Yoga Glossary · Muscles
Calves (gastrocnemius & soleus)
The back-of-lower-leg muscles that point the toes and anchor balance — stretched hard in Down Dog.
The calf is mainly two muscles: the gastrocnemius, the two-headed muscle you can see bulging below the knee, and the flatter, deeper soleus beneath it. Both join the Achilles tendon at the heel. Together they plantarflex the ankle (pointing the toes), and the gastrocnemius, which crosses the knee, also assists knee flexion.
Downward Facing Dog is the famous calf stretch: ankle dorsiflexion with straight knees lengthens the gastrocnemius, while pedaling the feet or bending the knees shifts the stretch into the soleus. The calves also work constantly and quietly in balance poses, making the small corrections that keep you upright on one leg.
In practice
- Heels reaching toward the floor in Down Dog = gastrocnemius stretching; bend the knees and the soleus takes over.
- Wobbling in Tree? Your calves are firing in tiny pulses to keep you centered.
- They are the last link of the standing leg — press through the big-toe mound and heel evenly to recruit them evenly.
Poses that lengthen it
- Chair Pose
- Warrior I
- Tree Pose
- Standing Forward Fold
- Ragdoll
- Halfway Lift
- Gorilla Pose
- Wide-Leg Forward Fold
- Seated Forward Fold
- Boat Pose
- Plank Pose
- Chaturanga
- Downward Facing Dog
Related terms
Test yourself
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The Yoga Glossary is an educational study reference. Definitions are standard yoga and anatomy knowledge in plain language; nothing here is medical advice.