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Exercise guide
Downward Dog to Upward Dog
The vinyasa transition: the body travels from downward dog forward into upward dog and back, alternating between a shoulder-loaded inverted V and an open-chested backbend.
What this exercise works
- Muscles
- anterior deltoid · erector spinae · pectoralis major · serratus anterior · triceps brachii
- Goals
- endurance · strength
- Equipment
- No equipment
- Category
- Strength
- Difficulty
- intermediate
Demonstration
Step 1
Step 2
How to perform the movement
- Start in downward dog with the hips high and the hands shoulder-width apart.
- Shift forward through plank and lower slightly, then press the chest through into upward dog with the thighs off the floor.
- Draw the shoulders back and down and keep the neck long.
- Tuck the toes, press the floor away and lift the hips back into downward dog.
- Continue moving between the two positions for the desired number of repetitions.
Technique cues and common mistakes
- Move the hips, not the hands; the palms stay planted the whole set.
- Press the tops of the feet down in upward dog so the thighs actually lift.
- Slow down through the middle of the transition rather than swinging between the ends.