How to do: Plank

Plank Pose

How to do it?

From Downward Dog, first check your hands are facing forward and, keeping your legs straight and your feet tucked under, slowly draw your upper body forward until your shoulders are directly over your wrists, your tummy is drawn in and your thighs are lifted and make sure your head is in line with your spine. Try to ensure that your weight is even between both hands and that your arms and thighs are firm and your belly is drawn in. Don’t forget to breathe!

Within our yoga poses we’re constantly looking to create ‘space’ in the body as well as find the balance between ‘strength’ and ‘ease’. Plank offers us a great opportunity to practice this. To create space along the back of your body, press your heels back and extend your head forward a little. Feel the strength in your body as you hold the pose, but try to find the ‘ease’ too by relaxing your face muscles and finding a smooth, regular in and out breath.

Coming into and out of the pose

You can come into Plank from Downward Dog as described above, or you may come into it from a standing forward bend, in which case you would place your hands on the floor by your feet, bending the knees if you like and then take a large step back one leg at a time.

To come back into Downward Dog from Plank, simply lift and draw the hips up and back and press down into the heels.

Other Tips

You can make Plank easier if you’re just starting by lowering your knees to the floor, keeping your shoulders over your wrists. If you wanted to make your Plank more challenging, however, you can try to ‘hovver’ your knees slightly off the ground for a short while.

What’s it good for?

Plank is a great pose for strengthening the core muscles in particular, but also the wrists, arms, shoulders, hips and ankles.

When should you not do it?

Avoid Plank if you have any wrist or shoulder injuries.

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