Head Down Hero Pose

How to do Head Down Hero Pose

1. 1Begin in a kneeling position on your hands and knees with your big toes touching and knees placed wide apart.
2. 2Shift your hips back until your sitting bones rest securely on or between your heels.
3. 3Walk your hands forward along the mat, extending your arms fully while keeping your palms grounded shoulder-distance apart.
4. 4Lower your torso down between your inner thighs and gently rest your forehead on the floor.
5. 5Press actively through the pads of your fingers and root your palms to lengthen your side ribs away from the hips.
6. 6Soften your shoulder blades down your back away from your ears while maintaining active, extended arms.
7. 7Breathe deeply into the back of your ribcage, allowing the pelvis to stay anchored to the heels on every exhale.

Benefits

• Gently tractions and decompresses the lumbar spine
• Stretches the hips, thighs, and tops of the feet
• Broadens the upper back and opens the armpits and latissimus dorsi
• Encourages diaphragmatic breathing into the posterior lungs
• Stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system to reduce stress

Common mistakes and cues

• Lifting hips off heels

  Prioritize keeping the sitting bones grounded by placing a folded blanket beneath your hips if they rise when reaching forward.

• Collapsing elbows

  Keep the forearms lifted and arms extended to maintain traction through the shoulders and spine.

• Shrugging shoulders

  Draw your shoulder blades down toward your pelvis to create space around the neck.

• Over-arching the neck

  Rest your forehead fully on the mat or a block so your cervical spine stays neutral.

Modifications and props

• Support under hips

  Place a folded blanket or bolster between your seat and heels if your hips do not comfortably touch down.

• Block under forehead

  Rest your forehead on a yoga block if your neck feels strained reaching the ground.

• Bolster under torso

  Slide a lengthwise bolster between your thighs to fully support the chest and abdomen for a restorative option.

• Rolled towel under ankles

  Place a small rolled blanket under the tops of your feet if you experience discomfort in the front of your ankles.

Cautions

• Knee injuries

  Avoid deep flexion if you have acute knee pain or meniscus issues, using props to reduce the angle of the knees.

• Third-trimester pregnancy

  Widen your knees sufficiently to make ample room for the belly without compressing the abdomen.

• Shoulder impingement

  Widen the arms or bend the elbows slightly if overhead reaching causes sharp shoulder pain.

If you are working with an injury, pregnancy or a medical condition, check with a qualified professional before practising this pose.

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