muscles Worked, Benefits, and Variations
Tree pose, also known as Vrksasana is a body posture reminiscent of a healthy, tall, and resilient tree. Rooted down by the feet, and supported by the pelvis and core muscles, this yoga technique combines balance, coordination, flexibility, pelvic stability, core strength, and upper body mobility. But you’re also reaping the rewards of increased focus, and concentration while opening the hips, lengthening the spine, and strengthening the legs and feet.
For such a simple pose, Vrksasana sure carries along lots of advantages, and there are lots of reasons to do it daily. In this guide, we want to walk you through a proper tree pose while discussing the advantages, drawbacks, commonly performed mistakes and more.
Muscles Worked
While the tree pose is NOT a “muscle-building exercise”, it is a body and mind-building pose that will help keep your muscles loose, flexible, and functional as they move the joints. Learn about the muscles targeted with this technique.
Legs
Powerful and resilient, the legs represent the trunk while the feet are the roots that ground you in the tree pose. The weight bearing leg takes on more of the load than normal, while the glutes, hips and pelvis help to stabilize the trunk and act as support for the remaining steps.
Core
Strong core muscles support an upright posture and open diaphragm, which translates to healthier breathing, and hence better focus, and energy.
Shoulders
Lifted shoulders also help open the chest and back area to release tension, and promote posing stamina.
How To Do The Tree Pose (Vrksasana)
If you have the flexibility, and experience, the tree pose may be easy for you. But for everyone else, it will take some practice. While this technique appears to be simple and easy, well, try it and see if that’s true. You may be very surprised at how difficult it can be.
That’s why we created this step by step guide with video demonstrations, tips, and how to fix common mistakes. The key is to be patient, don’t rush, and make sure your body is aligned, tall, and balanced, while engaging the necessary muscles.
Steps
Stand tall with your feet together.
Slowly lift one knee up to roughly belly button height, then grab the front of the knee with both hands to keep the leg up.
From here, root down through all four corners of your standing foot, and align your pelvis and core to find your balance. Keep your pelvis straight and in line with your body, and low back lengthened.
Then grab the ankle of your lifted leg with the same-side hand, and rotate your thigh outward to open the hips.
Now flex your foot by lifting the toes up, then bring the sole of your foot as high as you can on the standing-leg inner thigh with your toes facing down.
Press your foot into the squishy part of your thigh and pull your thigh into the foot to keep it in place and avoid it sliding down the leg.
Here you can bring your hands together by your heart, or extend your arms overhead. Hold for 30-60 seconds.
Take your foot off the inner thigh, bring the knee to waist height, then place it back on the floor.
You can then switch legs, pulling the opposite foot to your inner thigh, and repeat the movement.
Check the short tree pose video demonstration below.
If you have 12 minutes for a more in-depth tutorial that shows all the technique tips and tricks, we highly recommend watching the following video.
Tips
Before you start the pose, spread your toes and bring awareness to your feet. After all, the feet are the roots and you want to feel a strong base before beginning.
Before you lift the leg and foot into position on your inner thigh, ease yourself into it by first lifting one heel off the ground with the toes still on the ground.
Remember to keep the pelvis tucked in and aligned with your torso. Do not let your buck curl up and arch the lower back.
Gently push yourself into the correct position if the pelvis shifts back or to the side when the foot is pressed into the inner thigh.
Use a wall or place your foot on the lower leg, rather than the top of the inner thigh for support, if you have trouble balancing.
It’s important to root your feet and stand tall in maintaining good balance.
Keep in mind, everyone may not have the same exact form during the tree pose.
If you want more of a challenge, try closing your eyes or looking up at the ceiling to train your balance.
Benefits of Tree Pose Vrksasana
There may not appear to be so many benefits of the tree pose, but we can assure you that there are many worthwhile. Here are the unique benefits of this exercise.
A functional test of balance, coordination and concentration
Challenging indeed, but consequently beneficial, tree pose tests and grows your balance, positional awareness, and concentration. Seldom do basic exercises have you stand on one leg to complete an exercise. Tree pose involved various elements, making you more functional and coordinated.
It’s so beneficial for the aging population who incur injuries from balance issues, in addition to the sports crowd.
One sided
The tree pose is asymmetrical in nature, with the left and right sides performing a different function. This develops proprioception (physical awareness of the body and coordination), unilateral function (training one side at a time), and trains us to perform as humans.
