If you’re sick and tired of crunches, come browse our yoga poses for abs library for some new inspiration. Fifteen poses that will strengthen your core are arranged by level (beginning, intermediate, and advanced). Standing, sitting, inversions, arm balances, there’s a little bit of everything here, so pick and choose what you like. If you want a sequence of poses for abs, we have that too. 10 Yoga Poses That Improve Core Strength is a series of poses designed with your abs (and mine) in mind.
As a runner, fitness is very important to you, but what about flexibility? You may have heard that yoga does nothing for your wellbeing as a runner, which was certainly the case for runner Stepfanie Romine. Now, Romine is a certified ashtanga yoga teacher, but she didn’t always feel so positive about the wellness benefits of yoga. ‘When I first started running, I felt sore and tight, despite stretching thoroughly afterwards,’ Romine recalls. ‘I started thinking that running wasn’t meshing well with my yoga practice. Yoga helped me loosen my muscles, but running only seemed to tighten them. A few runs and a bit of research later, I changed my mind. Running and yoga complement each other quite well, and I don’t need to end up sore and tight after my runs after all. The right combination of yoga poses can help you stretch out and loosen up after your runs, keeping your muscles and joints healthy and preventing tightness.’
Therefore, Romine has designed a yoga routine tailored specifically for runners. For these poses, you will need a yoga mat, yoga block (or a chair), and a yoga strap (or towel). However, before you begin, make sure you have clearance from your doctor, and you are not pregnant. You should complete each pose slowly and with control. If you bounce or force the pose, you can tighten your muscles and this increases your risk of injury. You should stretch to the point of “mild discomfort” rather than the point of pain. Now, let’s take a look at some yoga poses for runners.
1. Butterfly/Cobbler Stretch: Also known as the Baddha Konasana, this pose stretches your inner thighs and opens up your groin and hips. Romine explains, ‘Sitting tall on your mat, bring the soles of your feet together. Interlace your fingers and place them around the toes. Sit tall, rolling the shoulders back, and gaze past the end of the nose. Lean forward for a deeper stretch, stopping when you start to “feel” the stretch. With every inhale, feel your spine growing longer (imagine the crown of your head reaching out in front of you to the wall); with every exhale, allow the body to sink lower (the chest is getting closer to the floor).’
2. Seated Wide Angle Forward Fold: This Upavistha Konasana pose stretches your hamstrings and calves, as well as straightening and lengthening your spine. ‘From butterfly pose, extend your legs out to either side of you at a 90 degree angle,’ Romine instructs. ‘If you can straighten the legs, flex the feet and engage the quadriceps (by lifting your kneecap) to keep your knees from locking. Lean forward slightly and place your hands on the mat. With every inhale, feel your spine growing longer (imagine the crown of your head reaching out in front of you to the wall); with every exhale, allow the body to sink lower (chest closer to the floor).’
3. Cow-Face Fold: The Gomukhasana is incredibly effective for stretching your piriformis, hips and IT band. Romine notes, ‘From a seated position, bring your left foot back by your right hip; stack your right knee on top of your left, with your right foot by your left hip. (If your hips are tight, your top leg/knee might stand rather than lie flat—that’s OK.) Grab your feet with your hands (left foot in right hand; right foot in left), and lean forward slightly, gazing past the end of your nose. For a deeper stretch, flex your feet. You can also place your hands on the floor in front of you and lean forward to intensify the stretch. Repeat on the other side, with the left knee on top this time.’
When the holidays arrive, your wellness and wellbeing goals often go straight out of the window. You’re so busy running around attending parties, preparing food or buying gifts that you feel you simply do not have enough time to focus on your personal health. Yoga is a form of complementary health, and is one that you could actually integrate with your holiday plans.
The great thing about yoga is that it helps to decrease stress – and stress is something which (sadly) many of us feel during the holidays. Yoga can help to turn impatience and frustration into a sense of rejuvenation and mental clarity. Whenever you feel fatigued, drained and stressed, yoga can be great for boosting your alertness and mental energy.
There are some yoga poses in particular which are great for relieving holiday stress. If you try these, you will find that they help to reduce the tension you are experiencing and that they also increase your energy, boost your moods and help you to sleep at night.
The first are the cat and cow poses. For these, you need to be on all fours with your knees aligned directly underneath your hips, placing your wrists slightly in front of your shoulder alignment. At first you keep your head in a neutral position, looking at the floor. You should then inhale, round your spine up towards the ceiling whilst keeping your knees and shoulders in place – this is the cat pose.
Then, allow your head to come back down and tuck your chin in towards your chest. Inhale and lift your bum up towards the sky, dropping your belly down – this is the cow poses. Alternate between cow and cat poses about 15 times during each session and you will find that your back, torso and neck are stretched out and your anxiety levels are lower.
Sexual health and yoga have something in common; they’re ultimate mind-body experiences. Ellen Barrett, author of the book Sexy Yoga, explains, ‘Not only is yoga an amazing stress reliever, but certain postures improve flexibility, increase blood flow, and open your heart—all of which are necessary for a hot sex life.’ Another way yoga amps up your sex life is – according to a recent Journal of Sexual Medicine study – through teaching mindfulness, as most of us complain that troubles remaining focused makes sex boring or unemotional. Barrett notes, ‘The mindfulness you learn during yoga can translate to other parts of your life, so you can enjoy lovemaking entirely for what it is, and not think or worry about anything else.’ So, which yoga poses give your sexual wellbeing a boost?
1. The sex kitten: Also known as the cat/cow stretch (although being called a cow isn’t great for your sense of sexual wellness), this pose works your Kegel muscles, which are the same ones that contract during orgasm. You start on your hands and knees with your shoulders directly over your wrists and your hips directly over your knees. Breathing in, slowly arch your back and lift your chest up and away from the belly, extending tailbone toward ceiling. This is known as the cow position. Then, release your feet so the tops are resting on the floor, exhale and round your lower back up into the cat position. You should gently contract your belly as you do this. Repeat this six times and increase range of motion with each repetition.
2. The cobra: Lying with your belly and forehead touching the floor, place your palms face-down by the middle of your ribs. Then, draw your legs together and stretch them out, pressing the tops of your feet into floor. As you draw your elbows close to sides of your body, press your hands down evenly. However, when you next slowly lift your chest off the floor and roll your shoulders down your back, you should do this using the strength of your back – not the force of your hands. Hold this position for 10 to 20 seconds, breathing evenly, and then gently release to the floor. Barrett comments, ‘This is a heart opener pose. Love, energy, and breath come from your heart chakra, and this pose indirectly connects to sexual intimacy.’ It’s also very energising for those tiring days when sex is the last thing on your mind.
3. The downward-facing dog: This is definitely the most famous of all the yoga poses, and with good reason; it relaxes you and helps get your body ready for a night of passion. Barrett asserts, ‘This is a great pre-sex pose; it slowly warms up your body and helps you tune into the moment.’ On all fours, make sure your wrists are six to 12 inches in front of your shoulders, your knees are hip-width apart and your toes are curled under. Then, pushing evenly into your palms, lift your knees off the floor and raise your tailbone towards the ceiling, pushing the top of your thighs back so that your body looks like an inverted V. Hold this position for a minute and then slowly start to your straighten knees, without locking them. Finally, gently move your chest back towards your thighs until your ears are in line with your upper arms, but don’t let your head dangle. Barrett adds, ‘In this posture, your gaze goes nowhere; you should be looking inward, as though you’re closing your eyes, but not.’
