Upward-Facing Dogऊर्ध्व मुख श्वानासन

Lie face down with the hands beside the lower ribs and the tops of the feet on the mat. Press the hands down and straighten the arms, lifting the chest and the thighs clear of the floor. Only the hands and the tops of the feet stay in contact with the mat. Roll the shoulders back and down, and lift the sternum forward between the upper arms. Firm the thighs and lengthen the tailbone, then hold before lowering or moving back to Downward Dog. Hold for 15–30 seconds.

Primarily the spinal erectors, chest, triceps, with the shoulders, glutes, wrists assisting or lengthening. In mechanical terms: extends the whole spine while the arms and legs hold the body clear of the floor.

Pregnancy from the second trimester — the shape is not available once the belly needs space. Wrist injury or carpal tunnel syndrome, since the whole upper body loads through extended wrists — take Cobra instead. Disc injury or spondylolisthesis: substitute Sphinx. Shoulder impingement — keep the shoulders low and the chest lift modest. Recent abdominal surgery. This is general information, not medical advice — if any of these apply to you, ask your doctor and learn the pose with a qualified teacher rather than from a page.

Not as a first pose. Upward-Facing Dog is rated intermediate here: it assumes a working base of strength and range, and a teacher who has watched you move. Build up through the backbends poses marked beginner first.

The honest answer is that nobody has measured a single asana. The 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities publishes MET values for styles of yoga, not for individual poses. Upward-Facing Dog sits closest to Compendium code 02150, yoga, Hatha, at 2.5 MET — about 92 kcal for 30 minutes of that kind of practice for a 70 kg adult. Holding one pose for a minute is a rounding error either way.