

Side Plank is a great pose to work your side body strength that’s often neglected. Most people focus on getting that six pack when training their core, but the obliques are just as important for developing strength. Build up the amount of seconds you can hold the pose and then eventually you’ll be able to hold the pose with the knees lifted! Modification: If you find this really taxing, start our practicing this pose with your knees on the ground. Press through your heels and engage your core.Your butt should be inline with the rest of your body. Make sure your elbows are directly underneath your shoulders and your back is straight. Then, while engaging your core, straighten one leg at a time out behind you.Start on all fours in tabletop and come down to your forearms.Planks are pretty much the position most people think about when they talk about the core, right? Forearm Plank is a great variation to practice to really focus on the core- it eliminates most stress on the arms and allows you to hone in on the abs.

#Standing core yoga poses free
Feel free to pedal the feet to loosen the hamstrings until you feel ready to maintain stillness in the pose, even if it’s just for one breath! Modification: Don’t feel like you have to stay completely still in this pose. You will know you aren’t balancing your weight correctly if it feels like all the weight is falling on your arms.Press down through the palms of your hands while releasing your shoulders away from your ears, using your core to lift your tailbone up and back with every exhale.Your back should be completely straight and all parts of your body should be engaged. Your arms should be externally rotated and your head should be inline with your arms.Start in tabletop position with your toes tucked, and on your exhale push your hips up and back, pushing down through your heels.Modification: If you find it difficult to maintain balance, try keeping both hands planted and focusing on crunching only the leg at first.Īlthough Downward Dog is commonly referred to as a resting pose, for many people first starting out, this definitely does not feel like a resting pose! You need to learn to engage your arms, core, and legs properly to distribute your weight evenly. Go through this flowing motion at least 10 times on one side, then switching to the other side.Make sure to keep your hips level and use your core to maintain your balance.


While it helps promote a calm mind, it also completely tones and sculpts your entire body.īuilding your core strength will help you balance your body weight better, and take the stress off of other body parts in certain poses. That is why yoga is such an amazing practice for both your mind and body. This is not only to build strength, but helps distribute your weight evenly throughout your body and help you find balance. In almost every active pose in yoga, your core should be engaged. No matter what level of practice you are in yoga, I am sure you have realized how much core strength is required.
