Plank Pose, Phalakasana, (fall-ack-AHS-anna)
phalaka (plank) + āsana (pose)
Also known as: Kumbhakasana
Pose Type: Strengthening, Core Activating, Balancing
Difficulty: Beginner
Tap into your inner strength and light a fire in your core with Plank Pose.
Plank Pose Fundamentals
One of yoga’s foundational poses, Plank Pose holds vast amounts of depth for you to play with.
As much a mind strengthening pose as it is core strengthening, Plank Pose can teach us to find mental and physical ease within a challenging position. A reminder that we can tackle obstacles on and off the mat.
Briefly hold a Plank Pose in a Sun Salutation A or B sequence, or pause in Plank Pose to play at the edges of your body’s limits.
Plank Pose benefits
- Develops your mental endurance
- Strengthens the arms, wrists, and shoulders
- Prepares the body for further challenging arm balances
How To Do The plank Pose: Step-By-Step
1. Starting in Tabletop Pose, fingers spread, shoulders over your wrists.
2. Extend your right leg out and back, tucking your toes under.
3. Extend your left leg out and back to meet your right.4. You should be in a high push up position and your body should be in one straight line, from the crown of your head to your heels.
5. Push the floor away from you, slide your shoulder blades down your spine, and pull your core in to meet your back body.
6. Engage your core, thighs, and tuck your tailbone.
7. Gaze gently at the floor slightly in front of you and stay here for 5 breaths, or for as long as you can.
Plank pose variations
Knee To Nose Plank Pose / Knee To Elbow Plank Pose
To stoke that fire in your core, bring your knee up to your nose or elbow in Plank Pose. Squeeze that knee up and in with a powerful contraction of your abs.
Come into these variations of Plank Pose from Plank Pose itself, Three Legged Downward Facing Dog, or Downward Facing Dog.
Precautions & Contraindications:
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome:
This pose places a significant amount of pressure through the wrists. Come down into a forearm plank on the mat or on blocks for a wrist modification.
Common Mistakes in Plank Pose
Letting the hips sag. This is the most common Plank Pose error. When the core disengages, the hips drop toward the floor, placing significant stress on the lower back. Engage your abdominal muscles and imagine pulling your belly button toward your spine to maintain a straight line from your heels to the crown of your head.
Piking the hips too high. The opposite mistake is pushing the hips up toward the ceiling, which turns Plank into more of a Downward Facing Dog. While this takes pressure off the arms, it prevents you from building the core and shoulder strength that Plank Pose is designed to develop.
Looking forward or up. Craning the neck to look ahead compresses the cervical spine. Keep your gaze directed at the mat slightly ahead of your hands, with the back of your neck long and aligned with the rest of your spine.
Holding the breath. The intensity of Plank Pose often causes practitioners to unconsciously hold their breath. Maintain steady, rhythmic breathing throughout the hold. Deep breathing actually helps activate the deep core stabilizers that keep you strong in the pose.
Tips for Beginners
If a full Plank Pose is too challenging at first, drop your knees to the mat. This modified version still engages the core and shoulders while reducing the load by roughly half. As you build strength, gradually lift the knees and hold the full expression for increasingly longer periods, starting with fifteen seconds and working up to one minute or more.
Spread your fingers wide and press through the entire surface of your palms. This distributes weight more evenly and protects the wrists. If wrist pain is a persistent issue, try Plank Pose on your forearms instead, which is sometimes called Dolphin Plank or Forearm Plank Pose.
