Downward Dog Heels Can T Touch Floor

Some of us have tight calf muscle and back lines and this will mean we can t get our heels down.

Downward dog heels can t touch floor.

Stretching can change that. Yes that is completely normal. Yes tight hamstrings and calves can make heel to floor contact more challenging as a person with extremely tight calves i know this. You can roll up a thick towel or two depending on how much height you need and lay it on your mat so your heels can rest there instead of remaining suspended above the ground.

Some people s heels might touch the floor in down dog and some people s might not. I read your post earlier and could not touch floor with my heels in downward dog but today hurray i actually managed to do it. This is only one example of how the zaichik stretching technique in our downward facing dog program can demonstrate the ease of movement provided through a yoga pose or exercise. Say you ve been working hard on your downward facing dog and still can t get your heels to the floor.

Hypomobility not typically the biggest problem for yogis can be local as in the example above or generalized. Having your heels touch the floor require you you keep working on your hamstrings yes but more importantly whenever you are doing a seated forward fold or some variation point your toes toward your face. During my yoga teacher training with yandara yoga institute we watched a video by paul grilley who has a phd in anatomy and is a world renowned yoga teacher. In his video he demonstrat.

Since the pose primarily focuses on lengthening the legs and spine if the heels are flat on the ground the pose can no longer grow. As long as you are pushing to stick to butt to the sky in your downward dog then you are progressing it. So all that to say. This cue can give you and your students that extra bit of length in the calf muscles and enable you to lower the heels.

Stay tuned for the next tip to get your heels closer to the floor in downward facing dog if you still need an extra push after this exercise. And it may or may not have anything to do with flexibility. Thus a tight gastroc soleus complex can keep you from getting the heels to the floor in dog pose. These individuals may never get their heels to the floor in downward facing dog but can work on all the other joints above the ankle as well as soft tissue to get as close as possible.

I think its a matter of time and flexibility. Slowly you might build on flexibility and you might be able to do it. There are a few things to think about in the should my heels touch the ground issue. Everyone s body is different.

Whether or not you have the range in your ankles. My personal opinion would be stretch a bit but don t overkill yourself.