Tree Pose
Posture pose
The tree pose can challenge you to maintain good posture, by standing upright, and consciously focusing on being a tall tree! Today we slouch more than ever, looking down at our devices, and this technique gently helps to reinforce and focus on good body position.
Stretches the full body
We don’t do stretches like this often enough. Lifting the foot and placing it against the inner thigh opens the hips and stretches the groin area, while you’ll also feel it in the quads, and hamstrings via knee and hip flexion. Move up the torso, raise the arms overhead, and the upper chest and latissimus dorsi fibers lengthen, as well as the shoulders and arms.
Keeps you flexible
It takes practice to stretch the groin area if you lack the flexibility to pull your heel into the upper inner thigh region. As school kids, the butterfly stretch hit this area but most of us never did it again. Tree pose is a great way to bring it back into your routine!
Activates the core muscles
Balancing on one leg will naturally recruit your core muscles to do more to stabilize your body. It’s a nice routine for anyone, and especially elderly individuals who need a light, functional activity to help maintain their coordination and stability.
A pelvis exercise
Your pelvis is bones that connect the trunk and legs near the hips. When you stand on one leg, the pelvis is called upon for extra duty where it supports the weight of the upper body, and maintains stability there to keep you in proper posture. From there, you can comfortably perform the moving parts of the pose such as raising the arms overhead.
Builds patience
We live in a very instant world where we can get an immediate dopamine rush without having to wait like we did in the old days. This has caused us to become less patient, more anxious, irritated and yeah you get the point. The tree pose, and yoga, in general, is a form of meditative exercise that can help calm our nerves, reduce anxiety, and teach us that patience creates worthwhile rewards.
Drawbacks of Tree Pose
Take a look at this pose in motion, and it’s easy to see the potential drawbacks. But don’t mistake drawbacks with negatives as practice will change them into positives.
You’ll need some darn good balance!
There’s no way around it, you must have exceptional balance to the do the tree pose. However, we’d assume most people practicing this pose are capable of standing on one leg. But if you’re doing it for the first time and hardly test your balance, it will be difficult.
The good news is that a wall or chair can be used as a progression to a non-supported variation of tree pose.
But you should also take your time with the tree pose, and practice easing yourself onto one leg, and establishing your balance.
Can be frustrating to learn
For beginners especially, it can sometimes be frustrating when you can’t quite nail a pose. Balance, groin flexibility, and are the big annoyances during tree pose.
Common Mistakes While Performing The Tree Pose
While there’s no cookie cutter technique, there are general form cues and recommendations to ensure you stay injury free, maximize the muscles involved, and enjoy the process. Here are some things to avoid.
You can actually place your foot on the lower leg below the knee, if above the knee is too difficult yet. However, we do not recommend placing your foot directly on your knee, which will put unnecessary pressure on this joint. The knee is to meant to bend to the side, but rather back.
Not using the weight bearing/standing leg
If you’re doing nothing with the standing leg, you’re doing the tree pose wrong. You need the counter pressure from the standing weight bearing leg not only to keep the foot from sliding down, but to keep your body straight, which will allow you to have a tall posture and maintain your balance.
Clenching your toes
It’s normal to want to dig your toes into the mat to maintain your balance. But it’s more accurate to relax the toes, so that you can tense the quads and pull them up, to lift the hips in the proper position. Then you’ll have a more efficient tree pose.
Rotating the knees and hips to the side
When the foot is pressed into the upper thigh, there may be a tendency for some people to swing the bent leg and rotate the body. Focus on keeping your body facing one direction and don’t deviate or turn your body. The only thing that should be moving is your arms, whatever you decide to do with them during the pose.
Wandering eyes
Your eyes are also important for maintaining your balance during the tree pose. If you’re looking around, you’ll probably have a difficult time standing on one leg, much less doing anything else. Try to fix your gaze on a spot on the wall and keep it there.
Variations of Tree Pose Vrksasana
A base to other variations, tree pose is a fundamental pose that opens up the door to these similar, but individually unique exercises.
Tree pose with a block
Some people need to ease themselves into a pose, and using a block is a great idea. You can use it to inch your way higher up the leg, while having something to hold your foot up and in position. It will also allow you to focus on engaging the leg muscles and working that flexibility before you go full on tree pose. When you can move beyond this beginner technique, place your foot on the lower leg below the knee.
Steps
Stand tall with your feet roughly hip width apart.
Place a block long ways between your feet.
Find your balance on one leg by rooting down into the four points of your foot.
Bend the other foot and lift your knee up, then place the ball and toes of that foot on the top of the block. Keep your heel close to the ankle bone of the weight bearing leg.
