YOGA-Abs workout!!!

The first thing people want to know if they think you’re a yoga specialist is how to get a 

flat tummy. They will have a look of desperation on their face accompanied with 

at least two or three stories of how they have tried EVERYTIHNG and have failed.  

The trick to getting a flat belly is twofold.  

You obviously have to have toned abdominal muscles but more importantly you 

have to burn the layers of fat on the muscles before you can start dreaming of those 

six pack abs that have the whole of Bollywood in storm.

The only way to get rid of fat over the muscles is by burning calories and eating a healthy 

balanced diet.  The muscle toning is where yoga is specifically helpful.  

The advantage it has over other forms of exercise is that the muscles strengthen as they 

tone hence the effect is more long lasting. 

It takes longer to get them into shape but once they are they stay that way and look 

more natural.  Lastly the biggest advantage is that most postures which tone abdominal 

muscles cleanse your abdominal organs enhancing their blood supply and detoxify them 

so making you healthy as a whole.  It shows it effects varying from preventing adult onset 

diabetes or giving you a better control over it to bringing a healthy glow to your skin. 

Here are the easy to do postures.

FOUR LIMB STICK POSE:

Start from lying on your belly.  Place you palms flat beneath your shoulders and lift your body 

off the ground making sure it stays parallel to the floor.  There's a tendency in this pose for the 

lower back to sway toward the floor and the tailbone to poke up toward the ceiling. 

Throughout your stay in this position, keep the tailbone firmly in place.  Breathe in 

deeply and tuck in your tummy muscles if you want to deepen the posture.  Don't let 

the elbows splay out to the sides; hold them in by the sides of the torso.  Try and keep

your body as straight and parallel to the ground as possible.  Hold the posture for 15-30 

seconds and release by exhalation and come and lie down flat on your belly.  Repeat the 

posture thrice.

Advantages:

This posture not only tones your abdominal muscles but also strengthens and tones your arms

and wrists.  It massages the abdominal organs bringing fresh blood to them and 

detoxifying them.  The core is where all the essential organs for healthy living are 

located and this strengthens our cores muscles and stimulates the core organs. 

It should however not be done if you’re suffering from acute backache, carpal tunnel 

syndrome or are pregnant.

FULL BOAT:

Start from the sitting position on the floor with your legs straight in front of you.  Take a deep breath; exhale and bend your knees, then lift your feet off the floor, so that your legs are at a 90 degrees angle from the thighs.  In this position, try to balance yourself on your hip bones.  As your body becomes steady straighten your legs with toes pointing upwards; at the level of your chin or eyes, keeping your arms outstretched and straight in front of you or parallel to your legs. If this isn't possible remain with your knees bent, perhaps lifting the shins parallel to the floor.  At first stay in the pose for 10-20 seconds. Gradually increase the time of your stay to 1 minute. Release the legs with an exhalation and sit upright on an inhalation.

Advantages:

This is one of the most effective yoga postures.  It will not only strengthen your abdomen and thigh muscles but also your spine.  It stimulates the liver, kidney, pancreas, thyroid and prostate gland as well your intestines.  With such vast effect on the 

organs it refreshes your entire body.  It helps relieving stress and 

stimulates a sluggish bowel.  It should not be done in pregnancy 

or diarrhoea.  The balancing in the postures calms the mind while 

increasing the bloody supply to it at the same time.  This will 

become obvious as you get better with holding the posture with time.

CHAIR OR LIGHTNING BOLT:

Stand straight facing forwards with your arms by your side and feet slightly apart.  Breathe in deep, lift you arms with palms facing each other and arms parallel to your ears.  Exhale and bend your knees, trying to take the thighs as nearly parallel to the floor as possible. Keep your knees facing forwards and push out your hip bones bending your back forwards so that it is shaped like a lightning bolt.  Keep your arms straight and parallel to your ears at all times and chin up keeping your head straight.  Hold the position for 15-30 seconds breathing in and out slowly and steadily.  Gradually increase the duration of holding the posture.  Repeat thrice.

Advantages:

This is one of the postures in yoga with revitalizes you and gives your body a surge of energy.  It strengthens the abdominal and thigh muscles.  It stimulates the calf muscles thereby increasing the blood supply to your heart.  It strengthens the spine and arms.  The effect is like all yoga posture immense and improves overall lower as well upper body fitness.

ROWING:

Lie down on your back with your body straight and arms by your side.  Join both your hands clenching them together in front of your chest.  From this position lift your upper body up from the ground keeping your chin up, back straight and legs firmly planted to the ground.  Drag you clenched hand forwards along your body towards your toes while bending at the waist.  After reaching the toes bring the hands back and lie back on the ground in constant fluid like motion.  Without taking a break repeat the process 15-20 times.  Keep the body moving constantly keeping your back straight; bending at the waist and arms rowing along the length of your body.  Try and increase the number of times of doing the posture increasing to 30 times.

ADVANTAGES:

This is the best posture for tucking in your upper as well lower abs.  The effect will be very obvious the next day when you will not be able to laugh, talk or do anything involving the abdominal muscles.  It strengthens the abdominal muscles in specific and tones them while stretching the back and the thighs.

 These postures are as usual just a drop in the bucket.  There are several other more postures to move on to once you have mastered the basics.  It takes hardly 10 minutes in a day and with these you are on your way to a good start.  However a good cardio workout and a balanced diet are still mandatory.  There is no excuse to eating wrong.  Another edge yoga has over other forms of workouts is that it will gradually decrease your appetite till it reaches an optimal level.  These postures can be done by any person belonging to any age group.  Once you have learned to combine yoga with your other workouts there is no end to what you can achieve.