Yoga and Faith: Explore the Power of Plank Pose for Strength and Humility

Relaxation in a Digital World

Studies have revealed a concerning trend: a startling lack of time for relaxation among the general population. According to research published by the American Psychological Association, nearly half of American adults say that stress has increased in their life over the last decade. The main factor attributed to this is the lack of sufficient downtime. The Pew Research Center underscores this finding, noting that 60% of adults struggle to balance work, family, and personal interests, leaving relaxation to the margins. Furthermore, the World Health Organization points out that extended working hours and omnipresent digital connectivity blurs the lines between work and leisure, exacerbating the issue.

A study by the American Psychological Association found that adults spend an average of 3.5 hours per day on their phones, which contributes to increased stress levels and various health problems, including anxiety and sleep disturbances. Our digital devices have literally become metaphorical "jail cells" that we've locked ourselves into!

The consequence of this relentless hustle between juggling responsibilities and finding time to breathe is an exhausted culture. One that is chronically stressed and can't (or won't) prioritize the need for maintaining mental and physical well-being, let alone spiritual connection. In this digital culture fraught with stress, it's crucial to remember the wisdom found in Scripture: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28, NIV).

Getting on our mats forces us to slow down, breathe, and think. Practicing yoga for as little as 20 minutes a day can help us bank more time into our bucket of relaxation. Integrating the scriptures during that time can multiply that level of rest. It can because once we get into the habit of spending time doing things that pay us back with health and vitality, we not only replace our bad habits with good ones, we synergize the rewards of strengthening our fitness with faith. Finding the time for moments of stillness and relaxation can be elusive but in most cases, we just need to regroup what's important to us. The hardest part is just starting.

Faith yoga, an evolving practice that combines the physical aspects of yoga with scripture, can be transformative. This is because it creates a life-changing, multi-faceted pathway of not only reducing our stress, and strengthening our body, but enlivening our faith. Integrating a yoga practice with scriptural reflection takes just 15-20 minutes to set those effects into motion for the rest of our day.

Building Physical Stability and Strength

One of my favorite strength training exercises is plank pose, traditionally known as kum bha kasana. This exercise not only strengthens our back and core, it can be used to build up patience, for ourselves and ultimately for others. Plank can be a powerful training method for steadfastness in faith. Not only because of its demands on our physical form but for aligning our efforts with scripture.

How to plank:

1. Posture: Begin by getting on your knees, arms extended straight out, hands flat on the mat, elbows directly under your shoulders. Extend your legs behind you, keeping the toes and balls of your feet on the ground. Feet are about 3-4 inches apart.

2. Alignment:  Maintain a straight line from head to heels, engaging abdominal muscles to prevent hip sagging.

3. Breathing: Inhale deeply as you hold yourself up, then use a slower exhale to control your form. This aids in maintaining posture and helps prevent your lower back muscles from caving in with pressure, especially if your a beginner. It also builds endurance.

Consistent practice of plank pose enhances not just our core but also the shoulders, arms, and legs, contributing to overall stability and strength.

Mastering Plank

Beginners may find plank pose challenging initially, but perseverance and patience is part of the journey. Here are some tips to build up to at least 1 minute as a beginner.

- Modify: If a full plank is too strenuous, start with your knees on the ground until you build sufficient strength.

- Resting moves in between timings:

• Lower one knee on the mat, while extending the other leg up behind you.

• Gently lower the entire body on the mat into Sphinx pose looking straight ahead. Retract back into Childs pose for an opposing variation of rest.

• Rest from plank by moving, utilizing several variations of Downward Dog

- Check Your Form: Use a mirror or seek a yoga instructor’s guidance to ensure proper alignment to avoid injury, especially in the wrists or in the lower back. Excess weight can create a stronger defiance of gravity on both the wrists and the back initially.

- Gradual Increase: Start by holding the pose for 15-20 seconds and increase your time between resting periods as your strength improves.

How Do We Faith Yoga?

Many Christians will quickly tell us who they believe in if asked about their faith.

