Looking for a Downward Dog Alternative? Try Dolphin Pose for Upper-Body Strength and Mobility

If you're looking for a downward dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) variation to switch up your yoga practice, you might want to give dolphin pose (Ardha Pincha Mayurasana) a try.

At first glance, dolphin pose looks very similar to downward dog. So, what is the difference between downward dog and dolphin pose? The answer: In dolphin pose, your forearms support you instead of your hands.

While dolphin pose is technically a downward dog modification, you can also use it in your practice to prepare you for more challenging arm balances like forearm stand (Pincha Mayurasana), scorpion pose (Vrschikasana) or supported headstand (Salamba Sirsasana).

Like downward dog, in dolphin pose you turn your body into an inverted "V" and support your weight with the strength of your upper body. Because of this, it's a stabilizing posture that builds strength in your core, shoulders and upper back.

And, because of the orientation of your head below your heart, dolphin pose is an inversion that invites mental focus and calm.

Read on to learn more about dolphin pose, how to do it, benefits, common mistakes (and how to fix them) and variations to make it easier or harder.

• ‌What is dolphin pose?‌ Technically, this yoga pose is a downward dog modification and a preparation stage for other, more challenging arm balances and inversions. Performing dolphin pose calls on stability in your shoulders and core.
• ‌What is dolphin pose good for?‌ Dolphin pose helps build strength and stability in your shoulder girdle, which is essential for practicing handstands and other advanced arm balances. It relieves tension in your neck and upper back, while also stretching your hamstrings and calves. "Dolphin pose also boosts circulation and oxygen flow to the brain, which can improve both mood and mental clarity," says Sarah Thompson, RYT, a yoga teacher at Be Yoga Andersonville in Chicago.
• ‌Who can do dolphin pose?‌ This pose is most accessible for those with a fair amount of flexibility in their shoulders and the ability to stabilize throughout their core. While practicing dolphin pose can help improve shoulder flexibility and core stability, the lack of both will make this pose more challenging.
• ‌How long should you hold dolphin pose?‌ If you're using the pose as an alternative to downward dog, you can hold it for about five breaths in between rounds of sun salutation. You can also try a three-legged version (demonstrated below) by lifting one leg at a time and holding for one to three breaths.
• ‌Why is dolphin pose so difficult?‌ There's a lot going on in dolphin pose — you're supporting the weight of your body on your forearms while being upside-down. The biggest physical challenge for most people is simultaneously finding the extension in the upper back and shoulders, while also stabilizing through the shoulders. The pose is hard because it asks your body to do something it doesn't usually do, and it recruits all of your focus to do it.

Dolphin pose demands full flexion of your shoulders while supporting your weight in the very same body part. And, because your shoulders are the most unstable and mobile joint in your body, practicing this pose safely means engaging all of the muscles in your shoulder girdle to stabilize. The more stable your shoulders are, the less prone they are to injury.

Your shoulders aren't the only thing that help you stabilize in dolphin pose. Without recruiting the strength of your core — including rectus abdominis and transverse abdominis muscles — you might have trouble holding dolphin pose for any amount of time. In fact, it's the activation of these core muscles that help you maintain balance and lift your hips up and back.

In addition to building strength in your core and shoulders, dolphin pose is a backbend that stretches your upper back, chest and even your triceps. Much like other backbend poses, spinal extension can promote good posture and counteract the effects of sitting all day.

Most of us are not used to supporting our weight using the strength of our upper bodies. Arm-support poses, like dolphin pose, teach us to incorporate our upper bodies back into our foundation.

The arm placement in dolphin pose is the same as forearm stand and scorpion poses — all of which require the same shoulder stability as a handstand and headstand. In this way, dolphin pose enables you to experience stabilizing muscle activation in your upper body before your feet ever leave the ground.

Placing your elbows too wide or too narrow can cause strain on your neck and shoulders, according to Thompson. If you have particularly tight shoulders, it's OK to take your elbows a little wider than your shoulders, but only slightly (if possible).

This is usually an indication that either your weight isn't balanced between your hands and feet or that you're having a hard time using your shoulders to support your weight. In addition to potentially causing strain or injury in your neck and shoulders, collapsing in your chest can make it hard to breathe in this pose.

In dolphin pose, like downward dog, you should lift your hips up and back. If your hips are too low, your body may form a straight line, which is forearm plank rather than dolphin pose.

Dolphin pose can be great for building strength, but if you're new to yoga and not quite ready for this pose, you can strain your neck and shoulders.

These variations take some of the pressure off, while helping you build the strength necessary to support dolphin pose or its more challenging variations.

In this variation, you'll practice engaging your core while working your hips closer to being stacked over your shoulders. This progression can help increase shoulder mobility to facilitate the backbend necessary for dolphin pose and other arm balances.

Once you're able to stack your hips over your shoulders (or pretty close) without collapsing in your chest, try this variation to add another layer of preparation for arm balances.