Now focus on keeping your body squared up, with the hips straight, and body nice and tall.
Lift the foot off the block for a few seconds and try to find how you’ll gain balance on the standing leg. Do it a few more times.
Now, switch your legs and repeat.
Windy tree
As the name implies, a windy tree blows the branches from side to side. This can actually challenge your core muscles, stretch your midsection, improve total body stability, balance, focus, and your mind.
Steps
Find your tree pose stance, then raise your arms in the air in the form of a V.
Wave your arms from side to side while rotating your body from left to right.
If you thought tree pose was challenging, bring your feet a little higher on your hips, and try to do the same thing. You’ll also stretch out your abductor muscles on the outer thigh if performed correctly.
Steps
From a standing position, bend your left leg, pull the left foot up, and hold it across the top of your right thigh in the hip crease. Flare your toes and flex your foot. You can hold your foot in place, or let go and try to keep it there.
Stay in this position and try to feel out the movement, and get accustomed to holding your feet there, or bring your arms to a prayer position or raise them overhead.
Arms reaching to sky
There’s nothing like leaning forward and reaching your arms toward the sky to throw off your balance, or rather, force you to maintain it. Try the tree pose with this additional step.
Steps
Get into tree pose stance with one foot pressed into the opposite thigh.
Hinge forward at the hips, rotate your torso toward the bent leg, and lean forward.
Extend the top arm toward the sky, and use the bottom arm to stabilize yourself.
Toe stand pose
You need to be a vrksasana master to get deep down in this sitting pose, and support your entire weight on your toes, while crossing one foot over the opposite thigh. It requires an extreme degree of focus or you can easily be thrown off course.
Steps
Start from a full tree pose with one foot pressed into the opposite inner thigh.
Next grab your foot and pull it into your hip crease. Flare your toes and flex your foot.
Now hinge at the hips, bend your upper body down, extend your arms toward the floor, and slowly drop down on your hands.
Then walk your hands forward, rise up onto the toes of the standing leg, then bend the standing leg and slowly drop your butt down to within a few inches from the floor.
Keep your hands on the floor for support, and instead of sitting all your weight on your calf muscle, focus on pushing into the ground with your toes and lifting yourself up.
Wrapping Up
Balance, coordination, positional awareness, and every functional foundation are vital abilities that we need, yet often fail to maintain. Planting yourself in the tree pose on a weekly basis will help counteract aging’s effects on our balance, while keeping our groins and hips healthier, reinforcing good posture, and easing our minds from the stressful modern culture. Then when you’re ready for something more advanced, you can step into more complex variations that will challenge your body, mind, and spirit on higher levels.
How to Do Garland Pose (Malasana) in Yoga: Muscles Involved, How-To, Benefits, and Variations
A squatting asana, garland pose malasana is a true test of lower body strength, flexibility, joint mobility, and mental grit. You probably sat this way as a toddler, and you’ll see this sitting variation a lot in less developed countries. But most, unless squats are a part of your workout routine, never get down that low to test your joints and isometric leg strength and stamina. There are loads of benefits in this position, from stretching the groin to loosening the hips, building isometric leg strength, and keying in on some meditation.
The garland pose malasana is one we recommend doing daily because of its widespread advantages for the human body. Check out our full guide to a basic yoga pose and see which variations we like too!
Muscles Worked During Garland Pose Malasana
Garland pose is a decent lower body and core strengthening activity that also engages the back, and scapular region. Let’s talk about the muscles involved and what they contribute to our movement.
Quadriceps
If you want big quadriceps or quads muscles, you typically squat, right? Well, you’re squatting down in the garland pose and holding this position which activates the quads isometrically.
A five-headed muscle with the discovery of an additional head more recently in the anterior thigh area, your quadriceps cross the hip bone and extend down through the knee. Hence, these muscles assist in straightening the leg at the knee, and bending the hips when you drop down into a squat.
Hamstrings
The rear-facing thigh muscles opposite the quads, your hamstrings do just the opposite which is to bend the knee and straighten the hips (like when you stand up from a squat).
Calves
The calves are postural support muscles that point the toes down. In the squat, they also help support the weight load, also stretching out in the process. The calf muscles – gastrocnemius and soleus – also form the achilles tendon at the back of the leg, connecting the calf to the heelbone.
Rectus abdominis and obliques
Every squat will call upon your abdominal core muscles that when tensed, help stiffen the spine, so that you have a solid bridge to direct energy and force production efficiently.
