What have you heard pregnant women shouldn’t do in Yoga? This is one of my favorite questions to throw out to a teacher training group. Inevitably it leads to a host of postures and practices which, once we compile them into a list, reveals that nearly every yoga posture out there has contraindication during pregnancy. So this means…no prenatal yoga?
This is when we start picking apart each contraindication and why it might be restricted. Key amongst these are core work, and specifically Plank pose.
Ask around the yoga world and you will get wildly differing opinions about whether or not to do plank pose. Some say this is the best way to maintain abdominal strength throughout pregnancy, while others say the pose will contribute to diastasis recti and should be avoided at all times. And still others will split the fence and say it is fine in the first trimester, but not afterwards. No wonder many moms (and yoga teachers) are left with confusion around this pose!
If we back up and look at plank pose itself we can get some clarity about whether — and how — to practice this dynamic pose during pregnancy. The truth is that, if done well and with awareness, plank can be a great strengthener for the deep core, and can be a part of overall body strength and balance throughout pregnancy. But if done improperly, it can lead to injury. The devil, as always, is in the details.
Full Plank is usually taught with the hands and feet on the floor, the arms perpendicular to the mat, the body extended in a straight line from head to heels, with the chest open, the navel lifted, and the hips in line with the spine. This position asks for strong engagement from the transverse abdominal muscles (TA), as well as integrated support from the obliques, rectus abdominis, and pelvic floor. The difficulty comes when the TA and pelvic floor aren’t able to support the weight of the body, and begin to bulge away from the body rather than lifting in and up. This sagging leads to increased pressure on the front abdominal wall and compensation by the body through other muscle groups (mainly the shoulders, psoas, and lower back muscle groups)
Now consider the added weight of a pregnancy into the mix, and we can see why this pose might be a cautionary tail. As I mentioned in my post on Distasis Recti, excessive strain on the front abdominal wall can lead to separation of the surface rectus abdominis muscles, which in turn contributes to core weakness and imbalance. So in pregnancy, the added weight on the front of the body creates a risky situation for practicing plank pose, if mom isn’t able to maintain the deep core support needed to lift the front abdominal wall into the body. Additionally, during pregnancy is not a time to be maintaining a "flat stomach” because we want to allow enough room and softness for baby to grow and develop within the uterus.
But maintaining a strong deep core during pregnancy is actually one of the things which can reduce the chances of an abdominal separation and help with back pain during and after pregnancy, so wouldn’t plank be a good pose to practice? The key question here becomes what version of plank are we talking about, and who is doing it? Full plank requires a degree of control which many people do not have (even not pregnant.) But there are other ways to practice plank pose which create the same effect without the risk of overloading the front abdominal wall without internal control.
Table pose:
Table pose often gets overlooked as a core exercise because we pass through it so often in transitions from standing to sitting or kneeling postures, but done with awareness, this pose can be a great prep for plank, and a safe alternative when looking for core work.
Begin on hands and knees. Actively press the palms into the floor and lift the collar bones as though arching into yoga Cow Pose. Now maintaining the open chest, from the ribs to the hips, actively engage and draw the tail down- as though moving into the yoga Cat pose. Maintain the Cow from the ribs up, but find Cat from the ribs down. The movement is isometric- meaning the body does not visibly move- but internally you can feel a strong core engagement. Hold activated Table pose for 5 breaths (making sure you can still breathe), then release, and repeat.
Plank at the wall:
Another way to modify plank pose for pregnancy is to reduce the angle of the body with gravity by taking the hands onto a wall rather than the floor.
Begin standing by a solid wall, with the feet hip distance apart and the pelvis in neutral. Place your hands against the wall with the palms level with the shoulders On an exhale, walk the feet slightly back, leaning your weight into your hands, and maintaining the neutral spinal position within the body. The body will tilt at an angle with a straight line from the head to the heels. Be sure to actively draw in the pelvic floor, and focus on engaging the deep abdominals to lift the navel in and up, as though drawing baby towards the heart. Hold the shape for 3-5 breaths, then walk the feet in to return to standing.
Bird-Dog Plank
This pose can be a way to approach plank from Table without asking the core to bear the full body weight all at once.
Beginning in activated table, exhale and extend one leg back fully, reaching through the heel while maintaining the open chest. Feel the engagement of the abdominal wall change as the body shifts from two knees to one. You might simply stay here for several breaths, or you could progress by pressing the tows of the extended leg into the floor and imagining taking the other foot back to meet it. Note I said imagining, don’t actually lift the second leg! But notice the recruitment in the TA and pelvic floor that can come from just beginning to do a movement. This engagement is the support we need during and after pregnancy.
Be sure to switch legs
Half Dog/Plank prep
A final idea for practicing plank during pregnancy, is to let go of the idea that plank needs to hold a straight line from head to heels, and instead focus on where we can get coordinated action in the deep core for ourselves.
Beginning in Downward Facing Dog, with the feet slightly wider than the classic stance, on an exhale draw in the pelvic floor and begin to shift the shoulders towards the hands as though being pushed by the feet. Actively gather the navel in and up towards the heart, as though hugging baby into the pose with you. As the body shifts forward, feel for engagement in the deep core body. Stop moving forward when you feel a strong engagement, but before things begin to collapse, or the lower back starts to sag towards the floor. The key is to gauge where the engagement is at maybe 60% and then stop there. For some this comes close to resembling the original plank, and for others the hips are piked much higher into the air. Both are fine as long as the center remains lifted without doming or tenting away from the body. You can hold here (though I recommend keeping it to only a few breaths), or bring the knees to the floor to return to the activated table pose.
There are other variations we could use as well which begin to incorporate more balance, and resemble other postures (such as bird dog with the leg lifted, or warrior 3 balance), but the bottom line is that while full plank may be a caution pose during pregnancy, there are ways to adjust the shape to get the same benefit without as many of the risks to the front abdominal line, and that allows us to maintain our core strength and even keep practicing this powerful pose safely throughout pregnancy.
Key Takeaways:
Plank pose is not as contraindicated as sometimes stated during pregnancy
Maintaining a strong deep core during pregnancy can help reduce Diastasis Recti
If we modify the angle and intensity of Plank pose we can make it safer to practice during pregnancy
Plank can in fact be very helpful for postpartum recovery if done properly.