Five Yoga Poses to Fire Up Your Core

This balancing pose called Crow works your abs and your upper body.

• Begin in a Wide Squat. Place your palms firmly on the ground in front of you. Spread your fingers as wide as you can, and press into your fingertips to release any pressure in your wrists.
• Straighten your legs slightly, and place your knees as high up onto your triceps as possible, toward your armpits.
• Shift your weight forward into your hands, and see if you can lean the weight of your knees into the backs of your arms. Lift one foot off the ground and then the other. If you can bring your toes together, then you'll feel more compact and it'll be easier to balance. Squeeze your knees together slightly and pull your belly button in toward your spine to give you a sense of lightness.
• Stay here for five breaths.

 

Headstands are definitely poses that require upper-body strength and balance. This version known as Headstand B involves keeping your feet parallel with the ground and also insanely works your core.

• Begin with your hands and knees on the mat. Lower your elbows to the floor and interlace your fingers, bringing your lowest pinky in front of the other pinky so both pinkies are on the floor, forming a semicircle with your hands.
• Place the back of your head against your palms and the top of your head on the mat, so your skull is vertical to the floor. Once your head and forearms feel stable, straighten both legs and walk your feet toward your face as far as you can.
• Shift your hips over your shoulders, and keep your elbows planted firmly on the mat. Lift your right leg straight up toward the sky and then your left, coming into full headstand. If you feel up to the challenge, you can try lifting both legs up simultaneously.
• To move into Headstand B, slowly lower both legs down halfway so that your thighs are parallel with the floor. After five breaths, lower your feet all the way down to the ground.