The core is the foundation upon which all movement is based. It stabilizes your spine and allows the body to actually move. Every movement you make is initiated by the core and in order to prevent health problems, it is crucial to keep the core as strong and stable as possible. A strong core will reduce injuries (especially back injuries), improve posture, increase balance and stability and will even aid in digestion.
Looking to improve your core strength? Several studies show how practicing yoga can help build the underlying muscles to build abs that are both strong, stable and flexible. So this week’s featured classes will leave your core worked and full of strength!
You can use our new Search Feature to search through all of our Yoga for Core Strengthening classes on your own. To get you started without searching, we’re highlighting six classes in a variety of styles, levels and durations that are designed to work your core.
- All About Core with Kathryn Budig: It’s all about the core! Focused plank and stepping forward work starts out the class followed by core oriented standing poses and fun floor work leading up to crow and side crow. Inversions and backbends wrap up the class for a lovely savasana.
- Strengthen Your Core with Kia Miller: Enhance your capacity to move and act from your center. Balance your navel and heart energy and feel the power of coming home to your SELF. Familiarize yourself with this set and practice it regularly as a way to stay truly connected.
- The Core of You with Steven Espinosa: Many of us consider the abdominal as our core. But we also have our skeletal core, the core of our pelvis and the heart as the core of our deeper self. The focus of this practice to move from our many levels of core. Strong heat building opening warm up with emphasis on strengthening the abdominal core area while aligning our skeletal core for solid bio-mechanical movement. Standing Poses include Crescent, Warrior 1 & 2, Extended Side Angle and Triangle. Also includes brief explanation of “mula bandha” i.e., the drawing in and up of the internal organs to engage abdominal core. Continues with Arm Balance in Crow Pose (bekasana), Boat Pose (navasana) and pelvic core opening in Fire Log Pose (agnistambasana).
- Strong Core and Arm Flow with Dice Iida-Klein: A strong core workout with focus on strengthening the shoulders and arms. Side plank (vashistasana) and forearm side plank variations along with a navasana sequence (boat pose). Also, a quick look at lolasana (pendant pose), which will help with the jumpback and pickup in the ashtanga primary series.
- Core Strengthening Practice with Jason Crandell: You will awaken, strengthen and integrate your core in this practice. You won’t do 10,000 sit-ups or crunches. Instead, you’ll examine how your feet, legs and abdominals work together to create greater strength, integration and depth in all of your poses. You can expect plenty of abdominal work woven into sun salutations, standing poses, forward bends and twists.
- Core Workout with Jo Tastula: Just new to yoga or coming back from injury and want to build some gentle strength through out the entire body? This is a simple little sequence starting with cat/cow and plank variations that strengthen the spinal muscles. Plank pushups on the knees are a great way to gently build upper body strength. We flow through a crescent sequence that works the entire body and then take it to the back where we will target key abdominal muscles finishing with bridge pose and a twist.
