4 Yoga Poses to Strengthen Your Core Muscles

Irrespective of the location you are learning yoga, whether at a yoga retreat in Rishikesh or at a local studio, you are likely to be asked by your instructor to engage your core frequently. It is because all yoga poses benefit us through the core of our physical and spiritual being. Besides, our core strength is the key to achieve a better body alignment. Having strong and flexible core muscles also adds grace to your yoga practice and provides stability while transitioning from one yoga pose to another.

Having strong core muscles is the key to an effective yoga practice, since these muscles are involved in almost every yoga pose. Here are a few yoga poses that will empower your yoga practice by strengthening your core muscles.

Let’s see how to perform these poses.

Bitilasana (Cow Pose)

Attain the ‘tabletop’ position with your knees and palms on floor and shins touching the ground. Make sure your hands are directly below your shoulders and your knees hip distant apart. Keep your head parallel to your spine and gaze on ground. Now start raising your chest upward with deep inhalation and lift your head to look forward. Now exhale slowly and reverse the motion of your chest and head. Repeat this cycle about 15 to 20 times.

Naukasana (Boat Pose)

Keeping your feet together, lie down on your back with your arms resting straight at your side. Inhale deeply and lift your chest up and feet off the ground, while stretching arms towards feet. Make sure that your eyes, fingers and toes are at same level. Try to remain in this position for a few moments while breathing deeply. Then with deep exhalation bring your head, hand and feet down on ground slowly.

Poorvottanasana (Upward Plank Pose)

Sitting on your yoga mat, place your hands beside your hips with your legs stretched straight ahead. Make sure your hands are directly below your shoulders and keep your spine straight. Now with deep inhalation lean back and lift your pelvis up. Keep your whole body straight and let your head fall back. Your toes and sole should be touching the ground. Continue slow and deep breathing and remain in this pose for a few moments. Then lower your body gradually with deep exhalation.

Pada Sanchalanasana (Cycling Pose)

Lie down on your back with your arms and legs straight and relaxed. Bend your right knee and lift it towards your chest. Then straighten it towards ceiling while lifting the left leg in the same manner. Repeat the same pattern with left leg. Practice this cycling movement for a couple of minutes then do the same in reverse.

All these simple-to-do poses, apart from strengthening our core muscles, benefit us in lot more ways. For example, cow pose massages our inner organs. Boat pose improves the functioning of kidneys and thyroid gland. Different variations of plank poses also strengthen our arms and tone our abdomen. And cycling pose is especially beneficial for people with obesity problems.