Yoga is a form of exercise that can be used to improve flexibility, muscular endurance and muscle tone. Although yoga can be challenging at first, practice and patience with poses can pay off. The abdomen, which makes up the core of your body, is vital to all physical activities and can be strengthened through certain yoga poses.
Flowing Vinyasa
The flowing vinyasa is also known as the cat and cow pose in yoga. More commonly, this exercise is referred to as cat and camel during routine stretching. By moving from the cat pose into the camel pose, you are able to stretch and warm-up your abdomen. Start with your hands and knees on the floor. Be sure to keep your hands directly below your shoulders and your knees below your hips. In the starting position your back will be flat or at "tabletop" position. As you exhale curl your chin into your chest, draw your navel in toward your spine and arch your back, as a cat would. When you begin inhaling, slowly curl your spine downward and look straight ahead. In this position, the cow, you will have an inverted arch in your back. Continue repeating this movement with controlled, deliberate breathing for five to 10 repetitions.
Cobra Pose
The cobra pose can be completed by any fitness level and helps to stretch the abdomen. To avoid injury be sure to only stretch as far as you feel comfortable; do not push yourself too far too fast. Lie on your stomach with your arms under your shoulders, press your arms against your body and place the tops of your feet flat on the floor. To engage in the cobra pose, straighten your arms and lift your chest off the floor as high as you can. Yoga Journal says you should be able to keep your pubis bone and thighs in contact with the ground. Maintain the pose for 15 to 30 seconds.
The Bow
The bow is a more advanced yoga pose for the abdomen. This movement gets its name from the bow you create with you body by holding your ankles with your hands. To move into the bow, start on your stomach on an exercise mat, bend your knees upward and reach back with your hands to hold onto your ankles. By pushing away with your legs and pulling with your hands, you will stretch your midsection. Look forward, rest on your abdomen, hold the pose for 15 to 30 seconds, and release.
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