Upward Plank Pose

How to do Upward Plank Pose

1. 1Begin seated in Staff Pose (Dandasana) with your legs extended straight forward and your spine tall.
2. 2Place your hands several inches behind your hips with your fingers spread wide and pointing forward toward your feet.
3. 3Bend your knees slightly, press firmly into your palms, and roll your shoulders back to broaden your chest.
4. 4On an inhalation, press down through your hands and feet to lift your hips toward the ceiling until your body forms a straight line.
5. 5Straighten your legs completely, pointing your toes and aiming to ground the soles of your feet onto the mat.
6. 6Engage your glutes and inner thighs, drawing the tailbone toward your knees to keep the pelvis elevated.
7. 7Keep your neck long with your chin gently lifted, or softly release your head back only if your cervical spine feels comfortable.
8. 8Hold for several steady breaths, then exhale as you slowly lower your hips back to the floor with control.

Benefits

• Strengthens the glutes, hamstrings, and calves
• Stretches the chest, anterior deltoids, and front ankles
• Builds stability and strength in the wrists, arms, and upper back
• Improves postural alignment by reversing habitual forward rounding
• Strengthens the core and spinal extensor muscles

Common mistakes and cues

• Sagging hips

  Fire your glutes and hamstrings actively to keep the pelvis lifted in line with your torso.

• External foot flare

  Hug your inner thighs toward one another so your toes point straight forward rather than turning outward.

• Compressing the neck

  Avoid letting your head drop back abruptly; keep the back of the neck lengthened and muscularly supported.

• Hyperextending elbows

  Maintain a micro-bend in your elbows to distribute weight evenly into your arm muscles.

Modifications and props

• Reverse Tabletop

  Bend your knees and place your feet flat on the floor hip-width apart to reduce load on the hamstrings and lower back.

• Hands on blocks

  Place yoga blocks flat beneath your hands to reduce wrist compression and ease the elevation of your hips.

• Fingers turned outward

  Angle your fingers slightly outward if you experience tightness or pinching in your wrists and anterior shoulders.

• Chair-supported variation

  Rest your hands on the edge of a sturdy chair seat to practice the front-body opening with reduced load.

Cautions

• Wrist injuries or carpal tunnel

  Avoid bearing full body weight on extended wrists, opting instead for a fist-supported or forearm variation.

• Rotator cuff impingement

  Refrain from lifting the hips high if you experience sharp compression in the front of your shoulders.

• Cervical spine vulnerability

  Keep your chin tucked toward your chest rather than allowing your head to drop back into full extension.

If you are working with an injury, pregnancy or a medical condition, check with a qualified professional before practising this pose.

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