How I Teach Plough Pose Using Humour, Symbolism & Story

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How I Teach Plough Pose Using Humour, Symbolism & Story

George Watts in Plough pose

Greetings, my lovely Yogis, Yoginis, and Yoga teachers. I’m George Watts, a BWY yoga teacher and creator of the Online Yoga Lesson Planner.

In this post, I’ll share how I teach plough pose using humour, symbolism and story to bring more creativity and fun to your classes.

Step 1: Sanskrit

Don’t be afraid to introduce your students to the Sanskrit name for Plough Pose—Halasana (hah-LAHS-anna)—because, let’s be honest, it sounds way more mystical than “flipping yourself into a human pretzel.”

“Hala” means plough, as in the sturdy farming tool used to dig deep and prepare the earth for new growth—kind of like what this pose does for your spine.

“Asana” means posture, which is what your students will be attempting as they tip themselves over like a well-balanced wheelbarrow. Encourage them to embrace the name, because nothing builds confidence like saying, “Ah yes, today I shall embody the noble plough,” while trying not to accidentally roll into their yogic neighbour.

Step 2: Quick One Sentence Teaching Directions For Plough Pose

Lie on your back, lift your legs overhead, lower your toes toward the floor behind you, keep your neck relaxed, and breathe deeply as you stretch through your spine.

Step 3: Teaching Plough Pose The Traditional Way

The Traditional Way Of Teaching Plough Pose

Lie on your back with your arms resting alongside your body, palms facing down.

On an inhale, lift your legs toward the ceiling, engaging your core as you bring them overhead. Slowly lower your feet toward the floor behind you, keeping your legs straight and hips stacked over your shoulders.

If your feet don’t reach the floor, support your lower back with your hands or rest them on a block.

Keep your neck relaxed, gaze toward your navel, and avoid turning your head. Hold for a few breaths, maintaining steady breathing, then slowly roll down one vertebra at a time to release the pose.

Step 4: Teaching Plough Pose The Quirky Way Using Story, Symbolism and Humour

Alright, yogis, it’s time to flip, fold, and farm (forgive the pun) your way into Plough Pose.

Lie on your back and imagine you’re a magical plough, preparing the fields for a bountiful harvest—but instead of digging into the earth, you’re rolling your legs overhead like a graceful human wheelbarrow.

Lift those legs, engage your core, and slowly lower your toes toward the floor behind you—or as close as they’ll go without causing an unplanned somersault. Keep your arms strong like handles guiding the plough, relax your neck (because no one wants a stiff farmer), and breathe deeply as you stretch your spine.

Hold steady.

Embrace the upside-down farming vibes, and when you’re ready, unroll yourself back down like a well-ploughed field—smooth and controlled, no crash landings!

Step 5: 30 Modifications for Plough Pose Using Story, Symbolism and Humour

George Watts in modifications of Plough Pose

I love learning new modifications for a pose!

Why do I do this when I probably won’t use most of them in a class?

Mainly because it gives me more confidence when rocking up to my yoga classes. When I see a student who needs a modification, I walk up to them, and demonstrate an appropriate one for them. It could be a beginner, intermediate or advanced modification depending on their experience.

I’ve also discovered that learning lots of modifications helps me become better at teaching the standard pose. All that information is swirling around somewhere in my little head, and finds a way to come out when needed in a class.

Here are 30 modifications for you!

Scan through them, pick ones that resonate with you, then close your eyes and imagine teaching the modification in your class. Visualisation is a fabulous mental tool for yoga teachers! Try my 3-step visualisation tactic to rehearse your next yoga class.

10 Beginner Modifications for Plough Pose

Beginner Modification 1: The Halfway Harvest
Instead of lowering your legs all the way over, rest them on a chair. This way, you’re still ploughing the field, just at a slower, more manageable pace.

Beginner Modification 2: The Tippy-Toe Tiller
If your toes don’t reach the floor, place yoga blocks under your feet. Now, you’re a farmer testing the soil before committing to the full plough.

Beginner Modification 3: The Farmer’s Assist
Support your lower back with your hands as you lift your legs overhead. This is the “training wheels” version of ploughing—more support, less chance of an unplanned tumble!

Beginner Modification 4: The Crop Duster
Keep your knees slightly bent instead of fully straightening your legs. Think of it as a gentle glide over the fields rather than a full-on dig.

Beginner Modification 5: The Soft Soil Approach
Place a folded blanket under your shoulders to reduce pressure on your neck. Even the best ploughs need soft ground to work with!

Beginner Modification 6: The Gentle Plough
Instead of taking your feet to the floor, stop when your legs reach a comfortable angle. It’s like ploughing only half the field—still productive, just less intense.

Beginner Modification 7: The One-Legged Farmer
Lower only one leg behind you at a time while keeping the other extended upward. This is like a farmer testing one row at a time before committing to the whole field!

