Dolphin Plank Pose
मकर अधोमुख श्वानासन
Makara Adho Mukha Śvānāsana — a beginner balance pose that works the abdominals, shoulders, serratus anterior.
How to do Dolphin Plank Pose
Read all of it before starting, and read the cautions further down before starting at all.
Come onto the forearms with the elbows directly under the shoulders and the forearms parallel.
Step both feet back until the body makes one line from the crown to the heels.
Press the forearms down and push the floor away so the upper back stays broad.
Lengthen the tailbone towards the heels and firm the thighs.
Look at the floor between the hands and hold with even breathing.
Hold: 20–45 seconds. Keep the breath moving throughout — if you are holding it, the pose is too much for today.
Muscles worked
Where the effort and the lengthening land. Primary groups do most of the work; secondary groups assist or are stretched.
What Dolphin Plank Pose does
Described mechanically — what the movement does to muscle and joint. Not a list of conditions it treats, because a pose does not treat conditions.
- Gives the full plank load through the forearms rather than the wrists.
- Works the abdominals to hold the pelvis in line with the ribs for the whole hold.
- Trains the muscles that hold the shoulder blades flat against the ribcage.
Dolphin Plank Pose is one of 31 balance poses in this library and one of 88 poses rated beginner. Poses held on a reduced base — one foot, two hands, or the forearms.
Who should skip Dolphin Plank Pose, or change it
- Shoulder injury, which a long forearm hold still loads.
- Elbow pain — place a folded blanket under the forearms.
- Later pregnancy, where the abdominal wall is already stretched; drop the knees or use a wall.
- Low back pain that appears as soon as the hips sag.
General information only — not medical advice. Some asanas are unsuitable during pregnancy, injury or specific conditions. Learn from a qualified teacher and stop if anything hurts. If you are pregnant, recovering from surgery or managing any health condition, ask your doctor before starting a practice, and learn the pose itself from a qualified teacher who can see you move.
Common mistakes in Dolphin Plank Pose
What tends to go wrong, and the specific correction — not "engage your core".
MistakeHips lifting high so the shoulders take a rest.
FixBring the hips down in line with the shoulders and shorten the hold.
MistakeElbows creeping forward of the shoulders.
FixReset the elbows directly under the shoulder joints before holding.
What a practice like this costs in energy
Nobody has measured a single asana in a metabolic cart. The 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities publishes MET values per style of practice, so Dolphin Plank Pose is mapped to the nearest published code — 02175, yoga, Power, 4 MET — and the figures below are for a practice of that kind, not for holding this one pose.
| Time practising | 10 min | 20 min | 30 min | 45 min | 60 min |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 49 | 98 | 147 | 221 | 294 |
Calculated as MET × 3.5 × 70 kg ÷ 200 kcal per minute — the standard ACSM relationship, shown in full on the method page. Scale it to your own weight by multiplying by your weight in kilograms and dividing by 70. The whole activity dataset, including every non-yoga activity, is at BurnLab.
Questions
How do you do Dolphin Plank Pose?
Come onto the forearms with the elbows directly under the shoulders and the forearms parallel. Step both feet back until the body makes one line from the crown to the heels. Press the forearms down and push the floor away so the upper back stays broad. Lengthen the tailbone towards the heels and firm the thighs. Look at the floor between the hands and hold with even breathing. Hold for 20–45 seconds.
What does Dolphin Plank Pose work?
Primarily the abdominals, shoulders, serratus anterior, with the glutes, quadriceps, upper back assisting or lengthening. In mechanical terms: gives the full plank load through the forearms rather than the wrists.
Who should not do Dolphin Plank Pose?
Shoulder injury, which a long forearm hold still loads. Elbow pain — place a folded blanket under the forearms. Later pregnancy, where the abdominal wall is already stretched; drop the knees or use a wall. Low back pain that appears as soon as the hips sag. This is general information, not medical advice — if any of these apply to you, ask your doctor and learn the pose with a qualified teacher rather than from a page.
Is Dolphin Plank Pose suitable for beginners?
Yes. Dolphin Plank Pose is a beginner-level pose on this site, which means it is learnable in a first class and has a version that works for most bodies. The cautions above still apply.
How many calories does Dolphin Plank Pose burn?
The honest answer is that nobody has measured a single asana. The 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities publishes MET values for styles of yoga, not for individual poses. Dolphin Plank Pose sits closest to Compendium code 02175, yoga, Power, at 4 MET — about 147 kcal for 30 minutes of that kind of practice for a 70 kg adult. Holding one pose for a minute is a rounding error either way.
Related poses
More balance poses — first at the same level, then the rest of the family.
Asana names are traditional. Every step, benefit and caution on this page is written for YogaPath rather than reproduced from any book, studio or other library — see how this site is written. Energy figures derive from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities. General information only — not medical advice. Some asanas are unsuitable during pregnancy, injury or specific conditions. Learn from a qualified teacher and stop if anything hurts.