Veggie Blog

The old version of this post described three yoga exercises, Warrior III, Plank and Side Plank, but the instructions were so garbled that they were hard to follow. I have not watched the video that goes with the post, so I have rewritten the steps from standard yoga practice. They are general instructions, not taken from a study. They are demanding poses, so read the safety notes before you try them.

What does Warrior III train?

Warrior III is a standing balance pose that works the standing leg, the back of the body and the core. The old post began from Mountain Pose, and that is a good way to start. Stand with your heels slightly apart and big toes touching, legs straight, chest lifted and arms by your sides. Place your hands on your hips. Shift your weight onto your left foot and lift your right leg behind you, keeping it straight. Hinge forward from your hips, not your waist, until your torso is parallel to the floor and your raised leg is in line with it. Keep your hips level and your weight evenly spread across the inner and outer edges of your standing foot. Begin with five breath cycles and build up gradually, as the old post suggested, but do not rush to fifteen. To come out, lift the torso and return to Mountain Pose, then repeat on the other side.

How do you do Plank Pose?

Plank builds strength in the arms, shoulders and core. Begin on your hands and knees with your hands under your shoulders. Step your feet back until your legs are straight and you are balancing on your toes with your feet together. Keep your arms straight, your shoulders away from your ears and your body in one line from head to heels. Do not let your hips sag or lift. Harvard Health notes that most experts suggest holds of 10 to 30 seconds, done as several shorter sets, rather than one long hold. The video that goes with this post, “How to Do the Plank Pose” from Howcast, shows the pose. I have not watched it, so use it as a guide only, and not as a safety check.

What is Side Plank?

Side Plank is a harder variation. From Plank, press your ankles together and roll onto the outer edge of your right foot, stacking your left foot on top with your legs straight. Lift your left arm toward the ceiling and look up at it if your neck is comfortable. The old post said to let the abdominal muscles support the body without clamping and crunching, which means staying long through the waist and breathing normally. Hold for five breaths, then lower your left hand to the floor, roll back to Plank and repeat on the other side. Support yourself with your lower forearm if your wrist is sensitive, or lower your bottom knee to the floor while you learn.

What should you watch out for?

These poses put weight on the wrists, shoulders and lower back, and the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health reports that the most common yoga injuries are sprains and strains. It recommends beginners avoid extreme practices and advises people with conditions such as lumbar spine disease, balance problems or a pre-existing injury to talk to a health care provider and an instructor, since some poses may need to change. If you have back pain or other back problems, Harvard Health suggests doing the plank on your knees, or standing and leaning against a counter at a 45-degree angle. As general yoga advice (not from a source), a forearm plank takes pressure off sensitive wrists. Stop if you feel sharp pain, numbness or tingling.

How can you build up?

Practice near a wall or a sturdy chair for Warrior III at first, resting a hand on it for balance. Do a few minutes of warm-up beforehand; our guide to warming up before yoga explains how. For Plank, start with short holds and rest in between. Work through our post on holding poses with steadiness and the basic yoga postures and their variations to prepare your legs and core. If your goal is a strong midsection, our post on gaining a shapely waist through yoga has more ideas, though keep in mind that no exercise can remove fat from one area of the body alone. A short, regular practice of three or four sessions a week will do more than one very long session.