Core / Arm
Plank Pose
Phalakāsanaफलकासन· fah-lah-KAH-suh-nuhplank/board posture (phalaka = board)
Plank Pose (Phalakasana) is a foundational strength pose: a straight line from head to heels, supported on the hands and toes, core engaged. It builds core, arm, shoulder and wrist strength and teaches whole-body stability. Lower the knees for a gentler version.
Step by step
- 1
Set the hands
From all fours, place the hands shoulder-width, fingers spread.
- 2
Step back
Extend the legs back, toes tucked, so the body forms one straight line.
- 3
Engage the core
Draw the belly in, firm the thighs, and lengthen from crown to heels.
Breath: Breathe steadily
- 4
Align the shoulders
Stack the shoulders over the wrists; broaden the collarbones.
- 5
Hold or rest
Stay for a few breaths, then lower the knees to rest.
Benefits
- Strengthens the core, arms and shoulders
- Builds wrist and full-body stability
- Improves posture and endurance
- Prepares the body for arm balances
Common mistakes
- Letting the hips sag or pike up
- Collapsing between the shoulder blades
- Holding the breath
Modifications & variations
- Lower the knees to the floor
- Practise on the forearms (forearm plank)
- Hold for shorter intervals and build up
Related poses
Video transcriptIn this session, Rohini guides you through Plank Pose (Phalakāsana), flowing into four-arm plank, side planks, and a resting sphinx and child-like stretch.
Namaste. Welcome to Yoga & You. My name is Rohini and I'm the owner and teacher at Chennai Yoga Studio. Today I'm going to teach you the one simple exercise that, if you do it every single day, will tone your entire body. It's really simple and also really hard, but if you do it every single day, it'll tone up every part of your body. It's called the plank, okay?
So what I want you to do is just come to your mat. You'll bring your hands underneath your shoulders and extend your leg until your toes touch the ground, then the opposite one. Always keep the body in a straight line, because this is kind of hard, people will have the tendency to do this, or drop your hips. That's really bad because you'll hurt your lower back. So always pull through your belly and make sure the body is in a straight line. Roll the shoulders and keep the body really nice and long, and lift your thigh muscles. We're holding here just for five. Four. Three. Two. And for one.
From here, see if you can come down to a four-arm plank. So just come down, hold, interlace your fingers, keep the body really nice and long, and again square your shoulders over your elbows, okay? Hold here just for another five. Four, pull through the belly. Three. Two. One.
We're going to do a four-arm side plank. Roll onto the outer edge of your leg as you lift your left hand up. Hold for another four. Three. Two. One, center. And to the other side, open it out, lengthen and look up, just for another four. Three. Two. One, come back to the center. Hold again just for another four. Lengthen your spine, pull the belly, here for three. Two. And for one.
Drop the belly down, open the hands out by the side, roll the shoulders back, and you're coming into a sphinx, okay? So don't collapse in, always roll, lift a length in the entire body. This will rest the shoulders and it'll also extend and stretch the belly muscles that we just used. Just for another three. Two. And for one.
A good way to rest after this posture is to open the legs wide with the toes pointing out, heels pointing in. Palms form a little pillow, and rest one cheek on the ground.
Frequently asked questions
- How long should I hold Plank Pose?
- Start with 15–30 seconds of good form and build up. Quality matters more than duration — stop when the hips start to sag or the breath becomes strained.
- Is knee-down plank effective?
- Yes. Lowering the knees keeps the core and arms working while reducing load, making it a smart way to build strength safely before progressing to full plank.
Keep exploring
References
- Traditional Hatha practice; see B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on Yoga for related preparations · Book — Contextual reference from the Indian yoga tradition.