Yoga for the Abdomen: Poses for Abs and Waist

Yoga Poses for Belly and Waist

During pregnancy, wanting to maintain your waistline and strengthen the abdominal muscles that experience additional stress, it’s beneficial to perform special exercises. You should carefully select yoga poses for the abs, as targeting the rectus abdominis muscles during this period can be extremely dangerous. A light version of the daily workout is presented in a video tutorial on the website.

Benefits of Poses for Belly and Waist

Yoga poses for the abs are not only intended for shaping a slim waist. In a routine designed for during pregnancy, these exercises are included for the following reasons:

• abdominal muscles support the internal organs and spine, acting as a kind of support for them;

• training the oblique muscles helps them withstand the pressure of a growing fetus during pregnancy, preventing the belly from sagging;

• daily exercises make the abdominal muscles elastic, allowing the belly to “bounce back” and regain shape faster after childbirth.

Before performing yoga asanas for the abdomen, you should consult with your healthcare provider to rule out the possibility of premature birth and any diagnoses that might prevent engaging in Eastern practices.

Abdominal Exercises

Asanas are performed barefoot on a gym mat, in comfortable clothing, and with pleasant music. Breathing should be calm and even, with movements carried out slowly and smoothly.

1. Sit down into Vajrasana (Diamond Pose): hips rest on the heels of bent legs, hands lie on the knees. Listen to your body and well-being, tune in to the practice, letting go of unnecessary thoughts.

Transition into a side plank variation: left leg extended along the mat, support on the bent right leg and the palm of the straightened right arm, make bends to the right. The left hand circles over the head and fingers reach forward, then return the hand to the starting position in front of the chest, as if drawing a semicircle. Meanwhile, the pelvis moves up and down, creating tension on the oblique abdominal muscles.

2. Lie on the right side, supporting your head with the bent right arm. Take a position where the palm of the left hand rests on the mat in front of the chest, the right leg is bent at the knee, and the left leg is extended along the mat, with its toes pointing downwards. Perform the following movements:

• lift your left leg and lower it down with a comfortable amplitude, ensuring the heel points directly upward;

• once the leg is fixed in the upper position, describe circles with it in both directions;

• straighten your right arm so that it becomes an extension of the body, and place the left toe on the mat, lift the torso as much as possible, with the left hand resting on the hip;

• straighten both arms and legs while lying on the side, reaching forward with the left arm and pushing the leg back, stretch the oblique abdominal muscles.

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3. Carefully transition to a supine position, extend your arms along the torso, knees bent, feet resting on the mat, shins perpendicular to the floor:

• raise and lower the pelvis several times;

• lying on your back, connect your palms and bent knees over your abdomen, on the exhale straighten both arms together parallel to the mat and simultaneously lift the joined legs almost at a right angle to the floor, on the exhale return them to the starting position;

• grasp the knees of your bent and slightly spread legs with your hands, and rock from side to side.

Move to the other side and repeat the exercises focusing on the muscles of the right side of the abdomen.

Technique for Comfortable Asana Practice

Begin sessions with a gentle warm-up to prepare the muscles and joints. Yoga poses for the abdomen, which help maintain firm abs during pregnancy, should be performed with safety precautions:

• a diagnosis of “uterine/abdominal tone” is a contraindication for performing yoga asanas for the abs;

• transitioning to a supine position is done from a side lying pose by smooth rolling over;

• do not start the practice after eating or with a feeling of hunger;

• exercises are performed at a comfortable pace, the range of bends and rotations is individual and depends on the well-being and physical condition of the expectant mother;

• in poses performed lying on the back, the lower back should be pressed to the mat;

• the appearance of the slightest painful sensations is a reason to stop the practice.

To correctly perform poses for the abs and gain positive effects from yoga practice, it’s convenient to follow tips from the video lesson on the website. Abdominal strain is unacceptable for pregnant women, so the yoga asana complex, excluding negative impacts on the growing fetus, is designed for gentle muscle work in the abdominal area and maintaining a slim waist.