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Exercise guide
Upward-Facing Dog
A prone backbend on straight arms with the thighs lifted off the floor, so the arms and back extensors hold the chest open and the spine long.
What this exercise works
- Muscles
- erector spinae · triceps brachii · gluteus maximus · pectoralis major
- Goals
- mobility
- Equipment
- No equipment
- Category
- Stretching
- Difficulty
- intermediate
Demonstration
Step 1
How to perform the movement
- Lie face down with the hands beside the lower ribs and the tops of the feet on the floor.
- Press the hands down and straighten the arms, lifting the chest and then the thighs off the mat.
- Draw the shoulders back and down and keep the neck long.
- Hold the position for the prescribed time with only the hands and the tops of the feet on the floor.
- Bend the arms and lower down under control.
Technique cues and common mistakes
- Keep the shoulders over the wrists rather than behind them.
- Press the tops of the feet down; that is what lifts the thighs.
- If the thighs cannot lift, stay in cobra instead of forcing the position.