When it comes to yoga poses, or asanas, there are so many of them you can choose from. Each one comes with its own set of benefits and measures differently on the difficulty scale.
While you can’t straight away jump to the most difficult ones, there are certainly some poses which are perfect for those of you who are just stepping into the world of yoga. Each yoga pose can be modified, based on the needs and requirements of your body.
Of all the yoga poses at the beginner’s level, the plank is probably the most “famous” one.
How do you do it?
Lie down straight on the ground with your face down. Now slowly lift yourself off the ground while shifting all the weight of your body in such a manner that your arms are straight and the heels are slid backward enough to allow the tips of your toes to touch the ground. The whole body should be in a flat line. Hold this position for as long as you can while sucking your stomach inside.
Don’t let your hips and butt sag too low or stick up too high. It’s important that you keep your body in straight line, from your shoulders to your heels. Keep your shoulders directly over your wrists. Or if you are doing the low plank, as shown above, keep your shoulders directly in line with your elbows, while clasping your hands in front.
The benefits
Let’s take a look at some of the many benefits of the plank.
- It allows us to balance nearly the entire weight of our bodies on our arms so that we can control our posture.
- If you have issues with a protruding belly, this single pose can help tone up your abdomen. The longer you hold the pose the better it would be for your body shape.
- The pose helps strengthen the spinal as well as the neck muscles, each one responsible for controlling different actions in our bodies.
- The posture also helps contract the wide hips and contract the pelvic muscles.
The best thing about the pose is that you can modify it in many different ways to accommodate yourself.
