I horribly inflexible hamstrings. I cannot recall ever being able to touch my toes. When I try to do the dog pose my knees are bent almost 90 degrees and are directly beneath my hips. If I straighten my legs out it looks like I’m basically doing pushups. Is there an alternate position I can do until my flexibility increases?
Who is your teacher please and what has she/he said when asked this question?
Just keep practising, keep knees bent to take pressure off hamstrings. When i started ten yrs ago couldnt touch my shins, consistent practise and can now get wrists on ground so there is hope!!!
I agree with jumpers, just keep at it. I had really tight hamstrings when I started three years ago, and with persistence, I can now do downward dog correctly.
Go to youtube.com and search for Natasha Rizopolous downward dog. Near the end of the clip, she shows how to modify the pose safely. Good luck.
In my classes I always tell students in the dog and forward fold: I do not care about you knees bend or straight… i care about the back from tailbone to the top of the head… you can bent you knees as much as comfortable for you. in fact some people have very very short hamstring (eg. runners) and they will never ever be able to have their legs streight in this poses. Does it mean that can not benefit from the pose? :))
Also, the shoulders are another the area or concern in the down dog…should not be overlooked!
good luck with you practice and forget about this hamstring thing in down dog:)
I don’t have a teacher. I am following a playlist I found on youtube that has about 20 poses. You basically confirmed I was doing the right thing. I have been going for about 3 weeks and I can tell I’m already closer to touching my toes.
because your hamstrings tie in at your hips tight hamstrings will pull and tilt back your pelvis in the opposite direction you want it to in down dog.
with tight hams it’s completely fine to bend legs in down dog therefore making it possible to keep the proper pelvic tilt and spine length. Down dog is many things but mostly a spine lengthner, I get mad when I hear things like straight legs and “reach heels to floor” in down dog, it really isn’t as important as getting the real value of the asana.
thing of down dog as mostly lengthening the spine, first and foremost. (although there are other benefits)
I’ve had always had really tight hamstrings as well, I found that doing this “pose” everyday for a couple of minutes really loosens the area: put two blocks (or a large book) in front of your feet and put the front of the feet on it. then pull your front thighs back and tuck your buttocks in so that your legs are actually straight (if you can’t do that, find a smaller book) and the rest of your body erect, a sort of tadasana, but with the fronts of your feet elevated -and with hip distance between your legs. That did wonders for me 