Can’t Do Puppy Pose? 🐶Try This Wall Hack Instead
Published on: May 24, 2025
Last updated: May 24, 2025
You’re not alone! Puppy Pose (Uttana Shishosana) may look gentle, but if you’ve got tight hamstrings, stiff shoulders, or limited flexibility in your spine, it can feel surprisingly uncomfortable—or downright impossible. But good news: there’s a smarter, more accessible way to ease into it.
🎥✨ Watch our quick 10-second tip video to see a super simple variation using a wall.
It’s a game changer—especially for beginners!
Why Puppy Pose Is Worth It
This pose isn't just cute—it’s powerful. When done safely, Puppy Pose:
- Opens your shoulders and chest
- Lengthens your spine
- Improves posture
- Helps calm the nervous system
It’s especially helpful if you spend hours hunched over a desk or phone.
Struggling? Here's the Wall Variation You Need
Instead of pushing through pain or straining your body, try this wall version:
- Stand facing a wall.
- Place your hands flat at shoulder height or slightly higher.
- Step back slightly and gently press your chest toward the ground, keeping your hips over your feet.
This variation stretches the same areas with less pressure on the lower back and knees, and even adds a gentle hamstring release.
How to Get the Most Out of the Wall Variation
When practicing the wall version of Puppy Pose, focus on small adjustments that make a big difference. Keep your hands shoulder-width apart, spread your fingers wide, and gently engage your core to avoid collapsing into the lower back.
As you exhale, allow your chest to soften toward the floor—but don’t force it. Let gravity and breath do the work.
Keep your knees soft or slightly bent if your hamstrings feel tight. The goal isn’t depth—it’s sensation and safety.
From the Wall to the Mat: Progressing Toward the Full Pose
Once you feel comfortable using the wall, you can start transitioning toward the floor version. Try this: after practicing Wall Puppy for a few breaths, come to hands and knees and walk your hands forward on the mat while keeping hips over knees.
Use a yoga block or folded blanket under your forehead or chest for support. This builds familiarity with the shape while allowing your body to gradually open.
Over time, you may find your forehead, or even chin and chest, reaching the ground more easily.
Where Should You Feel It?
A properly aligned Puppy Pose should feel like a gentle yet expansive stretch across the front of your shoulders, the sides of your chest, and along the spine. You may also notice your arms and upper back becoming more activated.
If you feel strain in your neck or lower back, it’s a sign to ease off, adjust your alignment, or use props.
Learning to listen to these sensations is part of the yoga journey—use them as feedback, not failure.
Remember: Yoga Is Meant to Work For You
At ONE OM ONE, we believe in yoga that meets you where you are. Our teachers are trained to offer modifications for all levels and body types.
If Puppy Pose doesn’t feel good today, there’s always a variation that will.
TL;DR?
If traditional Puppy Pose feels out of reach, that’s OK. Try it at the wall instead—your shoulders and spine will thank you.
🧘♀️ Need help adjusting your practice? Book a private session with one of our certified teachers today! ✨