Exercising the stomach with yoga

As you may already know, yoga is one of the main parts of any wellness routine. Practicing yoga can help you reduce stress and at the same time exercise your body. You can also incorporate yoga into your stomach exercises that target your midsection. In yoga, various positions or asanas exercise the stomach muscles. Remember that in yoga there are several more advanced positions or asanas. As such, you should always start with the easiest positions before moving on to the more complex positions. Evaluate your ability and comfort level before trying a certain asana. Don’t take any risk. Start with one that is simple and move on to others that are more complex once you have the strength and flexibility. And as always, with any exercise routine, consult a professional before beginning and always set aside some time to warm up to avoid injury.

muktasan pawan

This is an asana to exercise the stomach. First lie on your back. You can opt for a towel or a mat to cushion the spine. Now bend both knees towards your chest until your thigh touches your stomach. Then hug your knees into place and lock your toes. Then raise your head until your nose touches your knees. Take a deep breath and hold this position for thirty seconds. Now slowly release and lower yourself back down to the starting position. You can also choose to do this exercise one leg at a time.

Bhujangasan

For this exercise, you start by lying on your stomach. Next, place your hands under your shoulders. Now lift your upper body off the ground using your back muscles. Stand up until your head is upright. You want to make sure you don’t push with your hands, as you want your back muscles to do the work. Stay in this position for about thirty seconds before slowly lowering back to the starting position. Now, in this exercise, even though you are using your back muscles to do all the work, this asana will help you reduce abdominal fat and flatten your stomach.

The arc

This is somewhat similar to the previous asana. You start by lying on your stomach. The difference is that in addition to curling your legs up, you’ll also be lifting your upper torso. First bend your knees so that your feet reach your head. With both hands, grab onto your ankles and pull with your hands while simultaneously pushing with your legs. Do this so that only your stomach is on the floor. You should feel like you’re making a circle. Keep your knees together at all times. Now hold this position for thirty seconds and then slowly release and return to your starting position.

Paad-Pashchimottanasan

Ok, this next asana is not as complicated as the name sounds. However, you must be flexible to be able to perform this asana. Begin by lying on your back with your arms above your head and your legs straight. Extend all your limbs. You are now straight from head to toe. Next, place your palms facing the ceiling and bring your hands together. Now contract your stomach muscles so that you can sit up, while keeping your back straight and your head still above your head. Then lean forward and grab your toes, placing your head between your arms. Your face will touch your knees. Hold this position for about two minutes and then slowly release.

As you can see, yoga can help you achieve that slim stomach you’ve always wanted. Practice these asanas and you will be on your way to a slimmer and fitter tummy.