Side Plank Pose

• Wrists
• Arms
• Shoulders
• Belly
• Buttocks
• Thighs

• Strengthens the arms, belly, and legs
• Stretches and strengthens the wrists
• Stretches the backs of the legs (in the full version described below)
• Improves sense of balance

Students with serious wrist, elbow, or shoulder injuries should avoid this pose.

Beginners often have a difficult time sustaining this pose, even with the soles pressed to a wall. Perform Adho Mukha Svanasana with your heels up on a wall. Measure the distance between your right foot and right hand, then step the foot halfway to the hand. Keep the right foot on the floor for support and turn the toes out to the right. Then shift onto the outside of the left foot, press the sole against the wall, and turn onto the left hand as described above. In this position the bent leg will provide some extra support. Step back to Adho Mukha Svanasana at the end of your stay, then repeat to the other side.

The full version of this pose, as taught by B. K. S. Iyengar, raises the top leg perpendicular to the floor. Perform the modified version as described above, either supported or unsupported by the wall. Exhale, bend the top knee, and draw the thigh into the torso. Reach inside the bent leg and use the index and middle fingers of the top hand to grab the big toe. Secure these fingers by wrapping them with the thumb. With an inhalation, stretch the leg perpendicularly toward the ceiling. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds, then release the grip on the toe, and return the top foot to its original position. Repeat on the second side.

In order to increase the strength and stability of this pose, it’s helpful to work it with your soles pressing against a wall. Perform Adho Mukha Svanasana with your heels up on a wall, the balls of your feet on the floor. When you shift onto the outside of your left foot, press the sole against the wall. Similarly, when you stack your right foot on top of the left, press that sole to the wall. Then in the pose, push your heels actively into the wall.

• Adho Mukha Svanasana
• Ardha Chandrasana
• Plank Pose
• Prasarita Padottanasana
• Supta Padangusthasana (for the full version)
• Supta Virasana

Vasisthasana is typically (in the Iyengar system) the first in a series of three “one-arm” balancing positions. The two companion poses in this series are usually beyond the skill level of the beginning student. You might follow this version of Vasisthasana with any of the standing poses that press the bottom hand to the floor (like Utthita Parsvakonasana and Utthita Trikonasana) or:

• Adho Mukha Vrksasana
• Adho Mukha Svanasana
• Chaturanga Dandasana
• Pincha Mayurasana
• Plank Pose
• Salamba Sirsasana
• Virabhadrasana II