Yoga Core Strengthening Exercises

Nothing is more important in yoga then strengthening your core. Keep your core exercises right with help from a professional yoga and Pilates teacher in this free video on fitness.

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Video transcription

Hi, I'm Michelle with Pilates Studio City. Today, we're going to do some yoga poses that are going to strengthen your core. First of all, I would like us to come into Downward Facing Dog. So, from here, I'm going to come into a forward fold. Placing my fingertips on the ground, I'm going to step my left foot back and then my right foot back, coming into Downward Facing Dog. So, in your Downward Facing Dog, your hands are shoulder width apart, fingers are spread wide, pressing into the mat, buns are coming up to the sun as your heels come down to the ground, nice. So, we're in Downward Facing Dog. From here, I want you to lift your left leg up into the air, and on your exhale, I want you to draw your shoulders right over your wrists. I want you to drive your left knee into your chest, lift that knee up, let's lift it up, hold on, good. We're going to inhale this left leg back up into the air, coming into Three Legged Dog, and we're going to slowly exhale this left knee into your chest, shoulders are over your wrists again. Hold on and breathe, good. One more time, let's inhale up, this left leg up into the air. Nice, now we're going to bring this left knee on the outside of your left elbow. So, I want you to lift that left knee up above that elbow, hold on, be strong, pull that belly button in. You've got it, you can do it, nice. Slowly extend this left leg back up, nice. Place that left foot on the ground, and then you can do your right side. So, from here, once you're done with your right side, slowly walk your hands back down towards your feet. Give me a big inhale, and on your exhale, that nice tight core you just got done working. I want you to pull your belly button into your spine. Let that core help you come up, rolling up one vertebra at a time, chin is the last thing that comes up off of your chest. We've just worked our core. I'm Michelle with Pilates Studio City.