Hi everyone, I started yoga and in August and I love it! Right now I am only able to attend classes twice a week due to my schedule but I am trying to do a few minutes a day on my own. Since I am a new member, I was wondering if there is anything I can do in my poses to feel stronger in my upper body. I can see that my arms are getting toned, but I still get pretty exhausted during planks and moving in and out of push-ups - my elbows splay out and it is so frustrating. I know yoga is not competitive but I see the other people in class moving from a plank into down dog with ease, while I start shaking or have to move into child’s pose. Any tips, or am I still too new to yoga to expect it to be easier? Thanks!
First of all, welcome to the Forum and for a great question posted here.
There is always the danger that a newbie in class might feel that he/she is lacking in the asanas especially if the class is at a mixed level, it sounds to me this might be the case here. Some of the people in that class might be busy with yoga longer than you, so they are more established most probably. Please be patient, give yourself and your body ample of time to move in and out of the asanas and to adapat, adjust and accommodate. Don’t miss the opportunity to listen to your body and the inner voice. Have you for example noticed how still the mind is when you are holding an asana? Don’t miss out on these small things as well.
With regards to what you asked, it seems that you are in a class, have you considered speaking to your teacher about what you need and what you want to achieve? 
Good luck and I am sure there will be other replies with more insight for you here.
Yes, it is a beginner to intermediate class, with a few advanced poses thrown in about every other class. I did ask my teacher about feeling weak in some of the upper body moves. She just said I need to give it more time but did comment that she could see I my balance had improved. I am also trying really hard not to let my mind wander so I can get the most benefit from the meditative aspect of it. Thanks for the insightful reply!
There are other things that you can do in addition to yoga that will improve upper body strength. You could get some dumbbells or join a gym or just do some pushups every day. I’m sure that if you just stick with yoga, your upper body strength will improve, but if you want to speed up your progress, you need to do more.
Sorry for the late response. Adding strength training using weights would help you.:lol:
I agree with Myst and Asuri - talk to your yoga instructor. Whenever I do, they give me great advice and extra attention.
Hi & welcome, I would also suggest some upper body training with some dumbells, it worked for me. I didnt go to heavy just enough to give a little resistance.
Just do sun salutation (suriya namaskar) 5 times every morning (day). It will take about a year to develop strong upper body. Be patient and good luck!