The Difference Between Flip Dog, Wild Thing and Falling Triangle
There are three different poses available in your practice that are quite similar but have individual intricacies that separate them each – Flip Dog, Wild Thing and Falling Triangle. They are all a form of backbend to some degree and an anterior opener. Let’s break it down.
FLIP DOG
In Baptiste Yoga, Flip Dog comes at the end of the Awaken sequence as a variation of Sun B.
HOW TO:
Start in Downward-Facing Dog, lift one leg up to the sky, and squeeze muscle to bone. Open up to fire hydrant by bending your lifted knee and stacking your hips. Let your lifted foot fall to the floor. Bring your legs to hip distance and feet to 12 o’clock. Ground down like earth through the four corners of your feet, and lift your hips to the sky as your chest opens to the front of the room.
What differentiates this pose from the others is the legs and feet. Both legs are bent and at hip distance, and both feet are grounded down.
WILD THING
Wild Thing [Camatkarasana] is most commonly confused with Flip Dog and can be accessed the same way as Flip Dog, however, the most common way to access to the pose is via side plank [Vasisthasana].
HOW TO:
Come to a side plank, and let your top leg fall behind you. Ground down through that foot and lift your hips to the sky as your front side opens.
[Whether your grounded foot is fully flat or not is a personal and/or practice-specific difference. For me here, going on my toes helped me feel a little bit deeper of an opening. But you do you boo.]
What differentiates this pose from the others is again the legs and feet. This pose has one bent leg and one straight leg. It is slightly lesser of a backbend than Flip Dog.
FALLING TRIANGLE
Falling Triangle [Patita Trikonasana] is also most commonly accessed via plank, but this time high plank. It’s also known as Falling Star or Rock Star.
HOW TO:
Draw your knee towards your opposite side elbow and extend your leg as it comes to the ground. Both legs are straight. Lift your hips and top hand towards the sky, or back behind you for a little bit deeper of a backbend. Ground down like earth into your bottom hand and top foot.
What differentiates this pose from the others aside from the initiating pose is, you guessed it, the legs! Both legs are straight here. This is the lesser of the three backbends, but it still provides a great opening through your hips and front body.