The 4 best yoga exercises for the abdominal muscles

Yoga for the abdomen: How to strengthen your core

Your abdominal muscles are essential as support for the abdominal cavity. The spine and pelvis also depend on the stability of these muscles, and the abdominal organs can thereby be protected. In essence, this involves 29 important muscles that provide you with the necessary mobility. Because there are so many different muscles involved, it is clear that a single yoga exercise cannot lead to success. Different muscle groups are always engaged. The pelvic floor muscles are also considered part of the abdominal muscles.

But what does it actually mean to strengthen your abdominal muscles? On an energetic level, the core represents courage, determination, and self-confidence. By activating your abdominal muscles, you also enhance your inner energetic strength and gain more stability. In addition, you protect your lower back from injury. A balanced energy in your core is essential so that your navel center can harmonize the ascending energy (Prana Vayu) as well as the descending energy (Apana Vayu).

4 great yoga exercises for the abdominal muscles

First of all, one thing is extremely important: always perform the yoga exercises with bent legs! Very often, the back of the legs is shortened, which causes you to fall into an undesired rounded back when the legs are straight. Therefore, always make sure to keep the natural curves of your spine as much as possible in order not to strain your intervertebral discs.

Exercise 1: Boat pose (Navasana)

• Take a relaxed seated position, your back is long and your spine neutral.

• Now draw your shoulders back, away from your ears.

• Bring the tips of your shoulder blades toward each other. This also creates support for your back.

• Now lift your legs and bend them, so that knees and ankles touch each other. This creates more core stability.

• Now extend your legs to the side while rotating your upper body with them. Your arms also move along with the motion.

• Try to perform this for one minute.

This exercise can also be combined with a twisting movement—this way you additionally train the oblique abdominal muscles:

• You are back in the boat pose.

• Interlace your fingers behind your head. Keep your knees drawn toward your body.

• Press your head gently into your hands and your hands back into your head. This lengthens your cervical spine and strengthens your neck muscles. Alternatively, you can also extend your arms out to the sides.

• Exhale and twist to the right from your core.

• Inhale to return to the center, then exhale and twist to the left.

• You can repeat this as often as you like!

The boat pose trains all four layers of the abdominal muscles and is therefore a particularly popular yoga exercise.

Exercise 2: The plank (Chaturanga)

This yoga exercise is simple on the one hand, but also wonderfully effective:

Engage your lower and upper body and hold the position for at least 5 long breaths—ideally as long as you can.

Now relax. Then repeat the exercise 3–5 times.

This strengthens both the abdominal and back muscles.

Exercise 3: Quadruped variation

• With this exercise, you intensify your abdominal muscle training:

• Kneel on your yoga mat with your hands placed flat on the floor.

• Lift your right leg and extend it straight backward, parallel to the floor.

• Keep your spine stable and long.

• Find your center and extend your left arm forward.

• On the exhale, draw your right knee and left elbow toward each other.

• Inhale and extend your arm and leg back out.

• Repeat this 8 times, then return to the quadruped position.

• Take a restorative break, then practice on the other side.

Exercise 4: The sunrise

• Lie on your back.

• Place your feet hip-width apart and bring them as close to your glutes as possible.

• Gently tuck your chin in—this helps keep your neck straight.

• Your arms lie alongside your body.

• Inhale and slowly lift your hips. Keep your pelvic floor engaged.

• Bring your arms underneath your pelvis, as this supports body tension.

• Continue breathing calmly and hold the position for at least 15 seconds.

• Then release and repeat about 4 times.

The sunrise also strengthens the glutes as well as the muscles of the lumbar spine and relieves pressure on the pelvic floor.

Strengthening your abdominal muscles is extremely important in order to achieve a harmonious balance. Your abdominal muscles provide essential stability in the abdominal cavity. Strengthened abdominal muscles are also central for your spine and pelvis. In addition, they help protect your internal organs. Try our simple yoga exercises and harmonize the energy of your core!