Out of all the body organs your abdominals play a crucial role. These help you develop enough power to lift heavy things, workout, and look attractive. This is why thousands sign up for a gym membership. But not everyone is able to follow through with the tough schedule of daily workout.
Enter Yoga! The ancient system of maintaining good mental and physical health. What many do not know is that yoga can help them develop rock-solid core strength. Before we move ahead let us first understand a bit about the abdominals.
Anatomy of Abdominals
Abdominals are muscles on the side of your upper stomach. There are two bands of muscles that extend from your breastbone to the pelvis. Abs are also present on the side of your lower abdomen and inner abs. You can join a corepower yoga teacher training to develop impressive abdominals.
Do you know that abdominals help build the core strength of your upper body? These muscles help you breathe. You should pay attention to maintaining good abdominal health. Abs are not only for looking good but also for being fit.
So, you want to develop solid core strength? No need to overthink! Yoga is here to save the day!
How Can Yoga Help Me Build Abs?
Yoga involves a lot of stretches and twists. Every yoga session improves your abdominal functioning. In other words, it offers your abdominals a good nutrition. Moreover the risk of injury is minimal as you do not need to lift any weight.
There is no shortage of yoga exercises that work on every level of your abs. A simple breathing exercise does a lot in developing core strength.
You possess abdominal muscles. All you need to do is improve their quality and grow new tissues. Even as a yoga beginner you can do these exercises without any hassle.
Now let us take a look at what yoga exercises you should do to develop rock-solid core strength.
Yoga Exercises for Solid Core Strength
Given below are 4 yoga exercises you should practice to develop those six packs.
- Kapalbhati Pranayama
This is not a yoga pose but a powerful yogic breathing exercise. Kapalbhati Pranayama is a great yoga workout for developing abs. It includes swift contraction and relaxation of abdominal muscles. This loosens up the tissue and prepares them for intense core building exercises.
Steps to Practice
- Sit in the cross-legged position.
- Keep your upper body and head completely straight. Open up your shoulder blades.
- Place your right hand on abdomen. Take a deep breath in.
- Keep your left hand on the left knee.
- Make quick successive inhaling breath spurts. Increase this number to 20.
- Follow the spurts with quick contraction and relaxation of abdominal muscles.
- Keep your right hand on the belly. This helps you experience the movement within.
- Tree Pose
After Kapalbhati it is time to balance your abs. The Tree pose might look like a yoga asana for the legs but it is not. This yoga exercise requires you to balance your abs and hold the entire weight with them.
Steps to Practice
- Stand on the yoga mat in the Mountain pose.
- Shift your weight on your right leg.
- Hold the weight with your abs on the right leg.
- Slowly bend your left knee. Pull up your left leg.
- Lift the left leg with your left hand to maintain balance.
- Rest the left foot against the inner muscles of your right thigh.
- Raise both your hands above your head.
- Join your open palms in the Namaste Mudra.
- Hold this pose for 30 seconds.
- Repeat it with the opposite leg.
You can learn the Tree pose by signing up for a yoga instructor certification at a certified yoga school.
- Plank Pose
Once your abdominal muscles gain balance and flexibility, it is time to up the ante. The Plank pose helps you develop stamina and strength in the abdominal region. This is a beginner-level yoga exercise that you can do for every upper body muscle.
Steps to Practice
- Lie down on the yoga mat in the Prone position.
- Keep both legs close to each other. Do not let them touch.
- Rest your toes against the floor. Keep your heels facing the ceiling.
- Keep both hands by the side of your chest. Make sure the palms touch the mat.
- Push against the ground and lift your body by your arm’s length.
- Rotate your arms and biceps infront and inward while lifting up.
- Don’t use your hands to push up the body. Use your entire body strength.
- Use your chest, abs, and shoulder muscles to hold your weight.
- Use both hands as support and keep you off the mat.
- Allow your hands to take more tension.
- Hold this pose for 1 minute.
An experienced yoga teacher can help you learn and practice this yoga pose without any hassle.
- Side Plank
Want to develop your side abs? Practice the Side plank. It works on the muscles at the sides of your lower and upper abdomen. This is an excellent yoga exercise for developing arm and core strength.
Steps to Practice
- Kneel down on your knees. Bend your upper body from hip to the right side.
- Drop your upper body to the right side. Touch the ground with your hand.
- Keep your hand straight. Carry your body weight with it.
- Keep your wrist directly below the shoulders.
- Extend your legs straight to your left side.
- Pull up your hips. Form a slope from your head to toe.
- Keep your knees, toes, hips, shoulders, and chest in a straight line.
- Keep your left leg on top of your right leg.
- Hold this position for 15 seconds. Slowly increase this time.
- Repeat the process the your opposite hand.
Join the yoga teacher certification to learn this yoga asana under the guidance of experienced yoga teachers.
Conclusion
If you want to develop rock-solid abs then going to the gym is not mandatory. You can also sign up for the yoga teacher certification to do that. Moreover, yoga offers you a less intense and more relaxing way of developing abdominal muscles.