Face plant

Left: Me, this morning. Right: Beautiful example of a plank by Synergy Massage Therapy (link below).
Note how my mid- to lower back is sagging, hanging from my shoulders. The strength in my arms is coming from the fact that my joints are stacked over each other, not actual strength. See how clean a line the woman's body at the right is making from her head to her heels, while mine, not so much.

Awoke with fresh energy this morning. Is this strength? Imagination? Steroid high? Post-colonoscopy joy?

I’ve been wanting to make videos of myself moving to show to some of my bio-mechanics friends, so I set the computer up to record a simple sun salutation. 

Got as far as the part where you’re at the top of a pushup and you bend your elbows toward your knees to lower yourself down to the ground WITH CONTROL. Except the control part wasn’t there, and I fell smack dab on my face (sort of remembering on the way down Oh, that’s right — things don’t work like they used to. . .)

Literal face plant. Massive bloody nose, hurt pride, lost video (fumbling with bloody face in hands to turn it off) but apparently no real damage. Newly mopped floor. Freshly cleaned mat. Yoga clothes in laundry.

Lesson learned. Further to that point: 

Here's a graphic from Ray Long showing how to move from straight-arm plank to chaturanga dandasana using blocks. (Note to self: USE BLOCKS next time.) More of his really interesting illustrations here.

 

Also from Ray Long: a page out of his book, Yoga Mat Companion 4 - Anatomy for Arm Balances and Inversions, showing the muscles used in chaturanga dandasana (muscles which I coincidentally no longer appear to have much strength in).

And regarding the photo at top, on the right:

How to do a straight-arm plank, per Synergy Massage Therapy