My Secret Love Affair with Plank

I love plank pose. And all of it’s variations. Strange but true.  Read on to find out why my love affair with plank blossomed and continues to grow. 

Plank has many, many benefits for the physical body, but plank and I became soulmates because of the insight it gives me when it comes to my brain.  In Traditional Chinese Medicine the brain is considered a “curious” organ. Curious as in baffling.  And plank often demonstrates why.

Our minds are amazing and complex and are also the ultimate tricksters. Your yoga teacher asks you to do plank and what does your mind say?  “Ugh, this is too hard. You can’t do this. Just quit”.  And if we only listened to our mind, we probably would.  But yoga teaches us to check in with our bodies, too.  Your mind tells you to quit after holding plank for 5 seconds, yet your body is still doing the pose.  Wait a minute!!! If your mind tricks you this way in plank, does it do the same thing off the mat? Maybe it is playing similar tricks on you in your career and relationships too.  Food for thought!

The current record for holding plank is 8 hours and 1 minute.  Did your mind just tell you that there’s no way you could ever do that? Aha! Caught you red handed, Mind!  We’re on to you, now!

This Friday from 2-3 at Towson Yoga Works we will be exploring plank, it’s variations, and that beautiful, baffling organ we call our brain during my community hot yoga class.  Hope to see you there!