WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.536 - Hey everyone, and welcome to Yoga With Adriene. 00:00:02.536 --> 00:00:07.344 I am Adriene and today we are going to learn Plank Pose. 00:00:07.344 --> 00:00:11.248 Plank is very common in a lot of active Hatha yoga classes 00:00:11.248 --> 00:00:13.010 and so today we're gonna break it down 00:00:13.010 --> 00:00:15.225 and learn the proper way to build strength 00:00:15.225 --> 00:00:19.109 and be happy in Plank. So hop on the mat. 00:00:19.109 --> 00:00:23.357 (upbeat music) 00:00:29.557 --> 00:00:32.339 Okay, so we're going to begin on all fours. 00:00:34.768 --> 00:00:36.703 Taking a second before we break down Plank 00:00:36.703 --> 00:00:40.584 to just kind of connect to this integration 00:00:40.584 --> 00:00:42.920 in the body that I feel like is so necessary in Plank 00:00:42.920 --> 00:00:44.508 so it's not just about strength. 00:00:44.508 --> 00:00:46.083 In fact, a lot of people think that 00:00:46.083 --> 00:00:48.482 they don't have the arm strength to do Plank 00:00:48.482 --> 00:00:53.186 and it's more than just these babies it's from head to tail. 00:00:54.218 --> 00:00:56.990 So, we come to all fours. 00:00:56.990 --> 00:00:58.228 Wrists underneath the shoulders, 00:00:58.228 --> 00:01:00.127 knees directly underneath the hips. 00:01:00.127 --> 00:01:01.719 Just take a second here to press into the tops 00:01:01.719 --> 00:01:04.097 of the feet, and let the knees hover. 00:01:04.097 --> 00:01:05.589 And then just notice what happens here. 00:01:05.589 --> 00:01:08.035 Does the head hang low? Do we collapse into the shoulders? 00:01:08.035 --> 00:01:10.304 What do you have to do to really come into your body, 00:01:10.304 --> 00:01:12.279 crown to the head, tip of the tailbone. 00:01:12.279 --> 00:01:13.901 Couple of action points here. 00:01:13.901 --> 00:01:16.009 I'm gonna press up and out of the palms. 00:01:16.009 --> 00:01:19.056 The tendency is gonna be to roll to the outer edges of the hands. 00:01:19.056 --> 00:01:22.793 I wanna really focus on pressing through the index finger 00:01:22.793 --> 00:01:25.586 and thumb and all this fleshy area. 00:01:25.586 --> 00:01:28.288 Fleshy area, hey-oh, in between. 00:01:28.288 --> 00:01:31.124 One, that's gonna alleviate any undue pressure on the wrist. 00:01:31.124 --> 00:01:34.695 Two, it's gonna help me press in, up and out of my arms 00:01:34.695 --> 00:01:36.326 so that I can create space in the shoulder blades, 00:01:36.326 --> 00:01:38.178 so not collapsing into the shoulders. 00:01:38.178 --> 00:01:39.750 So, before we go into the full posture, 00:01:39.750 --> 00:01:42.436 let's just practice that here on all fours. 00:01:43.267 --> 00:01:45.983 Maybe on an exhale, find your breath. 00:01:45.983 --> 00:01:49.743 Pressing in the tops of the feet, let the knees hover. 00:01:49.743 --> 00:01:50.739 Couple of action points: 00:01:50.739 --> 00:01:52.009 pressing up and out of the palms, 00:01:52.009 --> 00:01:53.524 index finger and thumbs. 00:01:53.524 --> 00:01:56.583 Tops of the shoulder also roll out and away from the ears. 00:01:56.583 --> 00:01:57.865 Check in with your belly. 00:01:57.865 --> 00:02:00.444 Drawing that navel up towards the spine. 00:02:00.444 --> 00:02:01.979 And then gaze is straight down 00:02:01.979 --> 00:02:03.877 so we're not crunching the back of the neck here. 00:02:03.877 --> 00:02:05.856 We're not forgetting about the head and neck. 00:02:05.856 --> 00:02:09.129 So remembering the neck as an extension, 00:02:09.129 --> 00:02:10.738 a natural extension of the spine. 