Although this discipline is based on leisurely movements and certain postures that must be maintained for a few minutes, do not think that it is not an effective work at the level of your muscles. See how you can gain definition in your abs with the practice of yoga.
The basic objective of yoga is to work the body and mind alike in order to achieve relaxation and inner balance. There are many who believe that it may not be the best idea to achieve a flat stomach and a firm and toned core. The truth is that a yoga class can be as effective in defining your abdomen as a hard training session in the gym.
Maintaining each of the postures (asana) that you can do in a yoga session, involves tensing the muscles of a certain area to later relax it again. The transition from one posture to another also involves an effort that combines muscle strength, joint flexibility, control of breathing and concentration on the movement itself.
Yoga is a complete discipline and if your goal is to have an agile and lean figure, a yoga routine can define the abs almost without realizing it, because your muscles will be doing hard work but in a smooth and fluid way, without the “pressure Which could mean trying to complete a set of reps at a sometimes costly pace to maintain.
The best asana to define your abs
Remember that yoga exercises the body as a whole. Any asana you do will require the harmonious movement of all your muscles and joints. This discipline is not designed to obtain a six pack as soon as possible, but to gain strength and definition in the core, an essential point of balance in our body.
Even so, there are some postures that require greater effort from the entire abdominal area: straight abs, oblique’s, transverse muscle … so you should include them in your yoga class if you want to increase the definition of the trunk muscles.
1. Downward facing dog
It involves bending the trunk to the maximum forward, so it cannot be lacking in a yoga class focused on strengthening the core. While standing, you should bend your trunk until you touch the ground with the palms of your hands and without taking off your heels. Back and legs are completely straight to form a perfect inverted “V”.
2. The iron
It is a callisthenic exercise that is not lacking in any gym routine whose objective is to increase the strength of the whole body and especially the abdomen. It is also a yoga asana that consists of lying on your stomach and raising your trunk supporting yourself with your forearms, maintaining balance and posture while controlling your breath.
3. The bridge
Yoga is balance and achieving this pose involves doing a reverse movement to that required by many common abdominal exercises. The bridge is done by lying on your back with your legs bent. The movement consists of raising the trunk keeping the upper part of the back glued to the mat. It is about raising the pelvis, looking for the maximum curvature, without at any time the asana being painful.
4. Salutation to the sun
They are the series of movements with which any yoga session generally begins. The sun salutation involves concatenating different asana, always with a contracted belly and maintaining balance. It is an excellent routine, lasting a few minutes that will help tone your abdomen by doing yoga.
5. The ship
This asana requires a great deal of work on the entire abdominal area and great concentration to hold the posture. Lying on your back, the exercise consists of raising both legs at the same time and then also raising the trunk to form a “V”, maintaining balance with the help of the arms. The demands on the abdominal muscles are high and, for many, it is the most effective yoga posture to define the abs
