“mini yogis minute” tip of the week

 

Welcome to the "mini yogis minute" weekly yoga tips for teachers and parents looking to create a more fun, engaging, and effective practice for their children. Be sure to check out mini yogis teacher training for all the tricks of the trade!

Did you know that there is no Sanskrit word for Plank Pose? That's because Plank was created as a modern convenience to ease the transition from Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend) to Chatauranga (Four-Legged Staff) in the Sun Salutations. In Surya Namaskara, the intention is to jump straight back into Chatauranga. Plank was added in so people wanting a less rigorous practice could step back to Plank and then lower to Chatauranga.

As such, if a practitioner jumps backwards in the Salutation, it should always be directly to Chatauranga (elbows are already bent upon landing), and never to Plank. Plank is reserved for the steppers in the world.

That being said, first a yogi must have a really strong and stable Chatauranga before beginning the practice of jumping back. When one lands with bent elbows, the elbows essentially act as shock absorbers for the spine and joints. When s/he jumps back straight to Plank, s/he is essentially sending those shocks all the way down his or her body.

Very few children have the strength and/or physical control to jump to Chatauranga. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, if they jump back, they either jump to Plank or (even worse) to a half-Plank/half-Chatauranga amalgamation, wherein the elbows are half bent and the hips are almost all the way collapsed. Ouch.

When teaching your kids how to transition in the Sun Salutations, make sure they always step back to Plank and lower slowly from there. It will keep them safer from injury and bad habits in the long run.

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