Get Toned Abs With These 8 Yoga Asanas

Having a strong core is a beautiful thing, and not just because it makes for Instagram-worthy yoga pics. A strong core helps you maintain support and control of our body in all of your daily activities, from picking up the kids to hitting the gym. These yoga poses for abs will improve core strength, help reduce strain on the spine, and prevent injuries by improving posture and balance.

So, even if you have a bit of padding shielding your six-pack abs, it’s still important to build strength in your core from the inside out. Yoga is the perfect tool to help build that strength! Almost every single yoga pose from standing balance postures to seated twists require (and also build) abdominal strength and stability.

In standing yoga postures, such as Triangle Pose, the deepest abdominal muscles, the transversus abdominis are fired up as they stabilize the torso and the spine. When we do several yoga poses in a sequence, we are working the core muscles from every single angle, making them activate and engage with every movement and transition.

Adho Mukha Svanasana

- Come onto your fours. Form a table such that your back forms the table top and your hands and feet form the legs of the table.
- As you breath out lift the hips up, straightening the knees and elbows, form an inverted V-shape with the body.
- Hands are shoulder width apart, feet are hip width apart and parallel to each other. Toes point straight ahead.
- Press your hands into the ground. Widen through the shoulder blades. Keep the neck lengthened by touching the ears to the inner arms.
- Hold the downward dog pose and take long deep breaths. Look towards the navel.
- Exhale. Bend the knees, return to table pose. Relax

Plank

Let’s face it, Plank Pose is one of those yoga poses we all have a love/hate relationship with. This stabilizing core strengthener will activate all the muscles in your core to help hold you still.

- Start on your hands and knees in Tabletop Pose, and align your wrists directly under your shoulders
- Come to the balls of your feet as you extend your legs behind you, lifting your knees off the mat (it looks like the top of a push-up)
- Slightly tuck your tailbone to activate muscles in the lower belly
- Engage the muscles in your legs, lifting up through the quads to keep your body strong
- Keep your core strong to prevent hips from sagging down or picking up.

Dolphin Pose

Dolphin Pose works the abdominals while toning the shoulders and lengthening the spine. Holding Dolphin Pose will engage all muscles in your core, both superficial and deep muscles.

- From Plank Pose drop your forearms to the mat, keeping your wrist in line with your elbow and palm on the earth
- Keep elbows directly under the shoulders
- Lift your hips towards the sky, and walk your toes in towards your face – like a Downward
- Facing Dog on your forearms
- For more intensity, lift hips above the shoulders and relax your heels toward the ground.

Dolphin Pose With Leg Lift

Dolphin Pose with a leg lift fires up the front body – the muscles that run from just below your sternum to your waist. This Dolphin variation is one of the best exercises for core conditioning because it engages multiple muscle groups simultaneously.

- Start in Dolphin Pose
- Walk your feet in towards your elbows to align your hips over your shoulders (or at least as much as possible!)
- Lift your head just enough to maintain a neutral neck – don’t look too far forward or back
- Alternate lifting each leg toward the sky.

Star Plank (Side Plank Variation)

This Side Plank variation will help tone those famous “love handles” or obliques. Your waist will activate as you lift the body, and your abdominals will be working to stabilize the entire body. By lifting the top leg, you will further strengthen your obliques and lower abs.

- From Plank Pose, shift your weight onto one hand and transition into Side Plank
- For less pressure on your wrists, drop down to your forearm for a Side Forearm Plank
- Stack your top leg on top of bottom, and slowly lift your top leg away from the bottom leg
- To modify the pose, simply drop to the bottom knee or keep the legs together.

Upward Facing Plank Pose

Although you may initially feel this as stretch in your shoulders, arms and chest, Upward Facing Plank Pose also builds core strength while challenging and improving balance. This pose is a great way to counterbalance the motion of sitting at a desk for many hours of the day. In this Plank variation we open up the front body while strengthening the muscles along the spine.

- Begin seated on your mat with legs extended long in front of you
- Bring your hands behind you, palms flat on the mat under your shoulders with your fingers facing your body
- Lift hips upwards and allow feet to fall towards the floor, pressing flat on the ground if possible.

Half Bow-Half Locust

This fun variation of traditional Bow and Locust Pose strengthens the muscles that surround the spine. It is a great counterpose to the others that target the front core muscles.

- Start lying flat on your belly and reach one hand back
- Grab a hold of the ankle on that same side
- Extend the opposite arm straight out in front of you
- As you lift your chest off the ground, press your foot into your hand and lift up into a Half Bow Pose
- Simultaneously lift the opposite leg and arm into a Half Locust Pose.

Twisting Boat Pose

Boat pose engages the deep abdominal muscles and tests the strength and stamina of every muscle from your hips to your shoulders. By incorporating the twist you will also fire up the side body – both the internal and external obliques.

- From Boat Pose keep your shins parallel to the floor and knees bent (for a more advanced variations you can straighten the legs)
- Hold Boat Pose for one breath with arms extended straight out in front of you
- Twist to one side, opening your arms wide
- Come back to center and repeat on opposite side.