Lower back, shoulders and wrists

Upward Dog: Hands on Blocks

Blocks under your hands change the shoulder and chest angle, providing a different approach to extension strengthening while maintaining the same spinal benefits.

How to do it

1. 1

   Set a block under each hand beside your ribs

   Blocks flat and stable on a low or middle setting, close in beside the lower ribs. Legs long, tops of the feet down.

2. 2

   Press evenly through both hands and straighten the arms

   Even pressure matters more than height, because a block that tips takes the shoulder with it.

3. 3

   Lift the chest forward through the raised arms

   The extra hand height changes how the chest and shoulders open compared with hands on the floor. Fists on the blocks are an option if the wrists prefer it.

4. 4

   Keep the legs firm and the shoulders drawing back

   Thighs and feet stay active, shoulders away from the ears, neck long.

5. 5

   Hold 20 to 60 seconds, then come down

   Bringing the knees to the floor takes weight out while keeping the same block position.

What to watch for

Using the extra height to go further than you would on the floor. The blocks change the angle at the shoulders and chest, and the demand lower down the back is exactly the same as without them.

Ways to adjust it

• Knees on floor
• Fists on blocks

If this one is too much today

Try the gentler version instead. It asks less of you and does much the same work.

• Upward Dog: Knees on Floor

Other ways to do this movement

Every version below is the same movement set up differently, so one of them usually suits. See all Upward Dog versions in one place, ordered from gentlest to strongest.

• Upward Dog: Bolster Under Pelvis
• Upward Dog: Chair
• Upward Dog: Classic
• Upward Dog: From Plank (Vinyasa)
• Upward Dog: Knees on Floor
• Upward Dog: Toes Tucked

Before you try it

Move within a range that stays comfortable. Stop if this brings on sharp pain, dizziness, or symptoms that travel down an arm or a leg, and speak to a clinician before repeating it.

From the clinically authored Vinys movement library.