Upward Plank Pose with Left Leg Up

How to do Upward Plank Pose with Left Leg Up

1. 1Begin seated in Staff Pose with your legs extended long and spine tall.
2. 2Place your hands about six inches behind your hips, fingers pointing forward toward your feet.
3. 3Press firmly into your palms and the soles of your feet to lift your hips until your body forms a straight line.
4. 4Engage your glutes and draw your shoulder blades together to broaden across your collarbones.
5. 5Shift your weight steadily into your right foot without letting your right hip drop or sway outward.
6. 6Inhale as you lift your left leg straight up toward the ceiling, keeping your hips level and toes active.
7. 7Maintain length through the back of your neck, gazing gently upward or toward your lifted left toes.
8. 8Exhale to lower the left foot back to the mat with control, then gently release your hips down to the floor.

Benefits

• Strengthens the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back muscles
• Opens the front of the shoulders, chest, and anterior spine
• Enhances wrist and arm strength through weight-bearing support
• Develops deep core stability and pelvic alignment control
• Stretches the hip flexors and ankles of the supporting leg

Common mistakes and cues

• Sagging hips

  Drive firmly through the standing right heel to keep both hip points elevated and level.

• Collapsing shoulders

  Press the floor away actively through your hands to prevent sinking into your shoulder joints.

• Dropping the head back

  Keep your neck long and supported rather than letting your head hang backward passively.

• Rotating the pelvis

  Square your hips toward the ceiling instead of allowing the left hip to tilt open as the leg lifts.

Modifications and props

• Reverse Tabletop base

  Bend your standing right knee to 90 degrees with the foot flat on the floor before lifting your left leg.

• Blocks under hands

  Place sturdy yoga blocks beneath your palms to relieve wrist compression and create extra lift.

• Fingers turned outward

  Rotate your hands slightly outward if pointing your fingers directly toward your feet strains your wrists.

• Low leg hover

  Lift the left foot only a few inches off the mat to build hip stability before extending it higher.

Cautions

• Wrist injuries

  Avoid this pose or practice on your forearms if you have acute wrist pain or carpal tunnel syndrome.

• Shoulder impingement

  Skip the single-leg lift if you feel sharp pinching or instability across the front of your shoulders.

• Neck sensitivity

  Keep your chin lightly tucked toward your chest to maintain cervical spine alignment without strain.

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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