Puppy Pose
All fours · Upper back, sides of the chest and shoulders
A self-stretch for the upper back, sides of the chest and shoulders. Support your body and stay within a comfortable range.
How longNew to it: start with 10–20 seconds, once or twice. Used to it: 20–30 seconds, 2–4 times, about 60 seconds in total per stretch.How long and how many →
Position and focus
All fours · Upper back, sides of the chest and shoulders
Starting position
Come onto all fours with the knees directly under the hips.
Movement phases
1. Walk the hands out
Keeping the palms on the floor, walk the hands forwards a little at a time.
2. Lower the chest
Keeping the hips over the knees, bring the chest towards the floor.
3. Hold the stretch
Stop where you feel a stretch in the sides of the chest and the upper back, and breathe easily.
4. Return to all fours
Walk the hands back and flatten the back.
What to check yourself
Check that the lower back is not arching too much and that there is no pinching feeling in the shoulders.
Adjust the stretch
Easier: Walk the hands out less and keep the chest well off the floor.
Deeper: Rest the forehead on the floor and walk the hands a little further forwards.
Caution
Stop if you feel sharp pain, numbness, dizziness, shortness of breath or anxiety. If you are receiving treatment, recovering from surgery or pregnant, check with your healthcare professional first.
These English notes describe a prototype model. The stretch, foam roller and resistance band lessons are being produced under the supervision of CoconeRu. Move, reviewed in stages. They are not medical advice or an individual exercise prescription.
References
This lesson was put together for this site. It has not yet been reviewed by an expert.
About this page
It shows a typical way to do the movement. The 3D is a schematic model; it does not decide whether a lesson suits you, prescribe exercise or diagnose anything. Stop if you feel pain or discomfort.
Sources, supervision and revisions