Upward Plank Pose

Setup and Key Actions

From dandasana (staff pose), lean back and place your hands on the floor a few inches behind your hips, shoulder-distance apart, or just slightly wider. Bend your knees and place your feet flat on the the floor with your heels stacked under your knees. Keep your fingertips pointing forward, or turn them out slightly depending on what feels best for your shoulders. Keep a tiny bend in your elbows and resist them toward each other as you press your hands away from each other and broaden and lift through your chest. Maintain those actions: hugging your elbows in, resisting your hands apart, and broadening and lifting your chest as you lift your hips up, keeping your feet parallel to one another (not allowing them to turn out). As your chest lifts, move your head back slightly to follow, only as much as feels comfortable for your neck. Be sure to maintain length in the back of your neck. Work toward keeping your pelvis, navel, and collarbones lifted at the same heights and with the same openness and expression.

Stay here, or extend your legs straight forward, keeping your toes pointing straight ahead and aiming to bring the bottoms of your feet down toward the floor. Continue to work the actions in your arms (resisting elbows in and resisting hands apart) and to lift up through your chest and pelvis.

Modifications

Keep your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor for a reverse table pose.