Do you know the location of this photo of Karen Watson Reeves demonstrating Upward Facing Plank pose? First correct answer wins 3 free yoga classes. Photo by Fred Padilla.
By Karen Watson Reeves
Upward Facing Plank is a pose that requires quite a bit of strength in the abdominal muscles, along with the leg muscles and shoulders. Keeping the knees bent in a reverse table position is a good modification while building up the strength necessary to straighten the legs.
I chose Upward Facing Plank for this photo location because if you could zoom in on the picture, you could see a stream of water. While lifting up and holding the posture, I visualized my body as the stream bed and the flow of water trickling down my body. If the water couldn’t flow, I’d know I needed to find the strength to get a little more lift.
If you follow this column, you will remember that I enjoy teaching yoga to children. When we practice this pose in children’s yoga, I have them imagine they are a slide on the playground, and then place a ball at the base of the children’s necks. If it rolls down to the ankles, then the children are strong like a playground slide.
Whether children or adults are practicing this pose, whether the practitioner imagines playground equipment or flowing water or another image, there is a lot of strengthening and stretching going on!
The triceps, shoulders, upper back, wrists, legs, and glutes are strengthened. The chest, abdomen, front hips, ankles, and tops of feet are stretched. When the head is dropped back, the thyroid gland is stimulated. The entire front of the body is opened. Practicing Upward Facing Plank can open you to new possibilities. Perhaps that is the best benefit of all!
The first person to specifically identify the location of the photo will receive three free classes.
Karen Watson Reeves has called Hot Springs home since 2006. Owner of The Yoga Place, at 301 Whittington Avenue, she became a registered yoga/children’s yoga teacher in 2011. She is on the Hot Springs YMCA teaching staff and is an adjunct instructor at National Park College. When not on the mat, Karen enjoys the beautiful outdoors of the National Park, especially from her bicycle. For more information about her studio and her schedule of classes, visit www.theyogaplacehs.com.
