Simply put, yoga is body magic. It can lower stress levels, improve sleep and posture, and give your body an essential stretch after a long day’s work. It can also work wonders to strengthen your midsection, which is why we’re here today with five daily yoga workouts to sculpt lean abs.
Your stomach, pelvis, lower back, and hips make up your core, which is key to supporting your body’s structure. “Core exercises are designed to promote the harmonious function of these interconnected muscle groups,” explains Valerie Meyer, ERYT-500 and corporate trainer for YogaSix. “In the context of yoga, the physical practice involves a diverse range of poses that necessitate the engagement of various muscle groups, particularly those constituting the core: the abdominals, lower back, hips, and glutes.”
Yoga stands out for its thorough muscular and skeletal engagement and activation of so many major and minor muscle groups. By practicing yoga regularly, you can improve your strength and balance, which in turn helps your entire body move more effectively.
Now, let’s get down to business with Meyer’s five daily yoga workouts to sculpt lean abs.
High Boat to Low Boat With Block Pass
- Begin seated on the ground, knees bent and feet planted about a foot ahead of you.
- Lean back with your upper body until you feel core engagement.
- Lift your feet off the floor slowly until they’re parallel to your shins. For balance, place a yoga block on your shins.
- Reach both arms out, framing your legs.
- Hold this position for 5 seconds.
- Breathe in as you grab the yoga block and move it overhead.
- Lean back to form a low boat pose.
- Breathe out and crunch back into boat pose, moving the block back onto your shins.
- Complete 3-5 sets of 5-10 reps.
Three-Legged Plank
- Assume a high plank.
- Breathe in and lift your left leg to move into a three-legged plank.
- Hold for a full breath cycle.
- Breathe out as you squeeze your left knee toward your tricep.
- Breathe in and extend the leg back to a three-legged plank position.
- Breathe out and bring your left leg toward your belly button or nose.
- Breathe in to assume the three-legged plank once again.
- Breathe out as you bring your left leg across your body to the opposite elbow.
- Complete the exercise 5-10 times for 3-5 sets per side to engage your abs and obliques.
RELATED: A Yoga Instructor’s Top 7 Moves for Stronger Abs
Side Plank Crunches
- Start in a plank.
- Bring your right hand to the middle of the mat as you rotate your body to the left.
- Extend your left arm toward the ceiling and lift your left foot off the floor.
- Bring your left elbow to your left knee to crunch at the side.
- Complete 3-5 sets of 10 reps per side.
Goddess Crunches Twists or Oblique Crunches
- Stand tall with your feet in a wide stance.
- Bring your heels in and point your toes out.
- Stretch both arms overhead to form a “V” shape.
- Lower into a deep squat as you bring your arms behind your head, keeping your elbows pressed out wide.
- Breathe in and expand your elbows in opposite directions
- Breathe out as you crunch down to bring your elbow to meet the opposite knee.
- Do 3 sets of 10-15 reps on each side.
Chair with Half Lift Hold
- Begin standing tall with your feet planted hip-distance apart.
- Bend both knees as you lower your hips toward your heels.
- Put a yoga block between your thighs, using your inner thigh muscles to squeeze it.
- Place your hands behind your neck.
- Breathe in as you bring your torso forward until it’s parallel to the floor.
- Start to straighten your legs.
- Press your tailbone back while maintaining a slight bend in your knees.
- Pull your tummy up and ribcage in as you activate your core.
- Hold this position for 5-10 breaths.
- Deepen your knee bend and lower your hips back toward your heels to assume chair pose.
- Hold each pose for 5-10 breaths and repeat each set 10 times.
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Alexa Mellardo
Alexa is the Mind + Body Deputy Editor of Eat This, Not That!, overseeing the M+B channel and delivering compelling fitness, wellness, and self-care topics to readers. Read more about Alexa