How To Do The Garland Pose – Malasana
While anyone could plop down into what looks like a Garland pose without much thought, you’d be missing the most beneficial components. This section will detail the proper malasana technique with step by step instructions, tips, and a video demonstration.
This Exercise:
Target Muscle Group: Quads, glutes, hips, calves, rectus abdominis
Type: Yoga
Mechanics: Compound
Equipment: Yoga blocks (Optional)
Difficulty: Intermediate
Steps
Stand with your feet slightly wider than the shoulders, and point your toes slightly outward.
Bring your hands together in front of your chest like you’re saying a prayer (anjali mudra), then bend your hips and knees and descend into a deep squat, dropping your butt down lower than your knees.
Tuck your elbows on the insides of your inner thighs near the knees. Try to keep your posture upright, head up, and back neutral. Fix your gaze on one spot in front of you, to help maintain your balance.
Simultaneously push your elbows out against your inner thighs, and pull your thighs into your elbows. Keep your shoulders relaxed.
Hold this position for at least ten seconds if possible.
Tips
If you cannot yet get into a garland pose, sit on stacked foam blocks or something that’s easily measurable, and as you progress, take one block out from under you until you don’t need them for assistance.
If your heels cannot touch the floor, don’t force them. Instead, place a mat or blankets under your heels if it’s more comfortable.
Try to relax the scapula and avoid letting the head sinking into the shoulders.
Pretend to pull your glutes and neck in opposite directions to keep a tall and lengthened spine.
Wait several hours after eating a mean and feeling satiety before attempting the garland pose.
Benefits of Garland Pose Malasana
Compared to the average stretching routine, Garland pose malasana goes much deeper and encourages a longer duration to reap the benefits. Here’s why you need this pose and similar variations to improve your quality of life, and move as you should.
Stretches out uncommon areas
For many, a light chest, shoulder and standing thigh stretch is about the extent of their stretching routine. Yoga based techniques such as garland pose malasana and so many others give us a reason to reach those less stretched areas, which we really need.
Watch the garland pose, or try it out and try to determine where’s being stretched. If you do it properly, you should feel lengthening in the achilles tendon, groin, lower back, and spine.
These days we tend to sit a lot, and work from our desks which tightens the muscles we use during a squat. It’s good to keep these muscles loose, healthy, and functional especially as we get older.
Challenge your balance, stability and mobility
It’s not just the core, but to sit in this pose you need to activate the feet and legs to assist in stabilizing yourself in this seated stance. Most people are not used to ever sitting in a deep squat, which requires lower body strength, flexibility, and joint mobility. Garland root chakra, feeling a sense of safety and security.
Strengthen the pelvic floor
The pelvis floor can include the glutes, and sexual muscles. These are the muscles that control the flow of urine. Performing exercises like Garland pose helps strengthen this area which could support incontinence issues. It could also make intimacy better.
May support healthy digestion and improve constipation
It’s believed that this pose can improve the digestion system and even improve constipation issues. Posture and breath can have a big impact on your digestive system, if you’ve ever experienced the different between sitting and lying after eating.
Common Mistakes While Performing Garland Pose
Dropping down into a deep squat and holding is not easy for beginners. Common mistakes are forcing yourself all the way down and compromising good technique and your achilles tendon. Instead use some blocks to sit on or something low enough like a blanket. Don’t force it if you can’t do it. Take it in steps and try to progress over weeks. You don’t want the hips to be above the knee, lifting the heel up.
Another common mistake is only focusing on the squat component. Even during a squat, you don’t just dump your weight on your legs. It’s a combined effort from the legs, core, and upper body. With the Garland pose, you also want to focus on pulling the crown of the head up, lengthening the spine.
Lastly, two other form mishaps are rounding the spine, or hunching over, and tucking the tailbone. Maintain a neutral torso, as you would during a normal squat. In this technique, you want to focus on good posture.
Variations of Garland Pose Malasana
You can spin the garland (no pun intended) pose many different ways, and we’ve included some of the best versions of this sitting pose below.
Seated on a block
Blocks are an excellent progression tool for many yoga poses, and akin to training wheels on a bicycle. Assisted movements are very useful because they can help ease you into a technique by reinforcing proper form, strengthening the involved muscles, and helping with balance.
Grab a yoga block, stand it on the tall end, and slowly sit on the top end.
Garland pose with heels lifted
You’ll get off to a wobbly start for sure, but we like this heels raised version that loads the calf muscles, and will knock you off your toes, forcing you to concentrate on your balance.
