Core strength is not about toned, six pack abs. It’s a lot more and I won’t be getting much into it here because I could go on forever. Core strength is more about body-awareness and your ability to hold your center strong, and balance, during difficult poses, AND during everyday activities like standing, walking, and sitting.
For instance, I use my core strength when climbing difficult stairs, while standing in the subway with nothing to hold on to, when walking on thin ice during the winter months here in NYC.
As a yoga student and teacher, I’m grateful to have developed the body awareness and core strength to keep me stable in these situations. And I am far from having defined, six pack abs.
These are my favorite yoga poses for building core strength. As you approach these, remember that core strength should be built gradually. So start slow, and strength will come before you know it.
1. Cat Pose (Marjariasana)
Benefits:
Cat pose is a wonderful way to warm-up the spine at the beginning of a yoga class. In addition to warming up the spine, cat pose strengthens the arms, wrists, and core muscles. It helps to stretch out the spinal extensors (the main muscles working when we do backbends). This is why Cat is a great counterpose to most backbends.
How-to:
Start in tabletop position, with hips over the knees and shoulders over wrists. The feet can be tucked or pointed (I personally think the position of the feet don’t make much difference).
On an exhalation, push the ground away with your hands, dropping the head and tuck the chin towards the chest. Return to neutral position or follow with Cow pose.
2. Tiger Pose
Benefits:
In addition to strengthening the core, Tiger Pose helps strengthen the hamstring, glutes, and back muscles. I often use Tiger pose as preparation to more difficult poses like warrior three and revolved half moon. The alignment points are quite similar so I often review proper technique here before teaching the more challenging ones.
How-to:
Start in tabletop position (hands and knees).
Stack the hips over the knees, and shoulders over the wrists.
Reach the right leg back behind you so that the foot is in line with the hip.
Point the toes down and actively reach the heel back (as if you were pressing it into a wall).
Now, reach the left arm forward and by the left ear.
Point the left thumb up (see picture). This ensures proper rotation of the shoulder.
Keep the gaze down so that the neck is neutral.
Point the frontal hip bones towards the floor (those little bones that stick out at the front of your hips).
Pull the belly button in towards the spine.
Finally, reach in opposition, right heel back, left arm forward.
Note: this pose is a wonderful modification to plank pose. In this case, from hands and knees, keep both arms down, reach the right leg back but keep the foot of the floor (instead of in line with the hip).
3. Plank Pose
Benefits:
This is the ultimate core strengthener. In addition to strengthening the core, plank pose strengthens the wrists, arms, shoulders, legs, glutes. It’s a total-body strengthener.
Plank pose is one of the basic, more fundamental poses in yoga. Yet, it is not necessarily for beginners. It is a pose that builds strength gradually. This means that if you’re just starting out, you may want to start with some modifications and work-up to the full pose and longer holds.
How-to:
Start in tabletop position (hands and knees).
Stack the shoulders over the wrists.
Spread the fingers and root down through the inner hands (index finger and thumb).
Tuck the toes under, lift the knees, and straighten the legs.
Slide your feet back until the shoulders are right over the wrists, and heels over toes.
Once you’re there, firm the thighs and try to keep the hips from dropping towards the floor.
Keep the arms straight without locking the elbows. Imagine you were squeezing a big beach ball, or one of those Pilates circles in between your arms.
Draw the chest forward.
Keep the gaze down and reach the crown of your head forward.
Modifications:
Option #1 See Tiger Pose.
Option #2 Come into plank pose as described above but keep the knees down on the floor.
4. Side Plank (Vasisthasana)
Benefits:
Side Plank offers the same full-body strengthening benefits as plank pose. This is a more challenging variation and it is technically an arm balance. In addition, it strengthens the obliques and some muscles of the hips.
How-to:
From plank pose, walk the right hand forward about 2-3 inches so that the hand is a bit forward of the shoulder.
Roll to the outer edge of the right foot and stack the left foot on top of the right. For a slight modification, place the left foot in front of the right.
Reach the left arm up towards the sky.
You may keep the gaze down towards the right hand until you gain your balance, or for a more challenging variation, gaze forward, or up.
5. Crow Pose (Bakasana)
Benefits:
Crow pose (Bakasana) is considered one of the most basic arm balances in yoga, yet the most challenging pose in this list. It is an amazing core strengthener for those that are able to get into the pose. Crow pose strengthens the wrists, arms, shoulders, hip, and core muscles.
How-to:
There are many ways to approaching this pose. Some people like coming into it from a standing forward fold, while others like to come into it from a yogi squat (Malasana). There are more challenging ways like jumping from downdog, lowering from tripod headstand, or lowering from handstand. But, we won’t get into those here.
Start in Malasana squat.
Plant your hands in front of you so that they are shoulder distance apart.
Spread the fingers wide and root down through the inner hands (index finger and thumb).
Lift the hips and walk your feet together to touch.
Lift the heels high.
Bend the elbows and place the knees on top of the upper arms.
Without lifting the feet off the ground, start to lean the weight forward and into the hands.
A good way to know if the weight is forward is to notice the angle of the hand in relation to the forearm. The elbow should pretty much be right over the wrist (see picture). If the elbow is behind the wrist, then the weight is not completely forward (this will cause you to fall back). Similarly, if the elbow is too far past the wrist, the weight is now past the hands and more towards the fingertips (this will cause you to fall forward).
If you’re just starting out, keep your feet on the ground and hold this position here. Hollow in the belly, press the ground away so that the upper back rounds. Like I mentioned in plank pose, hug the elbows in (imagine that beach ball or Pilates ring between the arms).
Then, start to lift the feet of the ground, one at a time, or both at the same time. Adduct the thighs by hugging them towards each other. (imagine that Pilates circle here too).
Reach the chest forward and keep the gaze forward.
Breathe.
Everything looks good until I scroll to the Crow Pose! Damn girl, you have some serious muscle strength ha ha!!! Good work 😉 I am going to start with a first few easy poses first tomorrow morning. Thank yoU!
These are great! For some weird reason, I can do Crow but struggle with side plank. My obliques need work!
You make it look so great and easy lol,, i cant seem to do yoga for the life of me! I claim its boring but when i do it, i can barely do any of the moves. I am so stiff lol