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| Hi everyone,
I'm a begining yoga teacher, and I'm beginning to get bored with the sequence that I use for the abdominal portion of my class. What poses you do use? Are there any specific sequence of poses that you use that are really beneficial and make for a challenging ab workout? Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Right now, I'm doing a lot of bridge, plank, and bow poses. |
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| Most asanas work the abs when done properly. Navasana is probably one of the most effective, though. |
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| If you examine the way that the abdominal muscles work together to maintain plank pose and then translate that learning to all the standing poses in the sequence the whole class will become an abdominal workout.
Independently, the most effective asanas for the abdominal region are navasana (with variatons) and Urdhva Prasarita Padasana.
Jonathon
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| Arm/leg lifts. You can do one leg, then another, and do both. If you want more challenge you can stop on the inhale down and hold for an exhale then inhale and continue to lower the legs.
So you start on the back - arms at the sides - inhale arms up overhead. Exhale arms and legs to a u shape. Inhale slowly lowering arms back overhead and legs down to the ground. Key is to do these very slowly - 5 second inhale and 5 second exhale. Not effective if you use momentum.
Don't forget to do some prone backbending - most people spend all day hunched at a computer and need the back strengthened as much as they need the front.
Vic |
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| victw -- In fitness, we call that exercise "dead bug". I often teach the variation where you lower the opposite arm and leg at the same time (other limbs stay in the air), working on keeping the torso square and the spine neutral. For when both arms and legs are being lowered and raised at the same time, I like to have a block between the thighs and another one pressed between the palms. The focus is to resist the arching and flexing of the spine as you "open and close the accordian" of the limbs.
Edited by OrangeMat 2007-08-21 1:45 PM
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| sutpa position, legs in eagle, hands interlaced on thighs.
push hands into thighs and thighs into hands on exhales.
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| How about lying in supine, having knees bent into a table top position, and use abs to move them side to side (rotion of spine) with breath.
You could do a few roll backs (with knees bent feet on floor) before doing boat, then raise one leg for single leg boat roll back, before eventually holding boat.
Dolphin press is good for abs (and also prep for headstand) holding the last rep in a low plank.
Lying in supine, hands behind head, curl head and shoulders, hold, raise bent legs to 90%, stretch them up, keep bandhas, exhale focus moola, bandha extend leg towards floor, inhale focus uddiyana lengthen leg back to 90% and then swop, continue for a rew reps each side, without arching back, them move on to do, supta padangusthasana.
A good prep for pascimottanasana is with a twist flow. exhale forward bend inhale to rotate reaching arm back, exhale to forward bend, inhale to other side and repeat a few times.
An excellent vinyasa is satanagallola - begin in cat, exhale to chataranga, inhale back to cat exhale down dog and repeat 5 times. (theres different levels within, depending on the strength of the students)
Down dog split move to plank bringing knee to nose, release back and repeat, repeat exercise a few time focusing on bandhas, lengthening and grounding., and then repeat and other side.
How about vashistasana(hold) - plank, chataranga(hold), plank, vashistasana(hold)
Edited by raquel 2007-08-22 4:47 AM
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| Satanagallola? I've never heard of that term, but I think I know the flow (didn't realize it had a name). When you say "cat" do you mean hands and knees, or 4-point kneeling position? Also, the chaturanga that follows, I assume you stay on your knees? Basically it sounds like the downdog-to-plank-to-chaturanga segment of a vinyasa extracted and then reversed out (sts). Similar to YogaFit's vinyasa, actually. Curious to the flow's origin.  |
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| Hy om, you can do it 3 ways from easy to hard
1. in satangasana (cat on hands and knees) exhale to lower body all way down onto floor, activate thighs to strighten legs (easy chat), knees down, breath into cat, exhale dog
2. from satangasana (cat) exhale to lower body into chata keeping knees down, carry on as before
3. from satangasana exhale to lower body into chata and then lift knees to hover in full chat, knees then come back down to push up into cat
4. (hardest) is like you say from cat move to plank, down to chata, push up to dog, back to plank and then chata.
Its a great sequence because there is something to challenge everyone, and it makes a good alternative to classical vinyasa, because there is less chance of straining in up face dog.
Its called satangalolla from cat - satangasana and lolla - connection of postures. The emphasis is on fluidity and breath though, im not sure what the emphasis is with yoga fit because I dont think I know anything about them.