Here’s a raw demonstration of this pose.
Malasana seated on your heels (Inner thigh stretch)
While similar to the previous variation, the one main difference is that you’re actually sitting on your heels and calves. It looks painful, and unless you’re fit enough to do it, you probably won’t be able to. But you’ll get a massive quad stretch, build your feet muscles, and benefit from everything mentioned in that section in this guide.
Steps
From the garland pose posture, stand up on your toes and move your feet close together under your butt, so that you’re sitting on your heels and calves with the toes pointed out. Spread your knees wide apart so they’re facing the same direction as your toes. Sit up nice and tall, and hold for ten seconds.
Malasana seated knees pointed forward
From the previous variation, simply bring your legs in toward each other so they’re pointing straight forward. The thighs should be parallel. Keep standing on your toes and perform a ten count.
Garland pose with forward lean
To target feet flexibility, from the standard Garland pose with your feet flat on the floor, lean your body forward, with your arms supporting you, and count from one to ten.
Garland pose hands up
Rely totally on your legs and core without the comfort of holding your arms in front of your chest for balance. Get down in the Garland pose and reach your arms overhead to see how this variation differentiates from the others.
Garland pose with a twist
You can add a basic twist, or go a lot further with more involved variations.
Half squat
One way to enhance the garland pose is to use similar isometric movements. You’ll toughen up your quads, hamstrings, and glutes, and condition them to support you in the deep seated position. But it’s also a squat variation, that helps reinforce proper squat mechanics, which is needed to get down in the yoga pose.
You can do it assisted by standing back against a wall, sliding down it until your knees are bent at a 90-degree angle. Or you can hold onto a counter, stall bars, power rack or any stable object.
Wrapping Up
Christmas season or not (Although we don’t quite know the correlation), the garland pose is a wakeup favorite that fires up the body on all cylinders. Appearing simple, this yogi squat isn’t easy for beginners, but can be easily progressed with assisted variations and other leg strengthening exercises. We need a lot more of these exercises through the various life stages, as these simple yet effective yoga poses train us to handle life’s challenges.
A resilient mind, powerful legs, a beastly core, and healthier hips, are just some of the many benefits you can explore in the garland pose, and you should introduce more advanced variations for more.
Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) – How-To, Muscles Worked, Benefits, and Variations
As the name implies, there is a similarity between the downward facing dog and a common habit of our favorite furry sidekicks. Also called Adho Mukha Svanasana in yoga words, this pose is akin to how a dog stretches itself by leaning back onto the legs and lengthening its spine (svana). And this full-body technique will benefit you just the same!
The downward dog is one of the most commonly practiced yoga techniques, cued often in vinyasa yoga, flowing into other poses, but also effective all on its own! But most importantly, the goal isn’t ultimately the downward dog pose, but how it makes us feel and progress in our yoga journey, or life in general.
It’s a tricky one, but follow along with the instructions and tips in this guide, and you’ll get it down pat!
Muscles Worked
A yoga-based pose, downward facing dog still requires various muscles to perform it correctly. Here are brief descriptions of the muscles you’ll use during this technique.
Arms and delts
Anytime your body is being supported by your arms, you’re recruiting the triceps and deltoid muscles. Both muscle groups have a combined three heads, one on the anterior, another laterally, and the third on the posterior or backside of the body.
With the arms extended, your triceps resist elbow flexion, allowing you to support your weight. The front deltoids are engaged when the arms move forward in front of the body.
Trapezius
Traps too have three components – upper, middle, and lower fibers. Individually, they lift the scapula, pull it back, and retract it. The upper fibers are most prominent during a downward facing dog when the arms are in an overhead position.
Core
Finding their role in every total body movement, your core and abdominal muscles stabilize your trunk, and help you to maintain balance, and force efficiency, to keep you in the inverted ‘V’ position.
Leg muscles
Don’t expect much physical gains but the quads, glutes, hamstrings, and calves do bear some of your weight. Not to mention, the calf raise component during a more advanced variation where the toes are dorisflexed which activates the rear lower leg muscles. Then you have the inner thighs or adductor muscles which should be used to keep the lower body in stable and strong position.
How To Do Downward Facing Dog
In this section, we break down the downward facing dog technique with step-by-step instructions. So be sure to follow along closely, and check out the video demonstration below to hear all the important form ques.
Steps
Note: The following instructions and demonstration are the quick and easy steps to get into a downward facing dog position. If you plan to progress in your yoga journey, we recommend learning additional pre-pose techniques. This will make your yoga practice more enjoyable, productive, and sustainable.
