Upward-Facing Dog Pose: Bolster Your Wrists, Arms, and Spine

The Upward-Facing Dog Pose is a deep backbend posture that strengthens the arms, wrists, and spine. It also stretches the back and helps relieve lower backaches.

The name Upward-Facing Dog comes from the Sanskrit words Urdhva Mukha Svasana (OORD-vaa-MOO-kaa-shvaa-SUN aa). Urdhva means upward, mukha means face, svana means dog, and asana means pose.

Practice Upward-Facing Dog as part of your daily yoga routine to enjoy the many benefits listed here.

• Stretches and strengthens the back
• Opens the chest and heart region
• Relieves lower backache
• Stimulates abdominal organs
• Lengthens the spine
• Creates flexibility in the thoracic spine
• Strengthens the arms and wrists
• Improves posture
• Stimulates the abdominal muscles
• Firms buttocks and helps sciatica
• Activates the parasympathetic nervous system

Avoid or use extra care when practicing Upward-Facing Dog if you have any of the following conditions:

• Back and neck injuries
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
• Pregnancy (second and third trimester)
• Recent surgery
• Weakness and exhaustion
• Acute stress conditions and illness

• Cobra Pose 
• Bridge Pose
• Standing Backward Bend
• Downward-Facing Dog Pose
• Sphinx

1. Lie flat on your belly with the top of your legs extended and feet facing down. Stretch your arms down the sides of your body.

2. Bend your elbows and spread your palms beside your rib cage.

3. As you inhale, press your palms firmly on the mat and slowly lift your torso, hips, and knees off the mat. Your entire body rests on your palms and the tops of your feet or toes.

4. Keep your chest forward and your lumbar spine relaxed.

5. You may look straight ahead or tilt your head slightly upwards.

6. Ensure that your wrists align with your shoulders and that your neck is not strained.

7. Stay in this deep stretch pose for 5-10 breaths.

8. Slowly lower your knees, hips, and torso onto the mat as you exhale.

The number one tip for practicing any yoga pose is to keep breathing! The perfect breathing technique for yoga postures is ocean breath, which is called Ujjayi (victory) breath in Sanskrit.

Watch this video to learn how to practice ocean breathing.

If you are not very flexible, you should use a chair to support your upper body while keeping your feet firmly planted on your yoga mat. This will give the spine a more gentle stretch. You can also regularly practice the gentle back bend, Cobra Pose, before moving on to Upward-Facing Dog Pose.

Make sure you do a simple warm-up and preparatory poses before attempting Upward-Facing Dog.

To modify:

If lifting your legs fully off the ground is too difficult, start with your shins on the ground and work your way up to the full posture. You can also place a folded blanket under the thighs.

Use yoga blocks under the hands to assist with the stretch.

To increase the challenge:

To maximize the chest opening in this pose, move your shoulder blades down your back and shine your heart forward through your chest.

These counter poses are great as a follow-up to the Upward-Facing Dog Pose.

• Bow Pose 
• Fish Pose 
• Child’s Pose
• Locust Pose
• Boat Pose
• Triangle Pose

When practiced regularly, breathing and meditation supercharge yoga’s life benefits. To get the most out of your yoga practice, add Sudarshan Kriya Yoga, also known as SKY Breath Meditation.

SKY practitioners report:

• Greater mental focus
• Healthier blood pressure
• Enhanced deep sleep
• Increased joy and optimism
• Decreased stress, anxiety, and depression

Register for the Art of Living Part 1 course to learn SKY today!

Sri Sri School of Yoga offers traditional (scripture-based), classical, and authentic teacher training programs globally. Our programs are Yoga Alliance certified. To learn more about teacher training offered in North America, click here!