Downward Dog: Is Your Inverted V Actually a V?

Downward Facing Dog is in every yoga class. Teachers say "make an inverted V." But the V has a specific shape — and most people make more of an inverted U.

The ideal shape

The angle at your hips (the peak of the V) should be 60-80°. Your arms and spine form one straight line from wrists through shoulders to hips. Your legs work toward straight, with a gentle knee bend acceptable.

Common patterns: hips too low (angle over 90°, looks like a plank), hips too high but arms bent (the "collapsed tent"), or rounded upper back (the "inverted U").

What the data shows

Camera tracking measures your hip angle in real-time. You can see: am I at 95° (too flat) or 70° (right in the sweet spot)? The answer is immediate, not a guess.

It also checks: are your elbows straight? Most people have a slight bend they don't notice. At 170° elbow angle, you feel straight. At 180°, you actually are. The 10° gap is invisible to you but visible to the camera.

The cue that works

"Send your hips up and back." Not "straighten your arms" (that creates tension). Not "push the ground away" (that locks the shoulders). Just hips up and back — the rest follows.

Watch the hip angle number drop from 95° toward 75°. That's your V forming.