I’ve been practicing yoga for over ten years now and I’ve gotta say, the benefits of yoga are endless.
From reducing stress to building strength, this ancient practice offers a wide variety of benefits that can be challenging to find elsewhere.
While there are many different poses (known as asanas) and variations, each one has its own benefits.
In this article, I’ll tell you about puppy pose (aka Uttana Shishosana) and the benefits of practicing it on a daily basis.
How to do puppy pose (Uttana Shishosana)
Puppy pose (Uttana Shishosana) is one of the most effective yoga poses that helps in stretching and strengthening the body.
It improves blood circulation and is beneficial for the respiratory system. This pose is also effective in increasing flexibility in the body and is often used as a relaxation technique at the end of a yoga session.
As you’ve probably guessed, the name puppy pose was indeed inspired by man’s best friend.
Just think of a puppy stretching and you’ve got puppy pose.
To do puppy pose:
- Get down on all fours. Shoulders over your hands, hips over your knees.
- Bring your forearms to the ground.
- Stretch your hands in front of you, fingers spread wide.
- Rest your head face down on the floor and relax your neck.
- Now push your hips down toward your heels, over your knees.
And there you have it.
Why should you practice puppy pose?
Puppy Pose (Uttana Shishosana) is an excellent pose that can be used as a relaxation technique. It is a fantastic pose for both your body and mind as it helps you to relax and calm down.
This pose can help relieve stress and anxiety. When you feel anxious or stressed, you often feel as though your body is stiff and rigid. This pose helps to release any tension in your body and makes you feel much more relaxed.
Puppy pose is great for your health. It is effective in reducing headaches, back pain, and joint pain.
It is also beneficial for the digestive system. This pose can be practiced by anyone, regardless of your age, as it does not put any pressure on the body and is beneficial for everyone.
Let’s take a look at the top 12 benefits of doing puppy pose:
1) It can help improve your posture
Posture is an important part of maintaining a healthy body. Poor posture can lead to a wide range of health issues, including muscle stiffness, headaches, and back pain, among others.
Poor posture is one of the most common problems that modern professional people face because of the hours they spend sitting in front of a computer.
Puppy pose can be great in helping you to maintain proper posture.
2) Helps relieve back and neck pain
Back and neck pain are common health problems that affect millions of people on a regular basis.
They are caused by a wide range of issues.
Bad posture, sitting for long hours, sleeping in the wrong position, poor diet, and stress are some of the most common issues that contribute to back and neck pain.
Puppy pose is an effective pose that can help you to relieve back and neck pain.
This pose stretches your muscles and opens up your chest and back. It is helpful in improving blood circulation and is great for your back.
3) Improves breathing and lung capacity
The more you practice yoga, the more you will realize that it is not just a form of exercise, but it is a way of life.
It can help you to learn to breathe deeply and fully.
Puppy pose is a great pose to do for the lungs as it can really improve your lung capacity. This pose helps you to breathe more deeply and relaxes your body.
It’s extremely beneficial for people who suffer from anxiety and depression, it’s certainly helped me out over the years.
4) Reduce levels of stress and anxiety
A lot of people use yoga as an alternative treatment for stress and anxiety.
If you’ve been experiencing high levels of stress and anxiety in your life, this pose can help you in many ways, even more than other poses.
Because you are in a position that resembles a puppy, you’re going to feel very calm and relaxed.
You can do this pose as a part of your daily practice or when you feel anxiety coming up.
5) Boosts confidence and self-esteem
It’s true, puppy pose can help boost your confidence and self-esteem.
By helping you reduce stress and anxiety (as mentioned above) and relax your body, it helps you build self-confidence.
You see, when you are relaxed and calm, you are able to think more clearly and are less judgmental and critical of yourself. That’s why this pose is great for people who have low self-esteem.
It can help you to relax, boost your confidence, and feel better about yourself.