Get down on your hands and knees in a tabletop position. Your hands should be roughly shoulder width apart, shoulders slightly forward past the wrists, with arms fully extended, knees directly under the hips, and back neutral. Turn your hands slightly outward so your elbows are pointing straight behind you, not completely out to the sides.
While you’re in this position, you may feel the natural need to do a cat-cow pose, to stretch your back and abdomen. It’s a great choice before hopping into the downward dog. We’ve included a video example of cat-cow below.
From your hands and knees, squeeze your hands together, without physically moving them inward, to activate your chest.
Now curl your toes under and press your feet into the ground bringing your knees into full extension, while lifting your hips up and back. In this position, your arms should be aligned with your torso in a straight line from your hands to your butt. Bring your gaze down so you’re looking down at the floor, or at the back of the room through your legs.
Accentuate the extension through your spine by lifting up through the pelvis and pressing the full hands into the floor. Externally rotate your arms, to create space between the shoulder blades. Lift the heels, and pretend to squeeze the inner thighs together.
Congrats! You just did the downward facing dog!
Here’s a short video demonstration of cat-cow pose.
Tips
Take some time and find the right knee and foot position to ensure you are doing the downward facing dog with the correct technique.
One way people find the optimal feet to hands distance is to get into a plank.
You should be able to transition between a plank and downward facing dog without moving your hands and feet.
If you cannot keep your spine straight during the downward facing dog, do it with your knees bent until you gain more flexibility.
Your heels do not need to be touching the ground.
Do a few reps of a cat-cow pose to warm up the spine before the downward dog.
Consider easing into the downward dog by incorporating pre-movement techniques beforehand.
You need a comfortable and non-slip surface to do this technique safely and effectively.
Press down into the floor with the entire hands (palms and fingers) to get the most efficiency from the movement.
Benefits of Downward Facing Dog
The advantages of learning this technique surely outweigh any potential negatives. It does a whole lot of good for the body and mind, and it’s also challenging and a good transition pose to other yoga practices.
Get a lovely stretch!
If done right, the downward facing dog should stretch your back first and foremost, followed by everything from your wrists to your shoulders, abs, and leg muscles. However, the back should be the focal point. The goal should not be to force a stretch in your legs.
Stretching has many benefits including healthier muscles, increased range of motion and flexibility, more blood flow to the area, reduced muscle soreness, and even stress relief. During downward facing dog you’re also strengthening the aformentioned muscles.
Strengthen all your muscles
The downward dog involves your push muscles, back, abdominals and obliques, hips, legs, and feet. There’s literally no muscle sitting out. While there is some muscular strengthening from movement (isotonic), you also benefit from static strengthening, where the muscles are not contracting, but support your weight in a contracted state.
Learn about the differences and benefits of isotonic vs isometric training here.
Form of inversion
Most exercises don’t involve hanging the head down, somewhat upside down. But what this does is increase blood flow and circulation to the brain possibly enhancing mental performance, while decompressing the spine and creating more space between the vertebra which may allow better disk hydration and hence greater spine mobility and reduced risk of injury.
Many experts also believe that inversion supports the lymphatic system, which helps the body cleanse itself. And this is said to only be able to occur via the movement of muscles, and breathing. Some other supposed benefits include improving back pain, and increasing torso strength and mobility too.
It’s important to note, however, that studies are limited and not conclusive on the potential benefits of inversion.
Ease your mind
Yoga has long been practiced for its stress-relieving effects. Most of us live every day without releasing the tension that we build up in our muscles due to mental stress, physical stress, lack of activity, and high intensity exercise. Bringing flexibility, and stretch into our daily routines can have a great effect on us. Not to mention, yoga technique are therapeutic alone.
May support better digestion
For the same reason the brain and spine may benefit from downward facing dog, so too may your digestive system. In normal conditions, the belly has to work a little to digest food against gravitational forces. Well, the increased blood driven to the stomach could possibly stimulate a healthier process.
Burn calories
Moving your body and using your muscles to resist your body weight is one way to burn calories. During this process, your body uses energy from stored food for fuel, and if you expend more energy than you consume, you’ll lose fat. Yoga is one way to contribute to the weight loss process if you’re not eating too much every day.
Try our yoga calories burned calculator to see how much energy you’re using during your sessions.
