Plank Pose
“Top of a push up” the instructor commanded. I was new to Yoga then but knew this just did not sound right. “Plank pose” is what most teachers had called it up until now. To the uninitiated it might seem like a nothing pose. It does not appear to have a Sanskrit name. A pose to pass through on the way to somewhere better? Plank is a great pose in its own right and worth pausing for. Worthy of a little attention. Top of a push up is most certainly is not.
I am holding what I believe to be a pretty good plank, why then in the instructor pushing my stomach up and at the same time trying to adjust my shoulder. The problem is that it is so easy to see when someone is out of shape in plank pose. It is one straight line with the body. Any imperfection is easy to spot. Other poses don’t suffer this scrutiny. There can be multiple up or down dog poses in the class. The perfect dog pose is hard to define.
Plank is simple but very deceptive. As I look around a beginner class I see various attempts that range from “dangling cobra” to a sort of semi down dog pose. So how does an instructor correct all of these variations. I picture myself in the beginner class like a guy spinning plates. Raise the tummy on this Yogi, rush to the next, push down the butt on the second. On to the third. Not bad, but straighten the legs more. On to number 4 no wait number 1 has started to sag again. Rush back to one raise tummy, back to 4. Ah no number 6 just crashed on to their mat.
There has to be a better way. I found this technique as a way to teach plank. Variations of this work for all levels and seems to get great results in all class levels.
The prep.
Starting on all fours, shoulders over the wrists. Fingers spread wide. Middle fingers face forwards. Eventually the thumbs point towards each other. Step the right foot back them the left. Have the feet a little wider than hip width.
This gets the body into the right position to begin the focus…..
Feeling the core.
The next step is to show that the core muscles are highly active in this pose. Take you right hand and touch the heart and your left side. Putting that hand down. Now take you left hand and touch your right side and your navel. Having marked out a diamond it is much easier for the Yogis to focus on the next stage. Tightening every muscle in that diamond.
Now the core is actively involved we are ready for the icing….
Every muscle is engaged.
Tuck the butt, pull up on the kneecaps, push the heels back. Now push down with every finger and thumb, starting with the pinkie working towards the thumbs.
There you have it a perfect plank pose every time. Plank is intense. It core work its shoulder work, leg work and arms. Its not a pose to pass through but one to perfect.
Top of a push up it is not. The results are perfect plank poses every time and no broken crockery.
[...] There is a new craze going around at the moment called Planking. There is even a website, probably more than one, devoted to scoring “planks.” I wrote a blog a while ago on Yoga’s plank [...]