6) Repairs muscles after exercise or injury
Puppy pose is an effective pose that helps to repair your muscles after exercise or injury.
It is beneficial for people who suffer from back pain, headaches, and joint pain.
It is a gentle yet effective pose and is great for beginners.
It’s also great for people who exercise regularly as it can help to reduce tension in your body after exercising.
It can also do wonders for people who suffer from headaches and joint pain.
*If you’ve recently had an injury, please speak to your doctor before starting a new exercise regime and check that yoga and the puppy pose are right for you.
7) Strengthen the core muscles of the body
The core muscles of the body are important for maintaining a healthy spine. They provide support to the entire spinal column and pelvis.
While practicing puppy pose, you can target your core muscles, which will help them become stronger.
This is also a good pose to do when you are pregnant since it helps strengthen your muscles and reduce back pain but please check with your physician before starting.
8) Can ease menstrual cramps
If you tend to experience cramps during your menstrual cycle, the puppy pose can help.
It can open up your hips and stretch out your lower back and abdominals, which can help reduce cramps and make your period more comfortable overall.
9) Improves mobility and flexibility
Back and shoulder pain are common issues among many people.
While it is normal to experience some pain in your body, it is important to take measures to prevent it from getting worse. This pose is useful for improving mobility and flexibility in the back and shoulders.
What’s more, if you have lower back pain, the puppy pose can help. It can relieve tension and pressure in the lower back and provide you with extra support and strength around the abdomen and hips
10) Helps with digestion
As well as boosting circulation, yoga also helps to improve your digestion. If you suffer from poor digestion or are prone to constipation, the puppy pose can be incredibly beneficial.
It is thought that the twisting and stretching of the abdominal organs can help to regulate your digestive system.
11) Can help ease lower back pain
The puppy pose is a great pose to help you to stretch and open up the muscles in your lower back. This can help to alleviate lower back pain, which is often caused by tight muscles in that region.
If you suffer from chronic lower back pain, you will find yoga very therapeutic.
12) Improves circulation throughout the body
Because the puppy pose stretches the hips, shoulders, and ankles, it also has the added benefit of making sure your blood flows throughout your entire body.
That means the puppy pose can help prevent conditions such as varicose veins and even early-onset varicose veins, as well as other circulation-related issues.
If you experience any knots or tightness, you can also try the puppy pose to see if it can help you relieve that discomfort.
Be mindful of your form
When practicing the puppy pose, it is important to make sure that you are being mindful of your form in order to reap all of the benefits that this pose has to offer.
It’s best to practice the pose slowly and mindfully, making sure that you are engaging the muscles in your body.
Keep your hips flexible and your shoulders open, breathing deeply throughout the pose.
Make it part of your routine
Practicing the puppy pose alongside other yoga poses can be hugely beneficial for your body and mind.
It’s best to make it part of your routine and to practice it regularly, even if only for a few minutes at a time.
With regular practice, you’ll feel so many positive benefits; both physically and mentally. The puppy pose is a great pose to start with if you’re new to yoga as it is simple and easy to practice.
Get on the mat and give it a try
The best way to understand the benefits of the puppy pose is to try it for yourself.
Get on your yoga mat and give it a go alongside some of your other favorite poses.
You can also have a look at how the pros do it first. There are dozens of free online tutorials which will help you get started.
Can a gifted advisor help you too?
If you want specific advice on your situation, it can be very helpful to speak to someone with special intuition.
I know this from personal experience…
A few months ago, I reached out to Psychic Source when I was going through a tough patch in my relationship. After being lost in my thoughts for so long, they gave me a unique insight into what my future holds, and the confidence to make the right decisions when it comes to love.
If you haven’t heard of Psychic Source before, it’s a site where gifted advisors help people through complicated and difficult life situations.
In just a few minutes you can connect with a highly intuitive psychic and get tailor-made advice for your situation.
I was blown away by how kind, empathetic, and genuinely helpful my psychic was.
