Side Plank Alignment: Hand Under Shoulder or Slightly Forward?

📫 Sign up for Jenni's email newsletter for yoga body geeks here: https://jennirawlings.com/email-signup Where should you place your bottom hand in side plank? Does it really matter for shoulder safety? In this video, we break down the anatomy and biomechanics of side plank (vasisthasana) to analyze shoulder and hand alignment in the pose. Should your bottom hand be directly under your shoulder or slightly forward? While this is a hot topic in the yoga world, the truth is that this tiny difference in hand placement isn’t what matters for injury prevention. What does matter is the load on your body and how well your shoulders (and the rest of your body) are adapted to handle that load. To illustrate this, we draw insights from strength training, where shoulders are regularly loaded through their full range of motion—like in a lateral raise exercise—without micromanaging alignment by a couple of degrees. This video will help you: ✅ Understand shoulder and hand alignment in side plank ✅ Learn about the forces and muscles involved in the pose ✅ Explore regressions and progressions to adapt the load ✅ See why empowering students to make their own choices builds confidence and self-efficacy Let’s move beyond fear-based cues and embrace a more empowering approach to yoga practice! If you enjoy this content, don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share it with your yoga community. #sideplank #yogaposes #yogateachertraining #yogaalignment #yogatutorial 🧘‍♀️ Practice yoga in Jenni's online platform: https://www.jennirawlings.com/members... 🤓 Take continuing education courses for yoga teachers (for Yoga Alliance credit!) with Jenni: https://www.jennirawlings.com/members... 💪 Build strength to complement yoga with Jenni & Travis Pollen, PhD's expert strength training program: https://www.strengthforyoga.com Follow Jenni for daily posts with creative, movement science-based teaching inspiration & tips: Instagram -   / jenni_rawlings   Facebook -   / jennirawlingsyoga   TIME STAMPS 00:00 Intro 00:49 A question Jenni was asked by a confused yoga teacher about side plank alignment 1:38 The controversy in the yoga community of whether the hand should be directly under the shoulder or slightly forward 2:06 Which hand alignment many in the yoga world believe is safer 3:04 The anatomy and biomechanics of side plank 6:08 Is the premise of this controversy plausible? 7:21 How can strength training help inform us about this yoga alignment rule controversy? 10:25 Injury risk has more to do with load than alignment 13:15 How can regressions and progressions be used to modulate load and safety in yoga? 15:51 How Jenni answered the confused yoga teacher's question