Beginner Modification 8: The Resting Tractor
If lifting both legs is too much, practice rolling your hips slightly up and down, engaging your core without going fully overhead. This is your warm-up lap before taking the plough out for a full spin.

Beginner Modification 9: The Reclining Plough Prep
Lie on your back and lift your legs to 90 degrees, holding them there instead of rolling over. Think of this as mapping out your farmland before digging in.

Beginner Modification 10: The Supported Furrow
Place a bolster or blanket behind your head as a stopping point for your feet. Now, you’re ploughing the land with a little extra cushioning—because even hardworking farmers deserve some comfort!

10 Intermediate Modifications for Plough Pose

Intermediate Modification 1: The Deep Dig
Once in Plough, clasp your hands behind your back and press them into the mat. This intensifies the stretch, like a farmer gripping the plough handles for better control.

Intermediate Modification 2: The Side-Tilled Row
Shift your legs slightly to one side, then the other. This helps till the entire yoga field evenly!

Intermediate Modification 3: The Scarecrow Stretch
After reaching Plough, spread your legs wider apart instead of keeping them together. Now you’re a farmer making sure every row gets some attention!

Intermediate Modification 4: The Reverse Tractor Roll
From Plough, slowly lower your legs down without using your hands for support. This is a farmer trusting the plough to do its job!

Intermediate Modification 5: The Harvest Hold
Hold the pose for an extended time, breathing deeply and “soaking in the crop’s energy.”

Intermediate Modification 6: The Floating Furrow
Instead of dropping the feet to the floor, hover them an inch or two above the ground. This adds extra core work—because even ploughing requires strength!

Intermediate Modification 7: The Reverse Field Trip
Try transitioning from Shoulderstand into Plough Pose smoothly. You’re now moving between different tools in the farmer’s shed!

Intermediate Modification 8: The Oxen Stretch
If your hands are free, press them into your lower back for extra support, like a farmer adjusting the plough to work more efficiently.

Intermediate Modification 9: The Twisted Tiller
Turn your legs slightly to one side while in Plough for a gentle spinal twist, tilling the earth in a new direction.

Intermediate Modification 10: The Seed Planter
Once in Plough, tap your toes lightly on the mat, lifting them again like you’re planting seeds before fully resting.

10 Advanced Modifications for Plough Pose

Advanced Modification 1: The Full Farm Expansion
Take your legs even further back and walk your toes behind your head for a deeper stretch. Ploughing extra rows today!

Advanced Modification 2: The Bound Plough
Reach your arms forward and grab your toes behind your head. Congratulations, you’ve turned into a human plough in action!

Advanced Modification 3: The Fertiliser Flip
Move directly from Plough into Wheel Pose (Urdhva Dhanurasana). Farmers call this multitasking!

Advanced Modification 4: The Rolling Tractor
From Plough, roll forward and back gently to massage the spine, like a tractor smoothing out freshly tilled soil.

Advanced Modification 5: The Farmer’s Market Special
Add a crossed-leg variation in Plough (Lotus Legs) for extra hip opening. Now you’re not just ploughing—you’re meditating in the field.

Advanced Modification 6: The Seed Scatterer
Lift one leg toward the ceiling while keeping the other behind you. Now you’re spreading the seeds evenly across your yoga farmland!

Advanced Modification 7: The Oxen Yoke Stretch
Hold Plough Pose for a full minute while focusing on slow, deep breathing—the true sign of a patient, hardworking yogi farmer.

Advanced Modification 8: The Wheelbarrow Transition
From Plough, try rolling up smoothly into a seated position without using your hands. Extra farm points for control and balance!

Advanced Modification 9: The Rolling Furrow
Try shifting between Plough and Shoulderstand multiple times. You’re now a moving tractor, covering the whole field!

Advanced Modification 10: The Advanced Farmer’s Flow
String together a seamless sequence of Shoulderstand, Plough, and Fish Pose. Now you’re not just ploughing—you’re running a whole yoga farm!

George’s Conclusion

Well, there you have it, my lovely fellow yoga teacher.

Teaching plough pose using humour, symbolism and story. By using breathwork, keeping a few modifications up your sleeve, knowing the proper alignment cues, and not being afraid to teach by painting vivid images in your student’s minds, you can help students build a strong foundation and deepen their practice over time.

Oh yes, I almost forgot, click here for 10 beginner yoga lesson plans with peak poses which are ideal “themed” yoga lesson plans.

And click here for an article I wrote called: 1001 Yoga Class Planning Tips & Handouts For Yoga Teachers.

If you want to create yoga lesson plans quickly and easily, take a quick peek at my Online Yoga Lesson Planner.

Hey, while you’re here, you might as well get your hands on 37 free Yoga lesson plans.

37 Free Yoga Lesson Plans

Below are 37 free downloadable yoga lesson plans that I’ve created for my own yoga classes using the Online Yoga Lesson Planner. Feel free to use them for your own yoga classes, or as inspiration to come up with your own yoga class themes.

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