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Exercise library / Downward Dog to Low Lunge

Downward Dog to Low Lunge

Suggestions, not prescriptions. Exercises here pass automated checks. They have not been clinically reviewed, and no exercise is right for everyone. Adjust to your comfort and ability.

The standard step-through: from downward dog one foot travels forward between the hands into a low lunge, then returns. It opens the hip flexor of the trailing leg and rehearses the transition used throughout flow practice.

Main focus
Mobility
Level
Starting
Equipment
Bodyweight
Load
Your body weight
Stability
Unstable: single leg, suspended or on a ball
Balance type
Stepping balance

Keep something steady within reach: a counter, wall or sturdy chair.

Before you start
  • Warm up first with a minute or two of easy walking or marching in place, and cool down the same way after.
  • Wear flat, closed shoes with a good grip, or go barefoot on a non-slip floor if that feels steady to you.
  • Clear the floor around you. Keep a sturdy chair, counter or wall within reach for any move you do standing.
  • Build up slowly. Add repetitions or minutes over weeks, not days. If you take a break, work back up gradually.

Talk with a doctor or physical therapist before you start if you have not been active for some time, if you have a health condition or a worry about exercise, if you have fallen or fear falling, or if a clinician has told you to limit activity. This library is general information, not medical advice.

What you need

No special equipment. A clear space and shoes or bare feet with a good grip.

How to do it

  1. Start in downward dog with the hands shoulder-width apart.
  2. Shift the weight forward and step one foot up between the hands.
  3. Lower the back knee to the floor and sink the hips into a low lunge.
  4. Press back through the hands, lift the back knee and step the front foot back to downward dog.
  5. Repeat on the other side and keep alternating.

How much

To start: Hold each stretch for 10 to 30 seconds, 2 to 3 times on each side, breathing normally. Stop short of pain.

As it gets easier: Hold each stretch for 10 to 30 seconds, 2 to 3 times on each side, breathing normally. Stop short of pain.

How it should feel: A mild stretch or a gentle loosening. Never sharp, never painful.

Make it easier

Use the other ways to do this movement below.

Make it harder

Use the other ways to do this movement below.

Tips

  • Step the foot all the way to the hands rather than landing short and shuffling.
  • Pad the back knee with a folded mat if the floor is hard.
  • Keep the front knee above the ankle when the hips sink.

Safety

  • Warm up first, and keep your breathing steady. Breathe out on the effort and in as you ease off. Do not hold your breath.
  • Move with control. Do not lock your joints straight at the end of a movement.
  • Choose a version, load and number of repetitions you can finish with good form. The last few should feel hard but not shaky.
  • Keep stable support within reach, such as a counter, rack or wall, until the movement feels steady.
More safety notes
  • Clear the floor around you and wear shoes with a good grip.
  • Go slowly, and make the movement smaller if you feel unsteady.

When to stop

  • Stop and rest if you feel dizzy or lightheaded, sick to your stomach, or unusually short of breath.
  • Stop if you feel sharp, sudden or joint pain. Muscles working hard is expected. Pain is a signal to stop.
  • Stop and sit down if you feel unsteady and cannot settle yourself right away.
  • Call your local emergency number for chest pain or pressure, fainting, or sudden weakness, numbness or trouble speaking.
  • After any of these, do not repeat the exercise until you have talked with a doctor or physical therapist.
  • You feel unsteady and support does not settle you.
  • You feel dizzy or lightheaded.

Other ways to do this movement

Sign in and we will show other ways to do this, with other equipment or at a different level, chosen from your own answers. Sign in

Where this comes from

Steps and tips are from an open exercise dataset named below. Starting amounts, equipment and safety notes are Fitafter50's general guidance. Nothing here is clinically reviewed.

Steps and tips: Exercise data by RepDB (repdb.co). License: RepDB Free Tier License v1.0: personal or commercial use inside applications, visible attribution, no redistribution as a dataset or API. All credits.

    This is general information, not medical advice. It does not diagnose anything or tell you whether an exercise is right for you. Adjust to your comfort and ability.