But the real answer will surface if instead we ask who (or what) they worship. We all worship something whether we admit it or not. It's either material things, money, success, popularity, people, or a combination of things. It can even be food if that's all we focus on! Worshipping God is something many Christians don't practice. We hear Christians professing their belief in God but rarely profess making the effort to worship Him. This is obvious at church when we see only a few people lifting their hands.

Faith yoga, or Christian yoga, gives an opportunity to actually worship our Creator. This type of spiritual modification to help refine ourselves as Christians with yoga asanas not only helps to strengthen our body, it helps us reflect on biblical wisdom in a unique way within the physical laboring of yoga.

Faith yoga gives us a chance to answer that question more clearly, and loudly, using our body and mind, without saying a word. Positioning ourselves to kneel before our Creator or lift our hands up can transform our faith. Try it now and see how it can move you to give praise for all you have. This is because we are using not only our mind but our entire being. And there is healing and power in that! Faith doesn't just happen. It grows from our actions. Yoga asanas are a perfect tool for creating that action.

Matthew 7:1-5 wisely states,

Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?

Jesus was great at exaggerating to make his point. What he said underscores the importance of honesty, self-awareness, patience, and humility. When practicing plank pose, we can focus on our own alignment, both physically and spiritually.

The plank pose is a cornerstone for many yoga routines due to its full-bodied benefits. In faith yoga, it can serve as a metaphor for scripture. Nowadays, with so much disagreement between what is right and wrong, and so many conflicting opinions circulating on social media, training ourselves to check our "alignment" first is an underrated exercise.

No matter how hard we work, or how right we are about things in this world, no one is perfect. When we judge other people, we ultimately condemn ourselves because the Lord's judgement cuts both ways. Jesus reminds us here to first evaluate ourselves before scrutinizing the lives of others. Even if we don't say anything at all, we can still condemn ourselves with our thoughts for judging others. Just as our thoughts can manifest into an energy around us, our thoughts too will manifest into our own judgement when Jesus returns.

Humble yourselves, then, under God's mighty hand, so that he will lift you up in his own good time. ~1 Peter 5:6 GNTD

Faith Modification for Plank Pose: Let's Straighten Our Backs First

The Western yoga culture tends to focus primarily on the self, but is that a balanced viewpoint? Adjusting our yoga practice into a faith-based one is simple. It can synchronize the unity of body, mind, and spirit. Bonus, it can strengthen your ability to recall scripture simply because we learn by doing! Here are a few steps to modify plank pose with scripture:

• Write out the scripture, or another scripture of your choice on a 5x8 card and place it in front of you for plank pose.

• Meditate on Matthew 7:1-5 before you work on straightening your alignment, physically.

• Pray for strength and the ability to see your faults before finding them in others.

  Then get into plank.

• Were you weaker or stronger than before? Prayer is powerful and can be helpful.

Enhancing Mental Health and Focus with Faith Yoga

The mental health benefits of yoga are well-documented, and the plank pose is no exception. Holding this pose requires concentration and patience, which parallel the mental discipline needed to navigate life’s trials, especially as a Christian. Meditating on simple phrases such as "I am strong in Him," or "I am faithful" can also transform your mental state. It does this by creating resilience and aligns your physical fitness with your spiritual values. Faith yoga completes the unity of body, mind, and spirit while energizing your faith. And what Christian can't use more of that?

written by Lupita Ronquillo, founder of Vegan Health and Yoga

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References:

1. American Psychological Association. (2017). Stress in America: The State of Our Nation. https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2017/state-nation.pdf

2. Pew Research Center. (2015). Modern Parenthood. https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2015/11/04/modern-parenthood/

3. World Health Organization. (2020). Healthy Workplaces: A Model for Action. https://www.who.int/occupationalhealth/publications/healthyworkplacesmodelaction.pdf 4. American Psychological Association. (2017). Stress in America: Coping with Change: https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2017/technology-social-media.pdf

5. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2019). American Time Use Survey — 2018 Results: https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/atus.pdf