Category Archives: Yoga Poses

Top Yoga Questions – How Can I Get The Difficult Plow Pose?

Yoga Poses

The plow pose can be very challenging, but with these tips, you'll be well on your way to mastering this beneficial posture!

Check Out The Transcript Here

The plow pose can be a very intimidating posture for most people. “You want me to put my head there and my feet where?!”

It seems like a pose that you’d have to be very flexible to do in the first place, and not something that everyone can just start doing. But we have some very do-able ways to start working on this very beneficial posture.

First up is the use of supports for your back and legs. Some people have difficulty with their neck flexibility. Using some folded towels under your shoulders can help decrease the stretch on your neck.

Next, get close to a wall so that you can have your back up against it to help keep you in position.

Last, and probably the most common issue we are asked, is how to get your feet on the ground behind your head.  Two simple solutions are to keep your knees bent and lower your knees to the ground instead of attempting to keep the knees straight right away.  And if you have trouble doing even that, get a box or stool to place your feet on.

As you practice the posture and improve your flexibility and strength, you’ll be able to gradually remove all supports and do it all on your own.

Let's Recap

  • Support your neck
  • Support your back
  • Bend your knees

It doesn't seem so hard now, does it?

Yoga Hip Openers

Yoga Poses

A lot of people have difficulty with hip tightness, so Jarlo put on his physical therapist thinking cap and came up with a series of stretches that are a great supplement to your yoga practice.

Enjoy!

Crow Pose Beginner Variation

Yoga Poses

The Crow and Crane poses in yoga can be a little difficult to get when you're first starting out. They require not only strength but balance to perform correctly.

If you've downloaded our Cricket Flow sample routine, you've seen that we use these poses in our Prasara Primer course. Soem people have written us with questions about nailing these postures, so here's a video from our friend Logan at Lost Art of Handbalancing with a beginner variation you can use while you perfect your form.

It's a simple tweak that makes this a LOT easier:

As you practice and get more comfortable with the balance, you'll want to turn those elbows back in and begin to straighten them. This will build your strength and prepare you to move up to the Crane (arms fully extended) version of the pose.

Incidentally, Logan's site also has a ton of information on handbalancing (go figure...) and bridging. Check it out.