This Exercise:
Target Muscle Group: Arms, delts, core, quads, glutes, hamstrings, calves
Type: Yoga
Mechanics: Compound
Equipment: Cushioned surface, exercise mat
Difficulty: Intermediate
Drawbacks of Downward Facing Dog
If you want to try the downward facing dog, you could experience some of these negatives.
Not as easy as it looks
If you’re not decently flexible or fit, you may be in for a nice surprise. It’s harder than it looks both on video, and in your head. But… if you use a suitable surface, wear the right clothing, and follow the form instructions, you’ll have the best chance at nailing this technique. The good news is, if you can’t yet, you’re totally allowed to bend your knees. So keep practicing and you’ll master this staple pose!
Bad form is common and good form ignored
Without a proper understanding of basic exercise technique mechanics, or yoga experience, it’s too easy to do this exercise wrong. Not that its the worst thing you could do, but people try to force their heels down when they shouldn’t, or they don’t realize they have bad form. The downward dog should be a beautiful exercise that feels good, and encourages you do it more.
Common Mistakes When Performing Downward Facing Dog
If you want to get the most out of the downward facing dog, try to keep these bad habits out of your checklist.
Tucking in the tailbone
You want to lift the tailbone, not tuck it in. The latter will move the pelvis rearward and round the back in a convex shape which you don’t want. Rather bend the knees to bring the back into a better and safer alignment.
Forcing the heels down
We’re not all physically constructed the same, hence different heights, proportions, movement, etc. If your heels don’t naturally touch the floor, don’t force them. As you stretch, you’ll learn if it’s tight calves and hamstrings. But it could also be a shorter achilles tendon, or someone’s bone structure, and that’s fine, there’s nothing to do there. After all, the goal is not to stretch the calves, it’s to target the back.
Bad shoulder position
Slouching over and letting your head into your shoulders is the wrong way. The delts and scapular area should be set properly with proper arm placement and involved to make the exercise most efficient.
Wrong hand positioning
When pushing your hands into the floor, you should focus on shifting the weight onto your thumbs, index and middle fingers, not the pinkies or palms only. This will create a better position for your shoulders and it’s more efficient.
Not bending the knees
While you will need to lengthen the legs to lift the tailbone and stretch the back, you are free to keep the knees slightly bent.
Internal shoulder rotation
Remember that these three words are something you seldom ever wanted to do during any exercise. Turning the shoulders inward toward the chest can cause impingement issues, and it doesn’t make for efficient technique. Instead, turn your biceps slightly out to open up the delts and create a safer position.
Feet too close or wide
Your feet should be roughly the same distance apart that they are in a plank. That’s why it’s good to start the movement from a plank, especially if you’re a beginner. But, you may find the need to adjust your footing slightly.
Variations of Downward Facing Dog
You can find so many different variations of the downward facing dog. Unfortunately, there are too many to list here, however, we picked some favorites for you to try!
Single leg downward facing dog
Also called Eka Pada Adho Mukha Svanasana, this single leg downward facing dog variation stretches the hamstrings, engages more core muscles, and trains your balance.
Steps
Assume the basic downward facing dog as shown in the primary example in this guide. Your feet should be fully planted on the mat.
Press down into the left foot, and lift the right heel as high as you can while keeping it fully extended. Point the toes straight down. You should feel a nice stretch in the left hamstring. Keep your gaze down toward the floor, or back toward your feet.
Hold then switch legs and repeat.
Tips
Inhale as you lift the leg and exhale as you drop it down.
Keep your shoulders and hips square, avoiding allowing the body to rotate in either direction.
For a more advanced technique, great for training balance, lift one leg, and the opposite arm.
Knee to elbow
If you want to take the previous variation a step further, hence increasing the benefits, you can introduce more movement.
Steps
From the three legged, or single leg downward facing dog with one leg extended in the air, bend the knee and bring it into the same side elbow. Keep your core tense and spine neutral.
Lift the same leg back up into extension or the three legged dog, now pull the knee into your opposite elbow.
Do several reps, then switch legs.
Twisted dog
Here’s a simple, but challenging variation you should also try. It will wake up your obliques, and give you a releasing stretching in the waist.
Steps
From the basic downward facing dog position, move your feet closer to your arms and simply reach one hand back and grab the opposite ankle. Rotate your upper body to face the same side as the leg you’re grabbing. Return to the starting position, then reach with the opposite hand to the other ankle.
Make sure to keep your spine lengthened.
Bent knee dog
From the inverted downward dog position, bend one knee so that your toes are pointed at the ceiling. Reset, and repeat with the other leg.
