If You Want Strong Defined Abs, Practice These 10 Yoga Poses And See The Difference

Having a strong core is a beautiful thing. A strong core helps you maintain support and control of our body in all of your daily activities, from picking up the kids to hitting the gym. These yoga poses for abs will improve core strength, help reduce strain on the spine, and prevent injuries by improving posture and balance.

So, even if you have a bit of padding shielding your six-pack abs, it’s still important to build strength in your core from the inside out. Yoga is the perfect tool to help build that strength! Almost every single yoga pose from standing balance postures to seated twists require (and also build) abdominal strength and stability.

You don’t have to spend all day at the gym to build a strong core. Instead, incorporate these 10 yoga poses for abs to your practice to get a killer core. Bonus points if you practice all 10 yoga poses in a dynamic flow!

1. Plank Pose

Let’s face it, Plank Pose is one of those yoga poses we all have a love/hate relationship with. This stabilizing core strengthener will activate all the muscles in your core to help hold you still.

How to:

Start on your hands and knees in Tabletop Pose, and align your wrists directly under your shoulders
Come to the balls of your feet as you extend your legs behind you, lifting your knees off the mat (it looks like the top of a push-up)
Slightly tuck your tailbone to activate muscles in the lower belly
Engage the muscles in your legs, lifting up through the quads to keep your body strong
Keep your core strong to prevent hips from sagging down or picking up

2. Dolphin Pose

Dolphin Pose works the abdominals while toning the shoulders and lengthening the spine. Holding Dolphin Pose will engage all muscles in your core, both superficial and deep muscles.

How to:

From Plank Pose drop your forearms to the mat, keeping your wrist in line with your elbow and palm on the earth
Keep elbows directly under the shoulders
Lift your hips towards the sky, and walk your toes in towards your face – like a Downward
Facing Dog on your forearms
For more intensity, lift hips above the shoulders and relax your heels toward the ground

3. Dolphin Pose With Leg Lift:

Dolphin Pose with a leg lift fires up the front body – the muscles that run from just below your sternum to your waist. This Dolphin variation is one of the best exercises for core conditioning because it engages multiple muscle groups simultaneously.

How to:

Start in Dolphin Pose
Walk your feet in towards your elbows to align your hips over your shoulders (or at least as much as possible!)
Lift your head just enough to maintain a neutral neck – don’t look too far forward or back
Alternate lifting each leg toward the sky

4. Star Plank (Side Plank Variation)

This Side Plank variation will help tone those famous “love handles” or obliques. Your waist will activate as you lift the body, and your abdominals will be working to stabilize the entire body. By lifting the top leg, you will further strengthen your obliques and lower abs.

How to:

From Plank Pose, shift your weight onto one hand and transition into Side Plank
For less pressure on your wrists, drop down to your forearm for a Side Forearm Plank
Stack your top leg on top of bottom, and slowly lift your top leg away from the bottom leg
To modify the pose, simply drop to the bottom knee or keep the legs together

5. Upward Facing Plank Pose

Although you may initially feel this as stretch in your shoulders, arms and chest, Upward Facing Plank Pose also builds core strength while challenging and improving balance. This pose is a great way to counterbalance the motion of sitting at a desk for many hours of the day. In this Plank variation we open up the front body while strengthening the muscles along the spine.

How to:

Begin seated on your mat with legs extended long in front of you
Bring your hands behind you, palms flat on the mat under your shoulders with your fingers facing your body
Lift hips upwards and allow feet to fall towards the floor, pressing flat on the ground if possible

6. Half Bow-Half Locust

This fun variation of traditional Bow and Locust Pose strengthens the muscles that surround the spine. It is a great counterpose to the others that target the front core muscles.

How to:

Start lying flat on your belly and reach one hand back
Grab a hold of the ankle on that same side
Extend the opposite arm straight out in front of you
As you lift your chest off the ground, press your foot into your hand and lift up into a Half Bow Pose
Simultaneously lift the opposite leg and arm into a Half Locust Pose

7. Twisting Boat Pose

Boat pose engages the deep abdominal muscles and tests the strength and stamina of every muscle from your hips to your shoulders. By incorporating the twist you will also fire up the side body – both the internal and external obliques.

How to:

Begin in Triangle Pose and extend the bottom arm straight out in front of you
Bring the top arm over your head, with your bicep close to your ear
Imagine holding a giant beach ball over your head

8. Floating Triangle

Triangle Pose is taught in almost every yoga class, however we rarely do the floating variation. By floating the arms overhead we begin to lengthen and strengthen the obliques, abdominals, and back.

How to:

Begin in Triangle Pose and extend the bottom arm straight out in front of you
Bring the top arm over your head, with your bicep close to your ear
Imagine holding a giant beach ball over your head

9. Chair Pose

Looks can be deceiving when it comes to Chair Pose. However, Chair Pose requires a great deal of stability through the core in addition to strength in the legs and flexibility in the shoulder. All of your core muscles will be engaged as you hold the pose and practicing this pose regularly can help improve your posture over time.

How to:

From Mountain Pose, bend your knees and lower your thighs to be parallel with the floor
Sit your hips straight back as if sitting into a chair
Keep arms extended overhead and torso long as you reach your tailbone down toward the floor and crown of head up to the sky
Keep your core engaged (imagine drawing your belly button in towards your spine)

10. Warrior III

Although it may most often be thought of as a standing balance pose, Warrior III builds strength and length in all parts of the core. From the front abdomen to the muscles around the spine, you will be engaging your entire core to hold your balance while keeping your body aligned.

How to:

From Mountain Pose extend your fingertips above your head
Draw one knee towards your chest
Begin to kick your lifted foot behind you
Reach your hands forward in front of you
Imagine making a capital “T” shape with your body; your torso and extended leg should be parallel to the floor