7 best asanas to strengthen your abs


Warrior Pose 3


Balancing on one leg really develops your lower torso muscles! If you don't tighten your abs properly, you'll likely fall. The following tips will help you maintain balance.

  • Stand straight with your feet together. Inhale and spread your arms out to the sides. For a more complicated version of the asana, stretch your arms up;
  • Exhaling, bend forward and lift your right leg back horizontally to the floor;
  • Pull your stomach towards your spine and hold the asana for five breaths. Then straighten up and lower your right leg, repeat the same for your left leg.

Camel Pose


This is a classic backbend pose that not only improves back flexibility, but also strengthens the lower torso muscles and opens the shoulders.

  • Get on your knees and spread them shoulder-width apart;
  • Lean back and place your palms on your heels, allowing your head to hang freely back;
  • Try to push your hips forward, increasing the arch, stay in this pose for 5 breaths.

We pump up the abs with the help of yoga: the six most effective asanas that everyone can perform

Tree pose

While you are trying to find balance in tree pose, your abdominal muscles are working effectively. Stand on your left leg and press your right foot to your left knee. Place your hands in front of you. Stay in this pose for 10 long, deep breaths. Repeat the same on the other leg.

Twisted Side Angle Pose

This asana uses not only the rectus abdominis, but also the oblique abdominal muscles. Lunge forward with your left leg so that your knee is bent at 90 degrees. Keep your back and hind leg as straight as possible. Rotate your upper torso to the left and press your right elbow toward your left knee. Stay in this pose for 10 long, deep breaths (remember to look up). Repeat the same on the other side.

Camel Pose

Another variation of the camel pose. During its execution, the abdominal, back and thigh muscles are involved. Get on your knees and extend your arms in front of you (palms down). Lean back, arching your back slightly. Remember to keep your arms straight. Freeze at the bottom, pressing your stomach as close as possible to your spine. Stay in this pose for a couple of seconds, then slowly return to the starting position. Repeat the exercise 10 times.

Downward Facing Dog Pose

This is a variation of the classic downward-facing dog asana. It keeps your muscles in crazy tension while you try to keep your leg on top and move into a new position. Get into dog pose and lift one leg up. Shift your weight forward and slowly get into a plank position, simultaneously lowering your leg under you (bend the knee of that leg). Hold for a couple of seconds and return to the starting downward-facing dog position. Repeat 10 times on the left leg and 10 on the right.

Boat pose

Difficult but very effective asana! To repeat it, sit on the floor and stretch your legs in front of you. Place your hands behind your torso and lean back slightly, bending your back. Lift your feet off the floor 45 degrees. Tighten your abdominal muscles as much as possible to maintain this position. Your body should resemble the letter "V". Hold this position for 10 long, deep breaths (or 60 seconds), then move on to the next exercise.

Side Plank Pose

Use all of your abdominal muscles to support this pose. Lie on your right side and place your right hand under your right shoulder. Raise your body so that a straight line forms from your ankles to your shoulders. Take your left arm off and extend it upward. Hold this position for 60 seconds and repeat on the other side.

We showed you the best yoga exercises for abs. Include them in your usual workouts, and soon you will get the desired flat stomach and sculpted abs!

Dolphin stand (bar)


Any elbow stand works your abs and back muscles.

  • From the Downward-Facing Dog stance, inhale and transfer your weight to your arms and straighten your body. Exhaling, lower yourself onto your elbows, try to keep your shoulders above your elbows and your body parallel to the floor;
  • This stance may feel heavy, so if you can't hold it for five breaths, bend one knee toward the floor.

Balancing Star


This is a rather difficult asana for beginners; when mastering it, you can stick your hand to the wall.

  • Stand in Downward Facing Dog asana and bring your feet together. Place your right hand a little to the left in front of you so that it is in the center of the mat. Place your right leg slightly forward, your foot should be well pressed to the floor and your toes turned to the left. As you inhale, turn your torso and raise your left arm up. then lift your left leg up;
  • Look at your raised hand and hold this asana for five breaths. It will be easier for you to maintain balance if you sufficiently tense your lower torso muscles.

Repeat the asana on the other side.

Crow Pose


Hand balancing requires more than just strong arms. Consider this pose a good workout for your abs and thighs.

  • Sit on your feet, place your hands slightly in front on the mat, shoulder-width apart. Spread your fingers as wide as possible, this will allow you to stand more steadily in the asana. Straighten your legs slightly, and place your knees on the back of your arms as high as possible. Slowly shift your weight forward and lift your feet off the ground;
  • Stand for five exhalations and look at the floor in front of you.

Crow

You must have a great sense of balance and strength to perform this asana, so don't be discouraged if you don't succeed the first time.

  1. We squat down, palms on the floor, knees apart, feet together.
  2. Keeping your feet together, straighten your arms in front of you (palms still on the floor!) and bend your triceps so that you can place your knees on them.
  3. You should not look at the ground, otherwise you will simply turn over and fall face down.
  4. Spread your fingers wide enough to feel solid support, then lift your butt and tailbone up, placing your knees on your triceps.
  5. You must feel your body and tense your torso all the time! You can do one leg at a time if it’s difficult to do two at once.
  6. Stay in this position for as long as possible.

Boat pose


This asana engages all the abdominal muscles, get ready to work it out!

  • Sit on the floor with your legs extended forward. Bend your knees and lift them so that your knees touch your chest and your shins are parallel to the floor. Gradually straighten your legs and tilt your torso back. It is not necessary to completely straighten your legs at first; the main focus here is on your abs;
  • Hold this asana for five breaths.

