Strengthen the entire body from head to toe in Plank Pose. Here’s the right way to do it. (Hint: It’s harder than it looks!)
Plank Pose (Phalakasana) is a foundational yoga pose that builds strength throughout the entire body, from the arms, wrists, and shoulders, to the core, back, legs, thighs, ankles and feet. Plank also stretches some important areas that are often overlooked, such as your wrists. That’s a lot for such a simple pose, but this is a great example of how many benefits even the simplest yoga poses can offer!
Plank helps to prepare you for more advanced yoga poses, and many yoga trainers suggest you don’t even try many others until you have mastered Plank Pose.
At first glance, Plank Pose seems so basic, right? You just balance on your hands and toes in one straight line… But Plank can be a lot more challenging than it looks! And doing it right is important for achieving all of the benefits this pose can provide.
Be sure to keep your head and neck aligned in the pose, and don’t allow your back to arch – use your abdominal muscles to keep your back flat and steady. Imagine balancing a water class on your sacrum.
This pose should be suitable for most people, but if you have wrist problems or carpal tunnel syndrome, you may wish to either avoid this one, or keep your wrists straight and balance on your fists instead of your palms.
How to Do Plank Pose
1. Start with Table Pose.
2. Align your wrists to be right under your shoulders, palms and fingers pressed into the floor, middle fingers parallel to each other.
3. Pay attention to your neck here. It shouldn’t be scrunched up. Don’t hunch your shoulders, instead pull them away from ears.
4. Pull your thighs backward and straighten your legs. Your heels should be right over the balls of the feet.
5. Now your neck, spine, and legs should form one line (a mirror will help at the beginning). Don’t drop your belly, chest, or legs. Instead, draw your abdomen towards your spine, and keep the body strong.
6. Stay in the pose for a few breaths. You may later increase the time in the pose to a minute or even more. As you are in plank pose, try to push the mat away — this will help to fully engage your arms.
7. To complete the pose, bring your knees back to the mat, then rest in Child’s Pose.
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