00:02:10.738 --> 00:02:14.267 Pressing into the full area of the palm. 00:02:14.267 --> 00:02:17.305 Might begin to feel that warmth or that tremble. 00:02:18.832 --> 00:02:20.557 And then on an exhale, 00:02:20.557 --> 00:02:22.943 we're following your breath, we release. 00:02:22.943 --> 00:02:27.014 Can take a second to just notice the sensations in the body 00:02:27.014 --> 00:02:29.747 and let's send it up for Downward Facing Dog. 00:02:29.747 --> 00:02:31.815 Just how we'll head into our Plank today, 00:02:31.815 --> 00:02:33.797 which is also how we head into Plank 00:02:33.797 --> 00:02:38.769 in most Hatha yoga classes. Of course, no class is the same, 00:02:38.769 --> 00:02:41.287 and there's no right or wrong way, but, 00:02:41.287 --> 00:02:43.263 typically, we'll come into 00:02:43.263 --> 00:02:46.690 this from Downward Facing Dog. 00:02:46.690 --> 00:02:49.750 So from here, I'm gonna bring my awareness to my hands. 00:02:49.750 --> 00:02:53.273 Again, Hasta Bandha, the hand-to-earth connection. 00:02:53.273 --> 00:02:55.452 Pressing into all 10 fingerprints, 00:02:55.452 --> 00:02:58.412 and the area between the index finger and thumb. 00:02:58.412 --> 00:03:00.110 Now, bring your awareness to your belly. 00:03:00.110 --> 00:03:02.783 Hug that navel up towards your spine 00:03:02.783 --> 00:03:07.211 as we rock forward, arms perpendicular to the earth. 00:03:07.211 --> 00:03:10.427 I'm gonna bring my shoulders right above my wrist. 00:03:10.427 --> 00:03:12.122 So I don't want them to go in front, 00:03:12.122 --> 00:03:13.817 I want them to stack right above. 00:03:13.817 --> 00:03:16.757 Ah, and here I am. Now, going through our checklist. 00:03:16.757 --> 00:03:19.166 Crown of the head is extending forward. 00:03:19.166 --> 00:03:22.235 Tops of the shoulders looping out and away from the ears. 00:03:22.235 --> 00:03:24.037 I'm pressing up and out of the palms, 00:03:24.037 --> 00:03:26.336 seeing if I can really create space between my shoulder 00:03:26.336 --> 00:03:29.076 blades here, so I'm not collapsing into the bones here. 00:03:29.076 --> 00:03:32.079 Ooh, that's hard, but I'm pressing up and out. 00:03:32.079 --> 00:03:34.414 Now, sitbone-to-heel connection. I'm really extending 00:03:34.414 --> 00:03:37.317 through my heels here, tucking the pelvis. 00:03:37.317 --> 00:03:39.203 If you feel any pressure in your lower back, 00:03:39.203 --> 00:03:40.831 send that tail towards your heels, 00:03:40.831 --> 00:03:42.586 elongate in the lower back. 00:03:42.586 --> 00:03:45.078 Again, not collapsing but pressing up and out. 00:03:45.078 --> 00:03:46.116 Don't forget to breathe here. 00:03:46.116 --> 00:03:47.671 We tend to hold the breath here. 00:03:48.162 --> 00:03:50.357 No bueno, breathe. 00:03:51.899 --> 00:03:53.667 Nice and long in the back of the neck, 00:03:53.667 --> 00:03:54.925 extending the base of the skull 00:03:54.925 --> 00:03:57.014 towards the front of the mat. 00:03:57.014 --> 00:04:00.370 And on an exhale I can lower the knees. 00:04:00.370 --> 00:04:03.494 And send it back for a rest, Extended Child's Pose. 00:04:03.494 --> 00:04:06.246 Feel free to turn the palms face up here and breathe. 00:04:06.246 --> 00:04:08.915 Can rock the hips a little, gently side to side. 00:04:10.401 --> 00:04:14.545 And then we dive in for more. Variations. 00:04:14.545 --> 00:04:16.516 There's always tons and tons of variations. 00:04:16.516 --> 00:04:18.592 Hence, the word variation. 00:04:18.592 --> 00:04:20.687 But I just want to offer a couple here. 00:04:20.687 --> 00:04:22.629 We can do a half push up, so in Plank 00:04:22.629 --> 00:04:25.192 we're at top of a push up here. 00:04:25.192 --> 00:04:28.034 I can lower the knees, and make adjustments. 