There are many people who think that yoga doesn’t build strength. The truth is that there are plenty of yoga postures and positions that can help you greatly boost your strength, such as the forearm plank.
But, we aren’t going to look at the forearm plank today. We’re actually going to find out how to do the Plank Party.
This is a typical plank pose that’s going to help you build some serious strength.
Start!
You can begin by getting into a neutral tabletop position. For this, you need to get on all fours with your shoulders positioned parallelly above your wrists and your hips over your knees. Now, make sure your hands are firmly placed on the ground.
Spread your fingers and create more pressure beneath the index finger and the thumb as opposed to the rest of the fingers. Now, as you push down, straighten your arms and flatten your upper back from shoulder to shoulder, while expanding the collarbone.
Make sure your head and neck are aligned with your flattened back. No drooping whatsoever. As you move down, start energizing your core. Your stomach must be sucked in so as to push the navel up to your spine. The sides must be brought towards the midriff as if you were in a corset.
Important Tip: To avoid injury, be sure to align your ribs, hips and sacrum with your heels. This will activate your core area even further.
The final step is where you step your feet back to realize the complete plank pose. The back of your legs must face the sky. When doing this, energize your legs and use all your strength.
Now, imagine your strength flowing from your heels to your head, as it crosses each chakra.
Lastly, don’t forget to breathe.
Advantages
The Plank Party Pose offers a range of benefits. For starters, it makes your wrists and hands stronger and more flexible. Then, your spinal muscles receive a good workout too, especially the extensors, which aid us in achieving an upright position when standing.
Your neck muscles benefit as well, as they are stretched and extended. This can be more useful than you think. We use our necks for a range of functions such as reading or writing.
Your glutes are also strengthened, which, in turn, keeps your hips from sagging and your lower back from developing problems.
On the whole, it’s like a full body workout.
Modify
You can also modify the Plank Party in many ways. For instance, if you want to go the extra mile and really boost your core strength, lift your knees up. This will create extra resistance and make the pose even more challenging.
In fact, you can do the same while still maintaining the tabletop position.
To know more about the Plank Party Posture, visit Samadhi Center for Yoga.