Strengthening your core is one of the most effective ways to power up your yoga practice. With the right engagement and core strength, poses that once seemed impossible will become a breeze. To help you on your journey to killer core strength, here’s a super simple but mega effective 10 minute ab workout. Brace yourself, your core’s about to work!
Bear Crawls:
Start on all fours and round your back, then hover your knees 2 inches off the ground so your shin bones are parallel to the earth. Keep your chin pulled in towards your chest and march yourself forward 5 steps, and backward 5 steps.
When you’re back at center, pulse the right foot up to the sky with your knee still bent for 5 and repeat on the other side.
Level up: Next jump to the left for 5, then to the right for 5.
Boat Pose:
Hold still in regular boat pose with your knees bent. Work on lifting your chest and pressing your shoulder blades backwards. Pull your lower abdominal muscles in and squeeze your thighs together tightly.
Stay here for 10 breaths – if you’re not shaking then squeeze your muscles to your bones with more vigor. You are in control of how intense this is based on how engaged you are. The more intense it feels – the more your core is working!
Level Up: With a block held between your thighs, lower very slowly to raft and back up to boat 10 times.
Mountain Climbers:
Start with a 1 minute plank hold then bring your knee to your nose and out to your elbow then back to tap the opposite ankle. Do this slowly 5 times, and 5 times fast. Repeat on the second side.
Level Up: Add some fast paced mountain climbers between sets. Knee to elbow and switch nice and fast BUT focus on squeezing your belly and ribs in more then speed.
Floaters:
.Put your feet on a towel or wear socks and slide your feet in towards your nose and back again keeping your arms and legs straight. Do this 10 times.
Level Up: Practice sliding to the right hand and back, then to your left hand and back.
Bicycles:
Lie on your back with your hands behind your head supporting the entire weight of your head. Keep the elbows as wide as you can (no head wrapping). Hover both feet off the ground and push into your toes with absolute strength. Bring your right knee towards your left elbow (they won’t touch because your elbow needs to stay wide in protection of your neck). Switch slowly.
Level Up: When you feel you could go faster AND keep your elbows wide, AND squeeze your ribs and belly, AND keep your feet lit up and strong – then double time it.
Planking:
Begin in plank and carefully place your forearms down on the ground to get to forearm plank without lowering your knees. Squeeze your ribs and side muscles in (serratus muscles and obliques). Then come back up to plank.
Do 5 right then left, and 5 left then right.
Level Up: Now try it lifting and lowering both elbows simultaneously!
Side Planking:
In side plank on your hand or forearm, bring your elbow to your knee then ankles together. Next bring your hand to your toe and come back to ankles together.
Repeat 5 times on each side, for 2 sets.
Level Up: Add 5 push-ups between sides.
So there you have it! An intense, purely core related workout, that’ll get those abs ready for action in no time at all!
