In yoga, when you do downward dog position...?

The 'ideal' is to have your feet, including heels, flat on the floor.

That gives most people a fairly intense stretch.

However, if your calf muscles are not yet that flexible, it would be wise not to be fixated on achieving the 'ideal'.

Instead, a significant amount of the value in practicing yoga asana is in 'the journey', i.e. learning what your body can do, and how to gently coax more out it while maintaining mindfulness; not so much from being able to do a 'perfect' pose.

"Walking the dog" is just an alternate way to bring your torso weight onto one leg/calf at a time, as a way to increase the push on the stretch.

However, you should still practice listening to your body and be aware when to stop pushing so hard that you risk pulling/injuring a muscle.

Namaste',

dwb

You are suppose to have your heels on the ground if you can. Some people can't do it when they first start doing yoga but you are suppose to work towards it. It's just a better workout when you concentrate on keeping your heels down.

I press my heels into the ground. I do Astanga yoga and this is how they instruct it.

I dunno much about the whole christian aspect but I do know that YOGA is Older than Christianity and is based on Meditation and Postions of the Hindu creators of the world Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. But the whole christian aspect is just trying to eliminate the Hindu religion part but little to do they know that Hinduism like Buddhism is not a religion but a way of life.

have you seen a dog stretch?that is down ward dog.palms flat out in front heels to ground.it should be like an inverted v.