YOGA FOR CORE STRENGTH

By Laura Western – published: 08-Mar-2014

 

Connect with your centre, live a life full of strength and encourage your inner power to shine bright.

The body becomes strong and flexible through core strength. Working to balance muscular strength and release any tension throughout the connective tissue will create harmony and freedom in the body.  The result is a strong, free, supple body that is light and at peace.

1 Plankasana (Forearm Plank)

Plankasana prepares you for all asanas, especially backbends. Transition into downward facing dog. You may take a fluid vinyasa and then jump legs through hands

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2 Paripurna Navasana (Full Boat Pose)

Sit on the sit bones and lift your legs to a 45-degree angle. Extend the heart up and outward while reaching your arms out in front by the sides of your legs. This asana strengthens the abdominals, legs and lower back, relieves stress and aids in proper digestion and function of lower abdomen organs. Roll down through the spine into ardha navasana.

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3 Ardha Navasana (Half Boat Pose)

Making sure to keep the pelvis in a neutral position, squeeze the legs together and reach out through the toes. The upper body curls upwards to strengthen the upper abdominal organs just as in paripurna navasana.

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4 Halasana (Plow Pose)

Rolling down through the spine with flexed feet, lower the legs until there is abdominal engagement. Point the toes and bend the knees as if pulling something to you, using the hamstrings and lower abdominals. Roll back into halasana and repeat. Roll up into a variation of utthita hasta padangustansana (low squat). Reach the arms and fingers forward, while drawing back with the abdominals.

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5 Balancing Low  (Yogic Squat)

Roll up into balancing low yogic squat with one leg extended out in front. Activate your lower and deeper abdominals to sustain this position. You may imagine this action as if there is an elevator drawing up from the pubic bone towards the navel. Use just the right amount of effort to be able to still maintain a calm, steady breath.

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6 Utthita Hasta Padangustasana (Extended Hand to Big Toe Pose)

Standing balance poses require the whole body to work together for an entire core strength connection. Try to feel a connection all the way from the foot up through the midline of the body to the crown of the head and also out into the arms.

Part 2: Exhaling as you lower down into a squat still holding onto the big toe. Honour your knees by only lowering to a comfortable and stable position. Feel the weight shifting slightly more into the back of the heal of the foot on the ground while the body leans slightly forward to counter balance the position. Breathe in while in the squat, then exhale to return back to standing.  Repeat this three times.

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7 Virabhadrasana III  (Warrior III)

In warrior III, it is important to maintain pelvic stability, by keeping the sacrum parallel to the ceiling. Energise through the back heel all the way up into the fingertips, creating a sense of dynamic tension. Find a sense of reaching into both ends. The entire body focuses on balance, flexibility, strength and support. Feel courageous and breathe into the long stretch.

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8 Urdhva Prasarita Ekapadasana (Standing Split Pose)

Lengthening through the legs and torso, connect to full body core for balance and flexibility. Try to balance by holding onto the supporting, standing leg with both hands.

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9 Alanasana (Crescent Lunge)

to transition into alanasana, bend the front knee and lower the upper leg onto the ground with extended spine and open heart, strengthen the legs and back while stretching and opening the entire front of the body.

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10 Plankasana (Plank Pose With a Twist)

to transition bring your arms down the ground and step the front leg back into plankasana. This asana enhances stability through the body while adding an extra core challenge for the obliques. Maintain the shoulders over the wrists and a steady inner gaze. Rotate the lower body from the waist down to feel the obliques working and at the same time stimulating the inner organs.

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11 Sirsasana (Headstand)

This advanced posture, and its variation with legs lowered to 90 degrees, is the ultimate asana for increasing blood flow to the brain, improving memory and function. The whole body unites and finds its full core connection. There is a sense of peace when being at ease with the right amount of pressing into the ground. After 10 to 25 breaths in sirsasana come down and rest in balasana (child’s pose) for several breaths allowing the neck and spine to relax.

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Source: yogalife.com – Yoga for core strength by Laura West