Pose library · Uttana Shishosana · reviewed by a teacher
Puppy Pose (Uttana Shishosana)
Puppy Pose sits halfway between Child's Pose and Downward-Facing Dog: the hips stay high over the knees while the arms reach forward and the chest melts toward the floor. Uttana means extended and shishu means puppy or young one. It opens the shoulders and the upper back, and in Yin it is often called Melting Heart.
Pronunciation and meaning
Uttana Shishosana: oo-TAH-nuh shee-SHOH-suh-nuh. Both words stress their second syllable.
Puppy Pose sits halfway between Child's Pose and Downward-Facing Dog: the hips stay high over the knees while the arms reach forward and the chest melts toward the floor. Uttana means extended and shishu means puppy or young one. It opens the shoulders and the upper back, and in Yin it is often called Melting Heart.
How to do Puppy Pose
- Come to hands and knees with your hips over your knees and a blanket under the knees.
- Walk your hands forward a few hand-lengths, keeping the hips stacked over the knees.
- Rest your forehead on the mat, a block or a cushion, with the arms shoulder-width apart.
- Let the chest soften down toward the floor while the hips stay lifted. Keep the elbows off the floor if you can.
- Breathe into the back of the ribs for five breaths, or stay two to three minutes in a Yin practice.
- Walk the hands back and sit into Child's Pose to rest.
Teacher's note from Joahnna Lee
“Imagine the hips and the hands pulling gently away from each other, so the whole spine gets longer.”
“Let the chest drop by itself. Pushing it down usually pinches the lower back.”
“If the shoulders complain, take the hands wider and turn the palms to face each other.”
Make it easier
- Rest the chest on a bolster or a stack of pillows so the stretch stays mild.
- Put the forearms on two blocks with the palms together, for a deeper shoulder stretch with less weight.
- Do it standing at a wall or a kitchen counter, hands on the surface and hips over the feet.
Pregnancy and after birth
Pregnancy. Adapt. Take the knees wide so the belly has room, rest the chest on a bolster and keep the hold short. Come up slowly if you feel light-headed with the head down. Check with your OB or midwife before you start.
After birth. Adapt. Once your doctor or midwife has cleared you, it is a gentle way back into shoulder and upper back work after hours of feeding and carrying. Use a bolster under the chest at first.
Expecting? Joahnna Lee Yoga has notes on adapting each trimester.
Common mistakes
- Letting the hips drift back toward the heels, which turns it into Child's Pose.
- Sagging into the lower back. Draw the belly in a little and let the stretch sit in the upper back.
- Forcing the chest to the floor when the shoulders are tight.
Puppy Pose suits shoulders that have spent the week hunched over a screen. It is quiet, it needs no strength, and it reaches the upper back in a way few floor shapes do.
In Yin yoga with bolsters and long holds the chest is often supported, so you can stay a few minutes and let the stretch arrive slowly.
When the arms tire, sit back into the resting fold of Balasana. The two belong together, and moving between them a few times is a lesson in itself.
Lowering onto the forearms with the hips high and the knees lifted is Dolphin Pose, a mild inversion.
Puppy Pose questions
What is the difference between Puppy Pose and Child's Pose?
In Child's Pose the hips rest back on or toward the heels and the body folds. In Puppy the hips stay high over the knees and the chest sinks toward the floor, so the stretch moves into the shoulders and upper back.
Why do I feel Puppy Pose in my shoulders?
That is where most of the stretch lands, especially if your days are spent at a laptop. Keep it mild. If you feel pinching or tingling in the arms, take the hands wider or come out.