STRENGTHEN STOMACH MUSCLES WITH
YOGA
By Donovan Baldwin
If you are trying to tighten and strengthen your midsection, that can
be easily done with some simple yoga
poses.
There are a number of yoga positions (asanas)
which concentrate on the stomach muscles. Keep in mind,
however, that some of these are more advanced than others, so
you will have to assess your own skill and comfort level before trying
certain asanas. If you are not sure you are able to do one of the
asanas, start with another one that seems easier and then work
your way up. Once you have built up some strength and
flexibility at one level, you can move to the next. As with any other
workout routine, be sure to consult your doctor before beginning and
always warm up properly to avoid injury.
Pavan-Muktasan
To perform this simple stomach-exercising asana, first lie flat on your
back. Use a yoga mat or a towel to cushion the spine. Bend both knees
up to your chest so that your thigh touches the stomach. Hug your knees
in place and lock your fingers to hold them. Now lift your head up so
your nose meets your knees, or as close as you can get. Take a deep
breath and hold it for thirty seconds before releasing and slowly
lowering back to start. Some find it easire to do this movement one leg
at a time. Yogis feel this asana removes gas from the abdomen
and reduces abdominal fat. It is also use to increase the flexibility
of the knees and hips.
The
Cobra - Bhujangasana
For this stomach exercise, remain on the floor, but roll over on to
your stomach. Position your hand under your shoulders. Now, using your
back muscles, raise your upper torso off the ground to that your head
is upright. Be careful not to push with your hands. You want the
muscles in your back to be doing the work. Hold this posture for thirty
seconds, then lower yourself back to start. Even though you are using
your back muscles to lift your upper body, performing the asana will
assist in reducing belly fat and flattening your tummy. Also
known as Cobra Pose
Dhanurasana
- The Bow
Also known as , this stomach exercise is pretty similar to the
previous asana, but more involved. It starts from the same position
lying on your stomach, but in this exercise you curl your legs upward
in addition to lifting your upper torso. Bend your knees so that the
soles of your feet come up toward your head. Grab your ankles and pull
with your hands and push with your legs until only your stomach is on
the floor. Your body should feel sort of like it is making a circle.
Your knees should remain together throughout the exercise. Hold this
position for thirty seconds before releasing and returning to starting
position.
Paad-Pashchimottanasan
- The Forward Bend
As intimidating as the name, Paad-Pashchimottansan, may be, it is far
less complicated in practice than in pronunciation. It does, however,
require a fair amount of flexibility, so you may want origainlly to
ease into this one and build up your flexibility to where you can do
the position properly. Let's go through it step-by-step:
Start by lying on your back with your legs straight and arms overhead.
Your body should be straight from head to toe with all limbs extended.
Point your palms up to the ceiling and put your hands together.
Contract your stomach muscles to sit up, keeping your back straight and
hands overhead. You might not be able to perform this at
first. You might want to look at some of the stomach
exercises in other pages of this website for some stomach strengthening
methods and work on those before you try this.
Bend forward and grab your toes with your hands, putting your head
between your arms so it touches your knees. Hold the position for two
minutes before releasing.
Find more exercises
for strengthening the stomach muscles at
How to Lose Stubborn Belly Fat.
About the
Author:
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Donovan Baldwin is a freelance
writer residing in the Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas area, and a University
of West
Florida alumnus. He is a member of Mensa and is retired from
the U. S. Army after 21 years of service. In his career, he
has held many managerial and supervisory positions. However,
his main pleasures have long been writing, nature, health, and
fitness. In the last few years, he has been able to combine
these pleasures by writing poetry and articles on subjects such as
health, fitness, weight lifting, yoga,
weight loss, the environment,
global warming, happiness, self improvement, and life. His
blog on Senior
Health and Fitness can be found at Fitness-After-40.blogspot.com.
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