Beginning Yoga Poses : Yoga Plank Pose

The yoga plank pose can be difficult but is a great beginning yoga pose for newcomers to yoga exercises. Learn the plank pose in this free yoga video. Expert...

Plank is a very commonly used posed in Yoga. It actually originated in the rehab world. And, I'm going to show you a starting position for Plank with your elbows right underneath your shoulders. We're going to curl our toes and you're going to activate. This strengthens the whole body and elongates the whole spine. Pull your navel into the spine. Very important here to hold the pose, but not your breath. It's a very commonality for people to start off with, is to inhale and hold. But, you want to keep breathing. You've got to fuel the muscle, activate it. Inhale, exhale and just create one long line with the body. Now, a true Yoga Plank is up with your wrists right underneath your shoulders. Curl the toes, hip width apart. And, again navel to spine. You don't want to create the barking seal effect with the hips in the air. But, just relax. Nice soft neck and keep breathing. You want to hold ten to twenty seconds. Start off where you can. If it's five seconds, just maintain quality over quantity. You can also come down to your knees. And, start here and build strength into the core and upper body. And, as you gradually get stronger you can hold the pose a little longer. Keep a slight bend in the elbows. And, you'll feel things start to shake as the muscles cry out for oxygen and more energy. Good way to release this pose, is to fold back into Child's Pose or Shell Stretch. And, hips towards the heels. Head towards the floor. Resting chest and belly on the thighs. Release and roll up.