Crocodile pose: Chataranga Dandasana

Lying on your mat face down, bring your hands next to your chest with your palms down. Squeeze your elbows into your sides as you lift from your hips first into this strong pose. Alternatively you can lower yourself from a plank pose into this which looks like a crocodile pose. Try to get your chest down before the hips as once the hips lower down it is more challenging to keep the body in a straight line with the floor.

This pose is good for core and arm strength. It uses the triceps, shoulders and legs too. Lower yourself completely down onto the floor afterwards and either push into downward facing dog or into a child’s pose to rest.

Using our own body weight for this lift is a wonderful way to get stronger.