In short: upward plank, also called reverse plank, starts seated with the legs straight and the hands behind the hips; you press into the hands and feet and lift the hips until the body forms a straight, slightly arched line facing the ceiling. It stretches the whole front of the body, especially the shoulders, chest and the fronts of the ankles, and strengthens the arms, back and legs. The bent-knee “reverse tabletop” is the usual way in.
Upward plank is the natural counterpose to forward bends and to the many chaturangas of a flowing class. Below: the name, the cues for the shoulders and neck, the precautions, reverse tabletop and where the pose is taught.
The name: a stretch of the east
The Sanskrit name is Pūrvottānāsana. Iyengar explains pūrva as the east, and by extension the front of the whole body from forehead to toes, and uttāna as an intense stretch; Yoga Journal and AshtangaYoga.info give the same reading, “the pose that stretches the front of the body”. English names include upward plank, reverse plank and intense east stretch. They all describe the same pose, so this page is the single record for all of them.
How to make upward plank work
Sit in staff pose and place the palms on the floor behind the hips with the fingers pointing toward the feet, about a hand’s length back. Yoga Journal suggests leaning back slightly and lifting the chest before the hips: draw the shoulder blades into the back and open the chest first. Then press into the hands and feet and lift the hips, reaching the soles of the feet toward the floor. Light on Yoga describes the arms vertical from wrist to shoulder and the trunk parallel to the floor; AshtangaYoga.info keeps the feet together, the legs long and a slight backbend in the torso.
Keep the legs active, with the inner thighs rolling down so the knees face the ceiling, and the buttocks lifting without clenching. The head can drop back gently if the neck is comfortable; otherwise keep the chin slightly tucked. Holds: one minute in Light on Yoga, five breaths in Ashtanga, five to ten breaths in Yoga Journal. Lower the hips on an exhalation and sit down.
Reverse tabletop: the bent-knee preparation
In reverse tabletop the knees stay bent with the feet flat and hip-width apart, the hands behind you with the fingers toward the feet, and you lift the hips until the thighs and torso form a flat “table” over the arms and shins. Yoga Journal’s cue is to keep the neck in line with the spine, or the chin slightly tucked, rather than dropping the head back. Hold a few breaths and lower slowly. It is a good beginner pose for wrist and shoulder strength, a gentle chest opener and a stepping stone to upward plank. “Reverse tabletop” is a modern descriptive name; we have not found an established Sanskrit name in our sources, so the form “Ardha Purvottanasana” is not used here.
Precautions in plain words
Upward plank loads the wrists in extension and the shoulders at the back of their range. With wrist pain, Yoga Journal suggests hands on blocks slanted against a wall; with a shoulder injury, stay in reverse tabletop or skip the pose. With a neck injury, do not drop the head back. If the hamstrings cramp, bend the knees into reverse tabletop.
Preparation and what comes next
Prepare with cat-cow, plank, locust and bridge. In the Ashtanga primary series, upward plank directly follows the seated forward bends as their counterpose. Afterwards, fold forward in seated forward bend or twist gently in half lord of the fishes.
Where it is taught
Upward plank is in Light on Yoga (Iyengar), the Ashtanga primary series after the Paschimottanasana group, and many vinyasa and hatha classes. Reverse tabletop is common in beginner and gentle classes.
