The first place you might notice extra pounds is around your middle. One way to reduce your waistline is with yoga poses that develop your core muscles, specifically your transversus abdominis and obliques. Begin with a five-minute cardiovascular warm-up, and plan to practice at least three times a week. As an added bonus to shrinking your waist, yoga also helps calm your mind, brighten your mood and tune your inner awareness to help you make optimal choices, including what you eat.
Step 1
Work your core muscles with boat pose. Sit on your yoga mat with your knees bent and your feet flat on the ground. Inhale and lift your shins parallel to the floor. Stretch your arms out in front of you, also parallel to the floor, and keep your shoulders back and down. Exhale and lean back slightly as you stretch your legs straight so your body is in a "V" position. Hold for 30 seconds.
Step 2
Lower your legs to the mat so they're straight in front of you. Bend your right knee and place your foot flat on the floor alongside the outside of your left knee. Inhale and, keeping your sit bones grounded, lengthen your spine upward. Exhale and twist your torso to the right. Extend your left arm across the outer side of your right leg and place your right hand on the floor to your right side. Hold for 30 seconds. Switch legs and repeat on your left side.
Step 3
Kneel on your mat and stretch your right leg out to the side. Place your foot flat on the floor, toes facing right. Inhale and stretch your arms straight out to your sides. Exhale and stretch your left arm overhead as you lean to your right and place your right hand on your shin. Hold gate pose for 30 seconds, then inhale back to center. Repeat on your left side.
Step 4
Come into downward-facing dog, with your hands at the front of your mat, your feet toward the back and your seat extended straight up to the ceiling. Inhale, bring your shoulders forward into plank pose and hold for a few breaths. Keep your belly, seat and inner thighs lifted. Scoop your tailbone back and extend the rest of your spine forward. Exhale back into downward-facing dog. Repeat four times.
Step 5
Widen your knees and lower them to the mat. Sit back on your feet and stretch your spine forward as you place your forehead on the floor for child's pose. Hold for at least two minutes.
Tips and Warnings
- Keep your navel pulled in toward your spine and lengthen the sides of your body as you do these poses. Keep your shoulders relaxed and down.
- Check with your health practitioner before starting any new exercise program.
Things You'll Need
- Yoga mat
- Comfortable clothing
References
- "Light on Yoga"; B.K.S. Iyengar; 1976
- "Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine"; Yoga Practice is Associated With Attenuated Weight Gain in Healthy, Middle-Aged Men and Women; A.R. Kristal, A.J. Littman, D. Benitez, E. White; July/August 2005
- "Supportive Care in Cancer"; Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial of Yoga in Overweight and Obese Breast Cancer Survivors: Effects on Quality of Life and Anthropometric Measures; A.J. Littman, et al.; January 2011
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