Plank Pose: 7 Reasons to Practice and 4 Awesome Versions to Keep You Safe!

This version is helpful for those who have any wrist or hand problems and are unable to do the full version safely. In addition, most yoga practitioners feel that this version requires even more upper body and abdominal strength, so it might be the next version to practice if the classic version gets easy.

Now bring your forearms down to the floor with your elbows where your wrists were positioned a moment ago. Have your forearms parallel to each other and your palms turned down. Next, turn your toes under and lift your knees off the floor, pulling your hips up and back into Forearm Dog. As with the classic version, swing your body forward, this time directly over your elbows. In all likelihood, you will need to wiggle the balls of your feet back two to six inches until your hips come in line with your shoulders and heels. Keep your head in line with the rest of your spine. Press your entire forearms into the floor, like a big hand, so your weight does not all drop heavily into just your elbow joints.

Time your holds as in the classic version. To come out of the pose, swing back to Forearm Dog, drop down onto your knees, and release into Child’s Pose (Balasana), with your arms either straight in front of you or resting alongside your body. Release your wrists with some small circular movements. Repeat one or two more times.

3. Plank Pose: Chair Version

Because the angle of your body relative to the ground is higher when you use a chair, this version is easier and requires less initial strength than the first two versions. So this version is a good one for beginners and those who are starting off more deconditioned. This version also does not require you to bend your wrists so deeply, so it could be approachable for those with some wrist issues.

Start by placing the back of the chair against a wall so it does not slide away during the pose. Next, stand in Mountain Pose (Tadasana) about a foot away from the chair. Bend your knees, tip forward from your hips, and place your hands flat on the seat of the chair, close to the front edge. Press down firmly and walk your feet and hips back into a Downward-Facing Dog pose with hands on the chair seat for a breath or so. From here, with straight arms, swing your body forward until your shoulders are just a few inches back of your wrists and your body forms a straight line from heels through hips to shoulders. Keep your head in line with the rest of the spine.

Use the same timing as the classic version. To come out of the pose, swing your hips back to Downward-Facing Dog with hands on the chair seat, then bend your knees and walk forward towards the chair, eventually rising back up to Mountain Pose. Release your wrists with some small circular movements. Repeat one or two times.

4. Plank Pose: Knees Down Version

If you know you’ll need padding for your knees, start by placing a folded blanket in the middle of your mat. Then come in the classic version as instructed above just for a moment. Now bend your knees and drop them down to the floor or blanket. With your knees touching, lift your shinbones up towards the ceiling and bring your hips in line with your knees and shoulders, maintaining a shoulders-over-the-wrists alignment. This may require moving your hands forward or back a few inches, but do this movement lightly to keep the impact on the wrists to a minimum.

Use the same timing as the classic version. To come out of the pose, simply push yourself back to Child’s Pose. Then, release your wrists with some small circular movements. Repeat one to two more times.

Article photos courtesy of Melina Meza.

Printed with permission from YogaForHealthyAging.com and Baxter Bell.com.

Baxter Bell, MD, is a yoga teacher, educator, physician, and medical acupuncturist. These days he focuses on teaching yoga full time, both to ordinary students of all ages and physical conditions, and to the next generation of yoga teachers, to whom he teaches anatomy and yoga therapy along with his accessible, skillful style of yoga. Baxter brings a unique perspective to his teaching, combining his understanding of anatomy and medicine with his skill at instructing people from all walks of life and all levels of ability. Baxter is the co-founder and writer for the popular Yoga for Healthy Aging blog, where he shares his knowledge of medical conditions, anatomy, and yoga with practitioners and teachers across the world. In addition to being a frequent presenter at Yoga Journal Alive events and yoga conferences such as IAYT’s SYTAR, he is often quoted as an expert on yoga and health by major national news outlets such as The Washington Post and Wall Street Journal. To learn more, visit www.baxterbell.com, www.yogaforhealthyaging.blogspot.com, and his YouTube channel, Baxter Bell Yoga.