Yoga to Tone your Abs!
Yoga for abdominal strength
Using specific yoga exercises to get solid abs
Yoga for abs? Even if the key objectives of yoga are not aesthetics, yoga can be very effective for firming your stomach muscles and trimming unwanted fat. Most people today, male or female, appreciate firm abs and today I want to show you three very effective yoga asanas for firming and toning your abdominal muscles.
The three asanas that we are looking at today work your entire mid-section, lower back, buttocks, intercostal region and internal organs and aside from working your stomach muscles the poses provide many benefits (see below).
Please remember that yoga is completely different from regular gym routines, here we are not interested in endless repetitions of the same exercise, we are looking for perfect execution of the pose and holding the pose for a determined amount of time. I would like to suggest that you do each exercise from the list 5 times and consider this as one set, if you have trouble with the boat post you can try holding your thighs and do the pose two or three times only. With practice you can build up your routine – not with individual reps but by holding the pose longer .
Let us look at the asanas in more detail …
Yoga Workouts for Toned Firm Abs:
Yoga for abs? Even if the key objectives of yoga are not aesthetics, yoga can be very effective for firming your stomach muscles and trimming unwanted fat. Most people today, male or female, appreciate firm abs and today I want to show you three very effective yoga asanas for firming and toning your abdominal muscles.
The three asanas that we are looking at today work your entire mid-section, lower back, buttocks, intercostal region and internal organs and aside from working your stomach muscles the poses provide many benefits (see below).
Please remember that yoga is completely different from regular gym routines, here we are not interested in endless repetitions of the same exercise, we are looking for perfect execution of the pose and holding the pose for a determined amount of time. I would like to suggest that you do each exercise from the list 5 times and consider this as one set, if you have trouble with the boat post you can try holding your thighs and do the pose two or three times only. With practice you can build up your routine – not with individual reps but by holding the pose longer .
Let us look at the asanas in more detail …
Yoga Workouts for Toned Firm Abs:
- Marjariasana – The Cat Pose
- Supta Udarakarshanasana – The Lying Abdominal Stretch Pose
- Reverse Naukasana - The Boat Pose
Marjariasana - The Cat Pose
In the first part of this exercise your should fill your lungs just before tilting your head back as far as possible and pushing your belly towards the floor (notice my stomach in the photo). Hold this position for a count of 10 then exhale while bringing your chin to your collar bone and arching your back like a cat and contracting your abs. Hold this for a count of 10
If done correctly you will feel a wonderful abdominal stretch when you bend your head backwards and arch your back so as that your stomach bends towards the floor and a good contraction of the abdominals when arching your back as a cat and exhaling. Let’s look at the procedure in a little more detail:
Come onto the floor on your hands and knees. Bring the hands shoulders width apart and the knees hips width apart. Become aware of the length and quality of the breath.
Inhalation slowly and completely. Open the chest forward, arching the back downward. Feel the tailbone and the crown of the head lifting equally towards the sky. Try to feel every part of the back, every vertebra concentrate on your tummy muscles and feel them fully stretch and open.
Exhale slowly and completely as you begin to arch the back upward. Tuck the tailbone and the crown of the head moving them towards each other. Use your hands and knees for support in the pose. Try to feel every part of the back, every vertebrae as if you were trying to raise your lower back to the ceiling.
Continue to coordinate the breath and the movement of the spine, repeating this sequence 5 times, if your breath control is correct and you stretch and contract your stomach muscles as explained, 5 times should be sufficient. When you are ready to stop simply bring the spine back to a neutral position, parallel to the floor. See the photos below.
If done correctly you will feel a wonderful abdominal stretch when you bend your head backwards and arch your back so as that your stomach bends towards the floor and a good contraction of the abdominals when arching your back as a cat and exhaling. Let’s look at the procedure in a little more detail:
Come onto the floor on your hands and knees. Bring the hands shoulders width apart and the knees hips width apart. Become aware of the length and quality of the breath.
Inhalation slowly and completely. Open the chest forward, arching the back downward. Feel the tailbone and the crown of the head lifting equally towards the sky. Try to feel every part of the back, every vertebra concentrate on your tummy muscles and feel them fully stretch and open.
Exhale slowly and completely as you begin to arch the back upward. Tuck the tailbone and the crown of the head moving them towards each other. Use your hands and knees for support in the pose. Try to feel every part of the back, every vertebrae as if you were trying to raise your lower back to the ceiling.
Continue to coordinate the breath and the movement of the spine, repeating this sequence 5 times, if your breath control is correct and you stretch and contract your stomach muscles as explained, 5 times should be sufficient. When you are ready to stop simply bring the spine back to a neutral position, parallel to the floor. See the photos below.
For part two of this article, please click Yoga to Tone your Abs - Part 2 >>>
Thank you for visiting Yoga-and-Meditation.NET perhaps you may also like to visit our other yoga pages:
Yoga for Fertility
Yoga for Athletes
Yoga for Pregnancy
Yoga for Children
Yoga for Seniors
Thank you for visiting Yoga-and-Meditation.NET perhaps you may also like to visit our other yoga pages:
Yoga for Fertility
Yoga for Athletes
Yoga for Pregnancy
Yoga for Children
Yoga for Seniors