Downward facing dog on blocks
Prop your feet or hands up on some blocks to vary the angle and lessen the difficulty of the downward facing dog. Elevating the hands, for example, creates more space in the upper body like shoulders, back and neck. It also helps maximize space on the mat during vinyasa flow!
Steps
Prop your hands up on blocks and find your downward dog.
Keeping your toes on the mat, lift your heels high, and extend your spine by raising your hips up above your shoulders.
Now exhale, bend your knees, tighten your core, press into the blocks and hop your feet forward in between your hands. As you jump, keep the hips higher than the shoulders.
Inhale, stand halfway up keeping your hands on the blocks, exhale, fold your upper body into your lower body, then inhale, and stand all the way up reaching your arms overhead with hands together.
Finally, exhale and bring your hands to your heart.
FAQs
Below we included a few common questions and answers regarding the downward facing dog pose.
Who is the downward facing dog not good for? Due to the nature of this exercise, it’s best avoided by people with wrist problems such as carpal tunnel, or those with back issues, vertigo, high blood pressure, or eye conditions that affect vision. We also don’t recommend it for women who are pregnant.
What should be the primary goal of the downward facing dog?Stretching the back, activating the core, and really becoming more in tune with your body. There are many benefits of downward facing dog that can enhance your physical, mental, and yoga progression.
Wrapping Up
Congrats on mastering the downward facing dog pose! But if you haven’t yet, don’t worry you’re not alone, it’s by no means an easy exercise for most people. But this common yoga class pose should be learned as it’s a fundamental technique and you’ll probably be called to do it. The tips, tricks and variations in this guide are going to help you utilize the downward dog effectively, build more confidence in your yoga journey, and enhance your life!
Next Level Mental Training: Integrating Mindfulness Into Your Bodybuilding Routine For More Gains
Integrating Mindfulness Into Your Bodybuilding Routine
Mindfulness often seems like a practice best utilized by busy mothers and wannabe yoga instructors. Those who are serious about a real fitness regimen or bodybuilding may dismiss mindfulness practices as unnecessary or silly.
In reality, mindfulness can actually help you improve your game as you seek to build muscle and reach peak physical fitness. Integrating mindfulness practices into your workout routine can offer a variety of potential benefits that can not only help your overall health but may help you reach your fitness or bodybuilding goals as well.
Visualization Can Help You Reach Goals
Even Arnold Schwarzenegger has written about how visualization helped him focus on his goals as a bodybuilder. Mindfulness practice often involves focusing on yourself, including your mind and your body, in any given moment. Being aware of how you feel and why is valuable, so using tools that increase self-awareness can help. So is the ability to focus your mind on a single idea, such as your bodybuilding goal.
Visualization techniques that you learn as part of mindfulness can help you manifest your goals as a fitness enthusiast or bodybuilder. Basically, by focusing your mental energy on your desired outcome, you reinforce your motivation for your workout routine and direct your personal energy toward making that goal a reality.
Staying in the Moment Can Help You Avoid Injury
Bodybuilding and intense fitness practices carry a serious risk of injury. Overexertion is a common issue for those attempting to push their bodies to the limit. Mindfulness encourages you to pay attention to the information your body provides you. Instead of pushing down pain and other reactions, mindfulness encourages you to explore it and understand your physical responses and limitations.
In other words, practicing mindfulness can help you while exercising by encouraging you to understand your bodily reactions and honor your limits. Pushing yourself too hard and too fast could result in a serious injury that leaves you unable to continue exercising for some time, meaning you will lose some of the progress you have made. Using mindfulness to prevent an injury can help you stay on track to meeting your goals.
Mindfulness and Yoga Complement Other Fitness Regimens
Flexibility is one of the key indicators of health. All too often, those attempting to decrease body fat and increase lean muscle mass will overlook flexibility. Yoga practice, which incorporates mindfulness with physical movements, is a great way to warm up before exercising.
Not only does it stretch you out, but it can help you improve your flexibility in the long run. It can also complement your exercise regimen by getting you into a mindful state where you are able to hear what your body. Whatever your long-term fitness goals, the chances are good that mindfulness and yoga can help you achieve them. Meditation is another valuable tool to help you take your fitness efforts to the next level.
If you haven’t already incorporated mindfulness into your weight training or exercise regimen, now is the time to start. It offers a lot of benefits that can increase your potential for success in your efforts. Mindfulness also offers long-term health benefits, like stress reduction, making it a good idea for just about anyone to practice.
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