Plow Pose
What Is the Plow Pose?
Plow Pose is a compound exercise that primarily targets the back and also stretches the hamstrings and glutes. It is an intermediate-level yoga inversion in which you lie on your back, roll your hips up over your shoulders and lower your straight legs overhead until your toes touch the floor behind your head, with your arms stretched along the floor. The whole back of the body lengthens at once, from the muscles along the spine down through the backs of the legs.
Known in Sanskrit as Halasana, after the shape of a traditional plow, the pose usually appears near the end of a yoga session as part of the closing inversions. It is most often entered from Supported Shoulder Stand, and the two share the same setup and the same neck cautions. Teachers commonly follow it with a gentle counterpose such as Fish Pose or a Lying Knee to Chest Stretch to let the neck and spine settle.
The stretch is strongest along the erector spinae of the mid and lower back, which lengthen as the spine curls into deep flexion, and through the hamstrings and glutes as the hips fold with straight knees. Pressing the straight arms into the floor and drawing the shoulder blades together lifts the upper back so the weight rests on the tops of the shoulders, which keeps the upper back and shoulders lightly working while the back of the neck lengthens. Bending the knees takes most of the stretch out of the hamstrings and leaves it in the back.
Plow Pose suits practitioners who already have comfortable hamstring flexibility, a healthy neck and some experience with inversions. The difficulty is rarely strength: it is the flexibility to lower the legs overhead without dumping weight onto the neck. If you cannot yet fold close to your shins in a Standing Forward Fold or roll smoothly onto your shoulders, build up with hamstring stretches, Bridge Pose and a supported version of the pose with the feet resting on a chair or block before attempting the full shape.
Muscles Worked
- Erector Spinae
- Primary
- Biceps Femoris
- High
- Semimembranosus
- High
- Semitendinosus
- High
- Gluteus Maximus
- Medium
- Upper Trapezius
- Medium
- Deltoid
- Low
- Rectus Abdominis
- Minimal
Instructions
- Lie on your back on a mat with your legs straight, arms by your sides and palms pressing into the floor.
- Bend your knees toward your chest, then press your arms down and roll your hips up off the floor until they stack over your shoulders.
- Straighten your legs and lower them slowly overhead until your toes touch the floor behind your head, with the toes tucked under.
- Keep your hips lifted high over your shoulders and your legs as straight as is comfortable.
- Stretch your arms along the floor away from your feet, palms down, and press them into the mat while drawing your shoulder blades toward each other.
- Rest your weight on the tops of your shoulders and upper arms, not your neck, and keep your head still with your gaze straight up.
- Breathe slowly and hold for 3 to 5 breaths to start.
- To come out, press your arms into the floor, bend your knees if needed and roll your spine down one vertebra at a time until your hips and then your feet return to the floor.
Common Mistakes
Turning the head
Looking to the side while your weight rests on your shoulders twists the neck while it is already flexed and loaded.
Resting the weight on the neck
Letting the upper back sag so the base of the neck presses into the floor shifts the load off the shoulders and onto the cervical spine.
Forcing the feet to the floor
Pushing straight legs down past what your hamstrings and back allow drives the weight further onto the neck instead of deepening the stretch safely.
Swinging into the pose
Kicking the legs overhead with momentum drops the body weight onto the neck abruptly instead of rolling up with control.
Letting the arms go slack
Arms that stop pressing into the floor let the shoulder blades drift apart and the chest sink toward the chin, which takes away the support for the upper back.
Dropping out of the pose
Letting the back thump down to the floor all at once jars the spine, so roll down one vertebra at a time with the arms pressing into the mat.
Injuries
Plow Pose is a medium risk exercise when performed with proper technique. Your body weight rests on your shoulders and upper back while your neck is held in deep flexion, so the neck is the main strain point, followed by the lower back and the hamstrings at the end of the stretch. Most problems come from letting the weight slide onto the base of the neck, turning the head while inverted, swinging the legs over with momentum, or forcing straight legs down to the floor.
Keep your head still with the gaze straight up, press your upper arms into the floor and draw your shoulder blades toward each other so the weight stays on the tops of your shoulders, leaving a small space between the back of your neck and the floor. Many teachers place a firm folded blanket under the shoulders, with the head resting on the floor beyond its edge, to protect the natural curve of the neck. Roll in and out slowly, and start with a few breaths before building gradually toward a minute.
If your feet do not reach the floor, bend your knees or rest your feet on a chair or block instead of forcing them down, or stay in Supported Shoulder Stand with your hands on your back. Skip the pose with a neck injury or cervical disc problem, a back injury, osteoporosis or osteopenia of the spine, uncontrolled high blood pressure, heart conditions, or during pregnancy unless a clinician has cleared it, and choose Bridge Pose or a Lying Knee to Chest Stretch instead. Head-down poses also raise the pressure inside the eye: in a study of 10 people with glaucoma and 10 without, eye pressure rose within a minute of moving into Plow Pose and returned to baseline within two minutes of sitting up, so anyone with glaucoma or another eye condition should check with their eye doctor before practicing it.
Come out of the pose straight away if you feel pain, tingling or numbness in your neck, shoulders or arms, a headache, dizziness or pressure behind the eyes, or if you cannot breathe comfortably.
- Primary Focus
- Back
- Equipment
- Body weight
- Modality
- Yoga
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
Alternative Exercises
Other Names for the Plow Pose
The Plow Pose is also known as:
- Halasana
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: Is Plow Pose bad for your neck?
Not for a healthy neck when the weight stays on the tops of the shoulders, but it does hold the neck in deep flexion under load, so anyone with a neck injury or disc problem should skip it. Keep your head still, press your arms into the floor and stop at once if you feel pain or tingling in your neck or arms.
- Q: What if my feet don't reach the floor?
Bend your knees, rest your feet on a chair or block behind your head, or keep your hands on your back for support. Forcing straight legs down pulls the weight onto your neck, and the range usually comes with regular hamstring work such as the Standing Forward Fold.
- Q: Should I put a blanket under my shoulders?
Many teachers recommend one or more firm folded blankets under the shoulders, with the head resting on the floor beyond the edge, because it keeps a little space between the neck and the floor and preserves the neck's natural curve. It is especially worth trying if you feel pressure at the base of your neck without it.
- Q: What should I do before and after Plow Pose?
It is usually entered from Supported Shoulder Stand near the end of a session, once the body is warm. Afterwards, roll down slowly and follow it with a gentle counterpose such as Fish Pose or a Lying Knee to Chest Stretch.
- Q: How long should I hold Plow Pose?
Start with 3 to 5 slow breaths and build gradually toward about a minute, as long as your neck stays comfortable and your breathing stays easy.