Yoga is highly beneficial for health and fitness enthusiasts. It is the best form of exercise for people of all ages. Plank pose (called Kumbhakasana in Sanskrit) is one of the most popular yoga poses that strengthens the spine and the arms and tones the abdominal muscles, chest and lower back. It is also known for its help in building stamina and endurance as well as toning the nervous system. It is good for beginners and is practiced by advanced yoga practitioners, too.
Here are the proper steps to performing a standard plank pose:
- Start working on your hands and knees. Position your body in such a way that your wrists come directly under your shoulders. Breathe through your nose evenly and smoothly. Make sure to relax and concentrate on your yoga pose. Your thoughts should be focused at the present moment.
- Next, make sure to press your hands and forearms down while spreading your finger. While you are pressing down your hands and forearms make sure that your chest does not collapse down too. Maintain it at such a position that it looks like a plank in order to get the plank pose.
- Draw your abdominal muscles towards your spine and lengthen the back of your neck by gazing down between your hands.
- To get the perfect plank pose you should bring your body and head into a straight line by stepping back with your feet and tucking your toes.
- To ensure that your hips do not sink too low you should lift up your thighs. You should make efforts for realigning your body so that your wrists and shoulders are in line which can be achieved by sticking up the hips in the air.
- As you are contracting your abdominal muscles you should make sure to draw your pelvic floor muscles towards the spine. The shoulder blades should be broadened across your collarbones so that your head comes in line with your spine.
- The bases of your index fingers should be drawn down. Make sure that you do not roll open our hands towards the small fingers.
- Lengthen your tailbone towards your heels by pressing the front of your thighs up towards the ceiling.
- If you have followed the above steps then you have got the plank pose. Make sure to hold that position while you smoothly breathe five times.
- To release yourself from the pose, lower your body by the knees slowly then rest for some time.
