Featured Pose: Downward-Facing Dog Variation (Chair Version)

by Baxter and Nina

Like Puppy pose, which we featured last week, this variation of Downward-Facing Dog is also a good variation for upper body strengthening if you have wrist and hand issues because the angle between your hand and forearm is minimized and you have a choice of two different hand positions. Placing your hands on the seat of the chair takes some of the weight off your hands (though not as much as Puppy pose) and keeps your wrists in a more neutral position.

From the hands to the hips, this pose is similar to Puppy pose so you build upper body strength while also increasing flexibility in the shoulders. Downward-Facing Dog with a chair activates the triceps muscles in the backs of your arms and the stabilizing muscles of your shoulder blades. As a side effect, if you keep your spine neutral, you also strengthen your front abdominal muscles (and who doesn’t love that). And, compared to Puppy pose, you may find that with your knees off the ground, you get a better spinal elongation. Other benefits not provided by Puppy pose include leg stretching and strengthening, which help move you toward the full pose, and increased upper body strengthening because you are bearing some weight on your hands.

Because this version is easier than a full Downward-Facing Dog pose, it is suitable for someone who is still building up enough strength to do the full pose. It is also wonderful for someone who can’t easily get up and down from the floor, or just isn’t dressed for it. Yes, it’s an excellent office or travel pose. Airport chair that is bolted to floor, anyone?

Instructions: Before coming into the pose, place your chair against the wall, with the back of the chair touching the wall so the chair doesn’t move when you come into the pose.

Start by standing in Mountain pose about two feet from the front edge of the chair. Bend your knees slightly and take an easy forward bend from your hips. Place your hands either on the chair seat with the heel of the hand catching the front edge (not dropping down below it) or with the base of your thumb on the seat and your fingers wrapped around the fingers around the sides of the seat, whichever feels best on your wrists.

Next, keeping your knees bent and your hands pressing firmly into the seat of the chair, walk your legs back, keeping your hips over your feet, until you create an even diagonal line from your arms, to your torso, and to your hips. Those of you who are tighter in the hips, hamstrings, or ankle joints, may want to walk your feet further back than your hips (like Baxter, here).

Keep your knees bent initially, and work your hands, arms and shoulders. Press your hands down and forward on the chair as you allow your rib cage to move away from your hands. Bring a sense of firmness to the muscles around your shoulder blades. Those of you who are more flexible in the legs can then straighten your legs and allow your heels to drop toward the floor (or onto it).

If you have tight shoulders, be aware of the tendency of your front lower ribs to drop or your lower back to arch dramatically to compensate. Focus instead on maintaining your torso in Mountain pose (Tadasana) alignment.

Stay in the pose for six to eight breaths and, with practice, work your way up to 1 minute.

To come out of the pose, bend your knees and slowly walk forward toward the chair. When you are a foot or two from the chair, bend both knees and moving from your hip joint come up to standing.

Cautions: If you have rotator cuff injury or a history of dislocation of the shoulder, keep your chest lifting from the floor rather than pressing down toward the floor. Back off if you feel any pain. If you have lower back problems, make sure you keep your lower back neutral (not overly arched or rounded) in the pose.

Featured Pose: Downward-Facing Dog Variations

by Baxter and Nina

Downward-Facing Dog pose is one of the most effective and versatile upper body strengthening poses we know. Unfortunately, because the full pose requires you to bear weight on your hands with your wrists bent, many people find this pose inaccessible due to hand or wrist problems, such as carpal tunnel syndrome.

But you just know we’ve got solutions for that, don’t you? Well, of course we do. And, yes, today we’re going to introduce four variations of Downward-Facing Dog pose for people with hand or wrist problems. In the coming weeks, we’ll be covering these poses in detail, but for now we’re just going to show them all together, starting with the easiest first and ending with the most challenging, so you can see what your options are. The first two versions are also suitable for people who find full Downward-Facing Dog pose too challenging due to stiffness or weakness or just too exhausting.

So without further ado, here we go!

1. Downward-Facing Dog with knees on the floor (Puppy pose).

Because your knees are on the floor in this pose, you bear very little weight on your hands in this pose. And because your shoulders are lower to the ground, the position of your wrist stays closer to neutral. However, keeping your arms and shoulder active in this position helps build upper body strength. This pose is a wonderful variation for people who are too weak to do a full Downward-Facing Dog pose. 

2. Downward-Facing Dog with Chair.

Placing your hands on the seat of the chair takes some of the weight off your hands (though not as much as Puppy pose) and keeps your wrists in a more neutral position. Benefits not provided by Puppy pose include leg stretching and strengthening, as well as increased upper body strengthening. Depending on your hand and wrists issues, you can choose between two hand positions: hands flat on the chair seat and hands holding the chair edges (see close-up photos). Because this version is easier than a full Downward-Facing Dog pose, it is suitable for someone who is still building up a enough strength to do the full pose.

3. Downward-Facing Dog with Headstand Arms (Dolphin Pose 1).

This version takes most of the weight off your hands and wrists and keeps your wrists in a more neutral position, while providing the full upper body strengthening for your upper arms, shoulders, back and chest provided by Downward-Facing Dog pose. Most people find having the forearms in a triangle position (headstand position) easier on the shoulders than keeping the forearms parallel. However, the hand position of the next variation may be better for your hands and wrists. Depending on your flexibility, this pose may be as challenging or even more challenging than full Downward-Facing Dog. So take it easy with this one, starting off by holding it for short periods of time and working up to longer holds.

4. Downward-Facing Dog with Parallel Forearms (Dolphin Pose 2).

Like Downward-Facing Dog with Headstand arms, this version takes most of the weight off your hands and wrists while keeping your hands and wrists in a neutral position, while at the same time providing full upper body strengthening for your upper arms, shoulders, chest and back. Use the block between your hands to keep your hands and forearms in a parallel position, about shoulder-width apart. Because this version requires a lot of flexibility in the shoulders, many people—like me, Nina!—find this version more challenging than full Downward-Facing Dog pose (though an excellent preparation for several inverted poses). So take it easy with this one, starting off by holding it for short periods of time and working up to longer holds. 

Do let us know how these variations work for you (or your students)!