Our core is our key energy focus in our bodies. It houses most of our major organs and our strength. The stronger our core– the stronger our practice. Yoga is all in the core. Really. The centre of focus of an asana is always the core. Try doing any yoga move with sore abs and you will see what I mean.
We generally usually use two words to define our midsection– core and abs. And as a society we seem to be obsessed with abs– long lean abs, killer ab workouts, six pack abs, steel cut abs, ripped abs, the list goes on. There is something so desirable about a flat and fit midsection isn’t there? But there are many more benefits to strengthening our core muscles than getting “ripped”. Did you know that some of the deeper muscles of the abdomen affect our posture? Did you know that they help support our spine? There are muscles in there that we can’t even see that work hard for our health. The rectus abdominus (the six pack area) and our obliques (love handle area) are only some of many muscles that are located in our core. If you really want amazing abs, start thinking about them as a positive side effect of gaining strength for your health, because that is what they are. Strengthening your core can do amazing things for your body and, hey, having a toned tummy doesn’t hurt either!
pinterest.com
When we move through yoga poses, virtually all asanas require core strength. Engaging the core in a forward bend/fold allows us to go deeper into hamstring/hip flexibility. It protects the lower back. Likewise, engaging the core in any backbend allows our back muscles to extend further while protecting the lower back from injury. Any type of inversion in yoga also requires strength in all core muscles– especially the ones deep inside the core– to ensure that our bodies can be kept in alignment and that our legs don’t fall over. The core stabilizes balance between our arms and head versus our legs in arm balances, too.
If you are trying to develop core strength it is also important to strengthen your back muscles, which are also part of your core, but often get overlooked. Do you ever get lower back pain after doing an ab workout? That’s probably because your back muscles aren’t strong enough for the workouts that you are doing to your tummy. When we workout our abdomen we need to keep in mind that with many of these exercises for our ab muscles do not work without our back muscles– they function as one unit. Practicing backbends can help to even out the exercise done on each end.
Six Yoga Moves to Strengthen your Core
Here are some popular yoga moves to help you strengthen your core, remember to warm up the body before attempting any of these, try doing some sun salutations first!
Cat Cow:
Start in a table top position with your wrists directly under your shoulders and your knees directly under your hips.
On an inhale bring your belly down to the ground and pull your hips and head up the the sky.
On an exhale engage your core muscles as you slowly bring your belly up to the sky, rounding your spine.
Variation:
Start in a table top position with your wrists directly under your shoulders and your knees directly under your hips. Press your weight into your left hand and right knee as you inhale your right arm and left leg to become parallel with the mat.
On an exhale engage your abdomen to bend your right arm and left leg to meet each other underneath your core. Inhale to straighten them once more and exhale them back to tabletop position. Repeat on the other side
Downward Dog to Plank:
Start in Downward Facing Dog with your hands and fingertips pressing into the mat, triceps rotating inwards so that your elbows are pointing at your toes, core is engaged, hips are high and your heels are reaching towards the mat. On an inhale bring your torso forward and bring your hips down so that your body is in one straight line parallel with the floor.
On an exhale engage the core and round the spine up and back into Downward Facing Dog. Repeat as many times as needed, actively engaging the core.
Downward Dog tricep taps:
From Downward Facing Dog inhale to send the right leg up to the sky, ensuring that you are keeping both hips level with the ground.
On an exhale engage your core and bring your right knee to touch your right tricep, bringing the knee as high as it can on the arm. Inhale to bring the leg back and exhale it down. Repeat on the other side. Next, inhale the right leg up to the sky and exhale to bring the right knee to the left tricep. Do this as many times as needed until you feel the burn in your core.
Boat Pose to Half Boat Pose:
Begin seated with your sit bones rooted into your mat and place the soles of your feet on your mat in front of you, knees bent. On an inhale suck in your belly and lift your feet off the floor. Keep your legs straight (harder) or bent in a 90 degree angle (easier), arms out in front of you parallel with the mat and your shoulders down and back–try looking up at the sky if you feel like you are rounding your shoulders.
Exhale to contract your core and slowly lower your torso and feet onto the mat. Inhale to come back up.
Tip: If this exercise is putting pressure on your lower back then your muscles are not strong enough to support lifting straight legs. Try this exercise by inhaling to bend legs at a 90 degree angle and lowering to get the soles of your feet on the mat, lowering your torso as you would in the more advanced sequence above.
Side Plank to Plank:
Begin in Plank position with your wrists directly underneath your shoulders, core engaged, tailbone tucked.
Root down into your left fingertips and foot as you inhale and shift your weight into your left side, slowly bringing your right hand and foot off of the floor so that your body is completely vertical. Exhale to come back into plank pose ensuring that you are still engaging your core muscles. Repeat on the other side.
Variation: While on your left side bring your right hand up to the sky and on an exhale slowly lower your arm to cross underneath your torso so that the back of your hand is almost touching the mat underneath you. Inhale the right arm up. Repeat as many times as needed to feel a great burn in your obliques!
Beginner Variation: If you are struggling to find balance in this pose keep your top leg in front of your bottom one. You can either root down in your foot straightening your leg in front of the balancing one or you can bend your knee and place the sole of your foot out in front of your body.
Pendant Pose crunch:
Begin with the tops of your feet and shins pressing together on the mat, sit bones resting on the tops of your feet. Bring your hands alongside your torso, pressing into your fingertips. Round through your spine and shoulders here. Inhale to prepare your body, ensuring that you are wrapping your triceps and that your elbows are pointing to the back of your mat, like in plank.
Exhale to lift your knees up into your chest leaving only the tops of your feet on the mat. Engage the core as much as you can. Inhale to release, slowly bringing the knees back onto the mat.
Tip: To make this easier, use blocks underneath your hands to add length to your arms. To make this harder, try bringing one or both feet off of the mat.
Upward Facing Dog stretches the abdomen after a workout
And finally, be sure to stretch out your muscles with some back bends. Upward Facing Dog is a great way to do this. Start by lying down on your tummy with your hands pressing into the mat alongside your torso. Inhale to engage your arms, legs and core to lift your torso, hips and legs (legs optional) off of the floor and gaze upwards. Straighten your arms and make sure to rotate your triceps inwards so that your elbow creases align with the front of the mat. Hold for a few breaths, feeling a nice stretch in your abs.
Practice these every other day for a great core workout and prep for some more advanced yoga asana. Be sure to warm up before and stretch afterwards. Now, go get your yoga on!
Stay Present,
xo Sara Lou
saralouyoga.wordpress.com 