If you’re anything like me, the idea of doing abs workout in order to get a flat tummy and flat tummy is enough to make you break out of the gym. Fortunately, you don’t have to do abs exercises to get a strong core…Here are 4 beginner yoga poses that anyone can do for a strong core and flat stomach!
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Use yoga to get a flat stomach! Here’s how
Learning how to engage the deep muscles that support the trunk, hips, and even the shoulders allows you to coordinate lower-body strength with upper-body agility.
Using your core in this way, especially while on the move, creates job stability in everything you do – from sports to lifting your kids, working in the garden, or walking safely on icy or slippery ground.
Here are four simple basic stability exercises that you can do at home, with no equipment other than your body.
If you’re new to exercise or have a shoulder or wrist injury, check with your doctor or physical therapist to make sure these exercises are safe for you.
1. Knee lifts
This simple exercise connects you to the deepest abdominal muscles, which wrap around the waist and support the lower back. Think of it as your corset muscle.
Lie on your back with your feet on the floor and your knees bent at a 90-degree angle. Place the heels of your palms on the front thigh bones, the thumbs toward the navel, and the fingers toward the pubic bone. Imagine that you have tied a string around your waist, and feel how your belly becomes flat and firm as you hug the four sides of your waist at the midline.
You can keep your hands here, or relax by your side.
Maintaining this setting, lift your right foot off the floor, maintaining the same 90-degree angle at the knee. Alternate feet in the air, keeping your stomach flat and stationary, and your thighs as flat as possible. Repeat 10 times for each leg, then return both feet to the floor. Windshield wipe your knees side to side for comfort, then repeat.
Do you need to undo?
If you feel your lower back pulling off the ground, or your stomach bulging out, bring the first foot back to the floor before raising the second. You can also press your palms to the floor at your side for extra support.
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Next time, start by raising both feet, your knees stacked above your hips with your knees bent at 90 degrees. While maintaining the same angle on the right knee, touch the toes to the floor. Alternate legs in the air, keeping your stomach flat, your hips stationary, and your breathing relaxed.
2. Walking bridge
This exercise is based on the waist activation we created above, which increases the stability of the hips.
Lie on your back with your knees bent. Keep your feet hip-width apart, near your buttocks. Bring the “hug” back feeling around your waist, then raise your hips until you have a straight line between your shoulders and knees. Instead of tightening your buttocks, lengthen your sit bones toward the back of your knees.
You may feel your buttocks with your hands to make sure they don’t stick to your lower back.
To maintain this alignment, slowly move your right foot directly above the floor, keeping your hips as stationary as possible. Alternating sides, walk slowly on your feet while trying to keep your hips swinging from one side to the other. Repeat 10 times on each side, before both feet and hips rest on the floor. Hug your knees into your chest to rest, then repeat.
Do you need to undo?
If you can’t keep your hips stable, try raising your toes, one foot at a time, rather than lifting your foot completely off the floor.
Want to inflate it?
Next time, try exercising with your supporting foot on your tiptoes. This reduces the surface area on the floor, making it more difficult for you to keep your balance.
3. Bird dog flow
Here we continue to bind the waist and stabilize the hips, adding some work to the small, deep muscles that stabilize your shoulders.
Set it up on all fours, wrists under shoulders, knees slightly narrower than hips. Feel your shoulders and thighs parallel to the ground, Tighten your stomach and narrow your waist. Extend your right leg straight behind you, lengthen your tail and roll your inner thigh toward the ceiling to keep your hips square. Squeeze with your right hand to raise the rib cage off the floor and send your right shoulder down your back to lengthen your neck. Then extend your left arm forward, extending your hand away from your foot. Go back to the four to swap. Keep flowing from side to side, extending your opposite arm and leg, keeping your shoulders and hips as stable as possible.
Complete 10 times per side, before returning to four times. Tighten your hips back to your heels to rest in Childs Pose, then repeat.
Do you need to undo?
If you are struggling with your balance, keep both hands on the floor and simply rotate your legs from side to side.
Want to inflate it?
Next time, move your supporting foot to reduce the surface area in contact with the ground so that you balance only on your knee and your supporting hand.
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4. Side plate flow
This exercise keeps the body, hip, and shoulder engaged while challenging your lateral waist muscles.
Lie on your right side, place your elbow under your shoulder and feet on top of each other. Extend your left arm to the ceiling, feeling your shoulders and thighs stacked, your stomach flat, and your waist tight. Press down on your right elbow to pull your right ribs off the floor, and squeeze your right waist to raise your hips high. Without allowing your hips or shoulders to twist or collapse into your right shoulder, pull your hips down to fly over the mat before lifting them again. Do 5 hip raises, then slowly lower back onto the floor switching sides. Roll on your back to rest, then repeat.
Do you need to undo?
If you are unable to maintain stability, place your lower knee on the floor for some extra support.
Want to inflate it?
Next time, lift your upper leg off your lower leg or try turning your body down toward the floor into the forearm plank to switch sides.
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And there you have it beginner yoga for a strong core and flat stomach!
Without doing a single crunch, you’ve learned how to use the deep muscles of your torso to stabilize your hips, spine, and shoulders even while in motion. What a great training!
As your day goes on, note that you can use these same muscles to create a sense of stability in everything you do.
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