I got it from one of my yoga dynamic teachers, who believed that vinyasa (with up dog) isnt suitable for many people so it could offer a safer alternative, for fluidity, also getting the leg forwards is also a problem, doing this vinyasa a few times meant the heat could easily be created without disruption of flow. |
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| Thanks for the explanations, raquel. Now I know a name for the all-fours position, satangasana! |
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| Never haeard the term Satangasana and a Google search didn't turn up any pictures - is it the same as Marjariasana? |
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| Yeah, its a Godfrey Devereux translation, I dont know why he calls it that, but he has translated the sutras so he must know what hes talking about |
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| raquel -- by any chance do you teach a fusion class of yoga and pilates? |
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| you could infuse the ab section with Pilates, gyrokinesis, or dance/exercise workouts.
or you could check out Ana Forest dvds. she is a merciless demon of ab work lol. |
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| Om, I have done in the past and will be starting a class up in september, the two compliment each other, the pilates based exercises strengthen the core very quickly, postuaral alignment is also improved, fairly rapidly too, which of course enhances yogasana,
im sure mr Pilates practiced yoga, although he doesnt mention it much in his book. Interestinginly Isherwood who translated the sutras was a student of his
Would love to work with anna forest, ive done gyrotronic exercises, they are great for upper back and shoulders and my nia dance class also as you say has its own form of excellent ab work. 
Edited by raquel 2007-08-26 2:42 AM
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| Hi raquel -- I've been recently asked to teach such a fusion class starting in September as well, so I appreciate the recommendations. My background is stronger in yoga and fitness core work than in pilates formal (and none in dance), but I'll look into Anna Forrest's work, thanks. |
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| Brilliant, it will be a really popular class, and there are lots of different approaches you can take, if you want any ideas, im willing to share, maybe you could give me a few new ones too. I liked your dead bug one |
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Location: London, England | Hi there,
Just found this article by Craig Leibenson (a well-respected chiropractic research scientist)-thought you may find it interesting.
http://www.chiroweb.com/columnist/liebenson/
Nick |
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| Hey Nick, thanks for posting that article, good stuff there, and all pretty much in line with how I teach core. In fact, the overhead arm reach (figure 7) is exactly how I start the dead bug progression I had mentioned earlier. Though not on foam roller, don't have any of those.... yet. |
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| Definitely, raquel, I'd love to hear more of what you can offer in terms of approaches and a fusion class structure. The only experience I've had in a yogilates setting was very non-integrated and frankly, quite unenjoyable: the first half of the class was strictly seated yoga stretches, and the second half was pilates mat exercises, the class split exactly half down the middle like that. The instructor even said "and now we'll do the pilates part of our class" [shudder]. So the breakdown of such a class, as well as the sequencing, is what I've love to hear about, for sure! Like, for example, is there savasana at the end? Thanks! Oh, and as for me sharing what I know.... I'm sure you know it all already, but sure, I'll see if I can come up with a couple moves you might not have come across already. I do have a tiger (i.e. spinal balance) to modified side-plank flow that's quite nice.
Edited by OrangeMat 2007-08-26 2:08 PM
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| Here's that spinal balance flow I had mentioned: hands & knees (neutral spine) inhale, extend right arm & left leg (spinal balance) exhale, squeeze right elbow & left knee together (cat stretch) inhale, extend right arm & left leg (spinal balance) exhale, release to hands & hands (neutral spine) inhale, extend left leg back, heel to floor, left hand to sky (kneeling side plank); exhale, hold inhale, lift left leg parallel to floor (balancing kneeling side plank) exhale, bring left hand to floor, hips square, left leg stays elevated (tiger pose) inhale, extend right arm (spinal balance) exhale, squeeze right elbow & left knee together (cat stretch) inhale, right arm & left leg extend (spinal balance) exhale, release to hands & knees (neutral spine) cat/cow as needed repeat other side I have stick figures as well, but haven't figured out an easy way to post a series of them yet, oh well. |
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| Thats a good little sequence thanks. How about chataranga sinle leg press.
Begin in cat, lift and extend right leg
inhale, lower chest between the hands,keeping elbows in (if poss) stretching into toes and lifting leg higher, keep pelvis stabilised with core muscles, repeat up to 5 times, holding last one for a couple of breaths
After last one bring nose to knee, thread leg through for pigoen
From pigeon move into three leg down dog, bend lifted leg and move into twist, opening hip, hold.
Sit back on heels and then repeat other side
I tend to get them to focus on clarifying drawing navel back to spine on exhalation, and hollow and scooping abdomen on inhalation, its very similar concept of the bandhas
Im into stick men too, |
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| Yes, I've done that sort of leg lift, but on forearms. Don't know how adept this new group of students will be, and I hate to have them hold chaturanga like that if they can't keep from dumping the shoulders forward, ya know? Most of my students and clients tend to be more on the beginner side, so I have to teach with that in mind. But thanks, it's a great sequence as well! |
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| Yeah that version is tough, but I forgot to mention I usually invite them all to practice, knee to nose variation first, and then try the harder variation, of lowering so that there is something challenging for everyone |
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| You guys are making my abs sore just thinking about this stuff...
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need suggestions...abdominals