Downward facing dog with knee to nose

The most popular asana is downward-facing dog. Great exercise for the abs! Of course, if you do this particular option. It's great for your lower abs because (if done correctly) you're actually flexing your lower abs.

  1. Take a downward-facing dog pose with your palms and feet on the floor and your legs straight.
  2. Now we raise our leg and bring our knee as close to our nose or forehead as possible.
  3. Perform the exercise by changing legs. Remember, your knee should almost touch your nose.

Your lower abs should be on fire! During the exercise you need to breathe deeply.

Purvotanasana


This is an asana for intense stretching of the front part of the body. Your abs work even when your belly is pulled up. Try to push your lower abdomen up and arch your back.

  • While sitting with your legs extended forward, place your hands slightly back behind your hips, fingers facing forward. As you inhale, push your palms and heels off the floor, lifting your hips up. Raise them as high as you can so that your back is straight. Slowly lower your head back, look behind you;
  • Stay in the asana for five breaths and slowly lower yourself to the floor.

Exercise sets

Boat pose helps strengthen your abdominal and leg muscles. Sit on the mat, shift the center of gravity to the ischium. Lean back, lift your legs straight. For balance, extend your arms horizontally. If you are a beginner, bend your knees. To increase the load on the abdominal group, pros spread their hands to the sides. The asana has an alternative - Ardha Navasana. The rules for performing yoga are the same, only the intertwined fingers are placed at the back of the head.

Exercise sets

Crescent

Perform Arhu Chandrasana while standing with your feet wide apart. Stretch your left arm above your head and simultaneously bend forward. Touch the floor with your other palm and lift the opposite limb until it is parallel to the floor. If you have good balance, rotate it at the hip joint in a short amplitude. Don't forget to watch your breathing.

Adho Mukha Svanasana

The exercise is reminiscent of a dog stretching after sleep. In addition, abdominal yoga strengthens the buttocks and hamstrings. Get down on all fours, and as you sigh, transfer the fulcrum to your palms, placing your fingers straight forward. Straighten your legs, point your tailbone up, look at your knees. If your body is flexible, stand on your head with your arms straight forward.

"Cobra"

Bhujangasana helps remove belly fat, strengthens the buttocks and stretches the back well, improves the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.

  1. Sit on the mat face down, with the palms of your bent arms resting on your chest line.
  2. Slowly straighten your elbows, pushing your chest forward.
  3. Bend your back as far as possible without lifting your hip bones from the floor.
  4. Hold, sequentially twisting vertebra by vertebra, return to IP.

Virabhadrasana

This is an effective way to tone your lateral abs, lats, and hip adductors. There are 2 options for the exercise.

  1. Standing with your feet wide apart and your stomach pulled in, raise your hands parallel to the top of your head and bring your palms together.
  2. Turn to your side and smoothly lower yourself to one knee, leaving the other straight.
  3. Lower yourself until you form a right angle, perform a breathing cycle and straighten up.

Virabhadrasana

Repeat similar steps with the opposite leg.
In version No. 2 the principle is the same, only the arms are spread horizontally. Perform the complex for losing weight on the abdomen and sides in the morning every day or every other day, duplicating each pose 5-7 times. For fastest results, practice yoga twice a day. Video of effective yoga poses

Preparing for Eight Bend Pose


The asana itself perfectly works the entire upper body. To develop the abs, a preparatory pose for the Eight Bent Parts of the Body asana is sufficient.

  • Sit down and stretch your legs straight out in front of you. Bend your right knee, place your right hand under your right leg, with your left hand pull your right knee as high as possible on your right arm;
  • Bend your right arm slightly at the elbow to make it easier to support your right knee. Press your palms into the floor, tighten your abs, and as you inhale, lift your hips off the floor. If you can, lift your left leg off the floor as well. After five breaths, you will probably feel a burning sensation in your abdominal muscles.

Headstand


Working out the back and abdominal muscles.

  • Get on all fours, lower your elbows to the floor and clasp your fingers. Your hands form a semicircle;
  • Lower your head to the floor, the back of your head will touch the palms of your hands, the top of your head will be on the mat. The head stands vertically on the floor. Once you feel that your head and arms are firmly on the floor, straighten both legs and walk as close to your face as possible;
  • Place your hips over your shoulders, keeping your elbows firmly on the mat. Raise both legs up;
  • Stay in the asana for five breaths. The jaw should be relaxed. Inhale, and as you exhale, slowly lower both legs towards the mat so that they are parallel to the floor. Hold the asana for another five breaths;
  • Inhale, as you exhale, straighten your legs up again, repeat this five times;
  • Gently lower your feet onto the mat, lie on it with your stomach down, and rest a little. You cannot get up immediately after this asana.

How to breathe correctly

The effectiveness of yoga is largely influenced by proper breathing, which every beginner should master.

It won’t be very difficult to do this, you just need to follow a few simple steps:

  • take a comfortable body position, sitting or lying down;
  • try to draw in your stomach as much as possible and, as you exhale, completely release all the air from your lungs;
  • take a slow breath, trying to physically feel how the air fills the lungs, the chest expands, and the stomach rises;
  • hold your breath for a few seconds;
  • Exhale for a long time, gradually drawing in your abdominal muscles.

Thanks to this exercise, over time you can learn to breathe deeply, correctly and measuredly without much effort. It is this type of yoga breathing that will allow you to achieve your goals much faster.

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