Steps
- From hands and knees, keep the hips stacked over the knees.
- Walk the hands forward and let the chest soften down. Forehead or chin can rest on the mat or a block.
- Press the hands down lightly and reach the sitting bones back.
- Walk the hands in to come out. Sit back to Child’s Pose if you want a rest.
What this pose may help with
These lines describe why people practice the shape. A pose may help with ordinary stiffness or with settling your attention. They are not claims that the pose treats or cures a condition.
- Lengthens the sides of the torso and the shoulders.
- A floor alternative to a full Downward-Facing Dog.
- Often feels good after computer work if the shoulders are not already irritated.
Common mistakes
- Sitting the hips back onto the heels, which turns it into Child’s Pose.
- Forcing the chest to the floor.
- Shrugging the shoulders up.
Modifications
- Forehead on a block.
- Bend the elbows slightly if the shoulders pinch.
Safety
- Shoulder injury: keep the arms less extended, or skip.
- Knee pain: pad the knees or choose a seated shoulder stretch.
- Stop if you feel a pinch at the front of the shoulder.
If you are pregnant, injured, or dealing with back pain, consult a doctor before you follow this page. Stop for sharp pain, numbness, dizziness, or chest pain. This is movement education, not a diagnosis or a treatment. Read the medical disclaimer.
Puppy Pose (Uttana Shishosana, said oo-TAH-nah shee-SHO-sah-nah) is listed here as a Beginner Kneeling pose. The body area it emphasizes is Shoulders. Hips stay over the knees while the chest melts toward the floor and the arms reach forward. A shoulder stretch with the hips high.
Read the steps in order. Set the pose up before you try to deepen it. The first mistake called out on this page is: Sitting the hips back onto the heels, which turns it into Child’s Pose. That line is there because the usual error is doing too much, not because a tighter shape is a better practice. The modifications keep the same idea when the full shape does not fit today. Use them on purpose. They are part of the pose, not a demotion.
People practice Puppy Pose for a plain reason: Lengthens the sides of the torso and the shoulders. That “may help” is a description of why the shape is in a beginner library. It is not a claim that the pose treats, cures, or prevents a condition. Shoulder injury: keep the arms less extended, or skip.
If you are pregnant, returning from an injury, or your back has been painful, consult a doctor before you practice Puppy Pose. A safety note on a website is education. It is not clearance. Sharp pain, numbness, dizziness, or pain that runs down a leg is a reason to stop and get care, not a reason to hold the shape longer. The medical disclaimer on this site says the same thing in more detail.
When you are done, come out slowly. One calm repetition you can repeat tomorrow is the point of the page. Pair Puppy Pose with a short routine from this site if you want a sequence, and keep the timer as a guide you are allowed to pause.