00:04:28.034 --> 00:04:30.250 Tucking my pelvis in, really sitching that navel 00:04:30.250 --> 00:04:34.131 towards the spine here. Shifting my heart forward. 00:04:34.131 --> 00:04:35.812 If you want to get shmancy on me you can 00:04:35.812 --> 00:04:39.446 cross the ankles here. Whew, doesn't matter. 00:04:40.130 --> 00:04:41.689 What matters is that we're aware 00:04:41.689 --> 00:04:43.850 all the way through the toes as I tuck my pelvis, 00:04:43.850 --> 00:04:46.697 same thing here, tendency is to collapse into the shoulders. 00:04:46.697 --> 00:04:49.456 I wanna press up and out of the shoulders here. 00:04:49.456 --> 00:04:52.055 Find that long, beautiful neck. 00:04:52.055 --> 00:04:54.995 Gaze is down in-between the index fingers. 00:04:54.995 --> 00:04:56.743 And here I'm getting the same benefits of Plank. 00:04:56.743 --> 00:04:58.518 I'm building that strength from the crown of the head 00:04:58.518 --> 00:05:00.400 to the tip of the tailbone, 00:05:00.400 --> 00:05:03.477 in the abdominal wall, in the arms. 00:05:03.477 --> 00:05:05.872 But I'm doing it with good alignment, with integrity. 00:05:07.908 --> 00:05:10.674 Can start at Half Plank, and then slowly 00:05:10.674 --> 00:05:13.936 build up to full Plank. 00:05:17.384 --> 00:05:20.823 For people with carpal tunnel, or wrist issues, 00:05:21.602 --> 00:05:24.891 we can go on the elbows here, so, same thing. 00:05:24.891 --> 00:05:26.993 Elbows directly above the shoulders, fingertips 00:05:26.993 --> 00:05:28.889 pointing forward, and come to Plank here. 00:05:28.889 --> 00:05:32.966 This is actually a little bit harder. For me, I should say. 00:05:34.381 --> 00:05:36.303 Nice, straight line. 00:05:38.088 --> 00:05:40.106 Make sure you're not collapsing into those shoulders, 00:05:40.106 --> 00:05:42.609 particularly for those wrists. Make sure we're pressing up 00:05:42.609 --> 00:05:44.778 and out, so we're taking all that weight off the shoulders, 00:05:44.778 --> 00:05:47.487 which gets me off the wrists, and we're also not taking 00:05:47.487 --> 00:05:49.850 the shoulders in front of the wrists, make sure the bones 00:05:49.850 --> 00:05:51.805 are stacked, in your favor. 00:05:53.120 --> 00:05:57.190 To rest, we take it back, Extended Child's Pose. 00:06:01.141 --> 00:06:03.300 Okey-doke, so that was Plank Pose. 00:06:03.300 --> 00:06:06.703 Plank is awesome because we build strength in the front body 00:06:06.703 --> 00:06:11.404 and the back body at the same time. Yoga! 00:06:11.404 --> 00:06:15.976 Which means, one, we're building strength in the body, 00:06:15.976 --> 00:06:20.080 but also we're aiming towards healthier spinal support, 00:06:20.080 --> 00:06:22.404 so, better posture, 00:06:22.404 --> 00:06:25.386 and hopefully less back pain. 00:06:26.106 --> 00:06:28.355 Great for the abs, and tons of benefits, which I'll list 00:06:28.355 --> 00:06:31.057 on the blog. So visit the blog, poccox.com, 00:06:31.057 --> 00:06:33.793 If you haven't subscribed, please do, subscribe 00:06:33.793 --> 00:06:35.996 to the channel, Like Yoga With Adriene on Facebook 00:06:35.996 --> 00:06:38.872 so you don't miss anything, and I'll see you next time. 00:06:38.872 --> 00:06:41.167 Thank you. Namaste. 00:06:41.167 --> 00:06:45.605 (upbeat music) 00:06:53.413 --> 00:06:55.839 Also, I wanted to thank my very special friend, Sam Webber, 00:06:55.839 --> 00:06:59.192 for giving me this tank top that I wore today on the mat. 00:06:59.192 --> 00:07:01.354 Thank you Sam! Love you!