Revealed November 2, 2026 01:51PM
In Yoga Journal’s Archives sequence, we share a curated assortment of articles initially printed in previous points starting in 1975. This text about Upward Plank Pose variations first appeared within the June 2007 concern of Yoga Journal. Discover extra of our Archives right here.
What course do you face whenever you follow yoga? Most likely whichever method your ordinary follow area dictates. However the previous yogis have been very clear that we should always face both east or north when working towards, per the classical yoga textual content the Gheranda Samhita 5.48. Why?
Yoga scholar Alain Danielou writes that the 4 cardinal and 4 intermediate factors of the compass have particular significance. The thunderbolt-wielding Indra, lord of all of the protectors and prototype of braveness and energy in Hindu mythology, guards the east.
By going through in a sure course after we follow, we acknowledge and draw on energetic properties for assist and inspiration. So once more, why east and north? East is the quarter of the rising solar, which Hindus revere because the “breath of creatures” or the supply of all earthly life.
The solar represents the embodied Self, its daybreak the emergence of the “mild” of non secular self-awareness and perception. North is the quarter of the pole star, referred to as dhruva (pronounced DREW-vah) in Sanskrit, which means “mounted, everlasting.” Its fidelity amid the ever-wheeling evening sky is taken into account the embodiment of willpower, actually a top quality all severe yogis covet. In India too, north is the realm of the majestic Himalayas, the place Hindu custom locations the mythic mountain Meru, considered the “navel” of the earth in addition to the bridge to the celestial world of the gods and goddesses.
What compass instructions would you assign to the front and back of your physique? In line with the yogis, your again physique is the west, your entrance physique the east. In Sanskrit, paschima means each “again” and “west,” whereas purva means each “entrance” and “east.” So this terminology offers us the names of two frequent and associated poses: Paschimottanasana (Intense Stretch of the West Pose or, extra generally, Seated Ahead Bend), which stretches your again physique, and Purvottanasana (Intense Stretch of the East or Upward Plank Pose)—pictured right here—a slight backbend and front-body stretch that gives a pleasant counterpose to its western reverse.
Purvottanasana stretches you all the best way out of your ankles via the thighs, groins, and stomach, as much as the shoulders and throat. It additionally strengthens your wrists and the muscle tissue on the backs of the higher arms (triceps) and companies the buttocks—which, should you consider fashionable media claims, is a major advantage of yoga. It is going to additionally assist enhance your sense of stability and calm. And it’s an excellent counterpose to the generally practiced Chaturanga Dandasana (4-Limbed Workers Pose).
Tips on how to Use Props to Prep for Purvottanasana
You probably have severe wrist, shoulder, or neck issues, follow this pose solely beneath the steering of an skilled trainer. You’ll want a chair, a block, and a wall to follow a few of these preparatory poses.
1. Stay Partly Supported by the Flooring
Sit on the ground together with your legs prolonged straight in entrance of you in Dandasana (Workers Pose). Rotate your thighs inward, large toes in, heels out, and press your palms to the ground barely behind your buttocks together with your fingers pointing ahead towards your ft. In case your shoulders protest, you may flip your fingers outward.
Bend your elbows and sink or hole your entrance torso, spreading your scapulas as far-off out of your backbone as doable. Rotate your higher arms inward and widen your elbows, letting the heads of your higher arm bones (humeri) jut ahead. Benefit from the stretch between the scapulas for a minute or so.
Then straighten your elbows and elevate your chest whereas leaving your decrease physique on the ground. Usually, college students merely squeeze their scapulas collectively and shove their decrease entrance ribs ahead, which hardens the entrance torso, proscribing the free movement of breath, and compresses the low again. As a substitute, preserve your scapulas broad and entrance torso tender.
Press the bases of your index fingers into the ground and hug your triceps towards your humeri. As your elbows straighten out and your chest lifts, keep the inward rotation of your higher arms, which is able to assist the scapulas keep broad. Launch your head again barely, however don’t totally prolong the neck. Hint the stretch alongside your entrance torso out of your pubis to your sternum (breastbone).
Think about directing your inhalations into the area behind your sternum (“think about” as a result of there’s no lung there, simply your coronary heart), rising the elevate of your chest. With every exhalation, reaffirm the opposing actions of the interior fingers (down towards the ground) and scapulas (up towards your again). Maintain for a minute or two. Repeat two or thrice, till you’re feeling assured you’ll be capable to recreate the inward rotation of the thighs and arms and the actions of the fingers and scapulas whereas sustaining the tender entrance torso when referred to as on to take action within the more difficult circumstances of the total pose.
2. Chair Help
Subsequent, sit on the entrance fringe of a chair together with your knees bent, heels immediately under your knees. Wrap your fingers across the again fringe of the seat (for this primary a part of the train your higher arms will naturally rotate outward), thumbs pointing outward (Determine 1).
Inhale and slowly elevate your buttocks away from the seat till your thighs, torso, and head kind one lengthy diagonal line, together with your arms kind of perpendicular to the chair seat. Rotate your thighs barely inward, and push (however don’t bodily transfer) your knees away out of your torso. The thigh rotation will are inclined to make your tailbone sag towards the ground, collapsing your stomach, so agency your tailbone towards your again pelvis and lengthen it. Maintain this place for a minute, then sit again on the chair. On an inhalation, launch the again fringe of the seat and return to sitting upright. Take a couple of breaths.
When you like, repeat this train together with your fingers turned ahead, palms on the seat, and your higher arms rotated inward. Maintain for one minute, launch on an exhalation, and relaxation.
If you wish to take this train to its restrict, elevate your buttocks once more and prolong your legs. Do your proper leg first. Inhale and press out via your heel to straighten your knee, however droop your foot a couple of inches off the ground. Then rotate your thigh inward, level your toes, and convey your sole to the ground. Simply because the bases of your index forgers press the seat, so the bottom of your large toe presses on the ground. Repeat with the left leg. As soon as once more, maintain for a minute and launch on an exhalation.
3. Block Beneath the Head
If you wish to proceed, brace the again legs of a chair towards the wall and lay your block on the seat (should you’re utilizing a wooden block, cowl the seat with a sticky mat to maintain the block from sliding). Set the block on both its lowest or center peak close to the entrance fringe of the seat.
Sit on the ground proper in entrance of the chair, knees bent, ft on the ground, heels 12 to fifteen inches away out of your buttocks, and lean again towards the entrance fringe of the seat. Press your fingers on the ground together with your fingers turned both ahead, to the edges, or again—you select—simply in entrance of the ft of the chair legs.
Inhale and do what you probably did for the primary a part of the primary train: Carry your thighs and torso parallel to the ground (heels under the knees), after which launch your head again onto the block to take any stress off your neck. If the block is just too excessive or too low, come down and readjust. In case you are having hassle opening your chest, it might assist to strengthen the firmness of your palms towards the ground, your scapulas towards your again, and your triceps towards the humeri. Then once more, it might not.
Don’t get discouraged. Simply follow this train each different day or so for the subsequent few weeks, and also you’ll be stunned how rapidly issues enhance. No matter occurs, maintain the pose for 30 seconds to a minute, then launch to the ground on an exhalation. Smile.
When you can’t enhance your chest, although, making an attempt to increase your legs will most likely make issues worse, so I don’t suggest it. But when your chest is fairly lifted, then it’s acceptable to increase your legs.
Having hassle getting the balls of your ft, particularly the bases of your large toes, on the ground? Place a rolled-up sticky mat on the ground the place the balls of your ft will probably be when your legs are prolonged and press towards that.
