Yoga Plank Pose for Upper Body Strength

Video Transcript

"Alright, moving forward in our sun salutation sequence for strengthening the upper body, we're getting to the big time. We've already come through our tadasana and we're here in our forward fold. So we're going to hop back into plank pose. You can either hop or you can step. Hopping looks like this -planting those palms on the floor, shoulder-distance apart. You're going to bend the knees, use the belly, and hop the feet back into a plank pose. If that's not feeling so comfortable for you today, you can just step your feet back one at a time and come into plank. Notice in plank the energy's moving back through my heels and out through the crown of my head. Once you're here you're going to inhale to come into plank no matter which way you do it. Once we're here you're going to prepare for chaturanga, or knees-chest-chin. Knees-chest-chin looks like this -you drop the knees to the floor, keep the elbows close into the body but arch the spine just ever-so-slightly as you bring the chest and the chin onto the floor in preparation for cobra. If you're feeling comfortable with that and you'd like a little more of a challenge, you can come through a proper chaturanga. Keeping the elbows close into the body, again, you're going to exhale as you sink, body's still in a straight line and your preparation...this is your preparation for cobra or updog, which is coming up next."