Vasisthasana (Side Plank)

(vah-sish-TAHS-anna)
Vasistha = literally means "most excellent, best, richest." Vasistha is the name of several well-known sages in the yoga tradition. There's a Vasistha numbered among the seven (sometimes 10 or 12) seers (rishis) or lords of creation (prajapatis), and a Vasistha who's author of a number of Vedic hymns. He's also said to be the owner of the fabulous "cow of plenty," Nandini ("delight"), which grants his every wish and accounts for his infinite wealth.

Key Benefits

• Strengthens the arms, belly and legs.
• Stretches and strengthens the wrists.
• Stretches the back of the legs.
• Improves sense of balance.

 
Risk Factors

• Wrist
• Elbows
• Shoulders

 
Foundation: Spread the fingers of the right palm on the floor near the top end of your mat. Lean onto the edge of the right foot. Keep the foot in line with the hand toward the back of the mat. The body remains parallel to the edge of the mat.

Root and Rebound: Root your right hand on the floor and ground the outer edge of the right foot AS YOU lift your hips and extend your left arm to the sky.
 
Key Simple Actions

• Start in downward facing dog.
• Roll the body weight forward and come into plank pose.
• Bring the feet together and shift weight toward the heels.
• Spread the fingers of the right palm and push firmly into the floor connecting the first knuckle more deeply into the mat.
• Roll to the outer edge of the right foot, stacking the left foot on top. Place the left arm onto the hip as you find your balance. Keep your right foot active and flexed like you are in Tadasana.
• The shoulder should not rest directly over the supporting hand but rather position the hand slightly in front of its shoulder.
• Strongly engage your core and feel your obliques lifting the side body.
• Once your balance is established, reach the left arm toward the sky in line with the shoulder, perpendicular to the floor. Keep both arms straight by firming the triceps and pressing the first knuckle into the floor.
• Roll the scapulae down the back and away from ears.
• The body should be one long diagonal line from the heels to the crown of the head.
• Gaze with a neutral neck position or look up toward the top hand. Hold for 6 breaths.
• To come out, lower the top hand to the floor into plank, then downward facing dog. Continue to the other side.

 
Key Pairs of Actions and Counter Actions

• Press the outside edge of your foot into the floor AS YOU lift your hips to the sky.
• Press your palm and foot downward AS YOU support the lift of the body.
• Press the palm into the floor AS YOU stabilise the scapula moving to the outer ribs.
• Press the ring of the palm into the floor AS YOU lift energy up through the centre of the palm to bring lightness to the body.

 
Key Pairs of Complementary Actions

• Activate the belly and lengthen the tailbone AS YOU stabilise the pelvis.
• Draw the shoulders away from the ears AS YOU slide your shoulder blades down your back.

Common Problems and Misalignments

• Shoulder Meeting the Ear - This action will cause pain in the shoulder due to excessive body weight placed here. To reduce this tendency, push through the palm (with your wrist under your shoulder) to assist the lift out of the shoulder. You can also drop your knee to the floor as you work to build more strength.
• Sagging Hips - Instead of a straight line, your body looks like a hammock and there is a stretch occurring in the lower side body. What we are looking for is a Tadasana position with the body. To fix this look at the placement of the hands and feet. Explore adjusting your base and imagine sending your hips to the sky. Otherwise drop the bottom leg to the floor as you work to build strength.
• Wandering Legs - When the upper body, hips and shoulders are not aligning or moving then the legs want to move forward and back. To work on this try making two legs become one. Firm the legs and flex the feet so the foot feels as strong as Mountain pose. Engage the inner thigh muscles to bring the legs together. You can practice this in Tadasana and plank pose.

 
Precautions/Contraindications

• Shoulder, wrist, elbow, knee injuries.

 
Props Used

• Wall

 
Modifications

• Dropping the bottom knee to the floor will give more stability in the pose. You can also lift the upper leg to explore the balance.
• To assist with balance, you can take top leg forward. One way is to place the foot on the floor in front of the body with the knee bent. The sole of the foot rests in front of the bottom thigh on the mat. Another variation is just to shift the top foot forward of the bottom leg. This means resting the inner edge of the top foot (flexed) on the floor.
• If there is an injury in the wrist, you can rest on the forearm instead. Make sure the shoulder is supported by the elbow and the arm is perpendicular to the body. You can use any leg variations to support the body here too.
• For more of a challenge, bend the top leg taking the knee toward the sky. Or grab a hold of the big toe of top foot and take the leg toward the ceiling. Look up to help the body to stay upright.
• Another variation is half lotus with the upper arm reaching for the lotus foot.
  
• To assist in attempting any variation of these poses, place your back body near the wall to use it as a support if exploring balance.