The document provides an overview of 15 yoga poses designed to strengthen the core and develop killer abs, emphasizing the benefits of a strong core for overall physical health including improved stability, flexibility, balance, and injury prevention. It features detailed instructions for each pose, such as Downward Facing Dog, Plank, and Boat Pose, along with insights into how these exercises can enhance athletic performance and daily physical activities. Ultimately, it highlights the importance of abdominal strength in supporting vital organs and contributing to a well-rounded fitness routine.

1. 15 Yoga Poses for Killer Abs
1. Summary
If you are interested in yoga for abs and you want to know all the yoga poses that can help you
build a strong core and killer abs, you are in the right place. Yoga provides us with many practices
that can help us keep this area of the body in shape, and in this article you will discover how to
perform one of the most effective yoga poses to strengthen and tone your core. Here you will find
the best yoga at home suitable for practitioners of all level. But, before diving into the best asanas
for killer abs, let’s learn something more about why having a strong core is such a big deal, besides
looking amazing, toned and ripped!
2. Benefits of having a strong core
Having a strong core will not only help you get a ripped body and killer abs but it will also have a
positive impact on your overall physical well-being. The benefits of abdominal exercises are many,
in particular they allow:
Stabilize the lumbar area
When you train the abdominal muscles, the lumbar area also becomes stronger and healthier,
favoring the reduction of back pain episodes. Abdominal strength is also extremely important for
weight lifting: in fact, if the abdominals are strong, the lumbar area is more protected and the risk
of injury is reduced.
Run faster
Do you know why abdominal strength is very important for a runner? They are the abdominals
that help keep the torso well straight during the run and allow the pelvis, hips and lower back
muscles to work together more efficiently. Since both the arms and the legs are directly connected

2. to the abdomen, the stronger the latter, the more limbs are. And every runner knows how
important it is to have powerful legs at most.
Improve flexibility
As we have already mentioned a few lines above, abdominal exercises stabilize the lumbar area of
the back. And this can really do wonders for ligaments and muscles. Stabilizing the back implies
the accumulation of less stress and tension and a better capacity for movement and flexibility.
Improve balance, coordination, posture and mental strength
As the back and the abdominal area become stronger, the balance and coordination of the body
improve. During abdominal exercises, a specific area of the brain called "cerebellum" is stimulated,
which influences coordination, cognition of space and balance. These exercises are not just for
training the body, but also the brain. That is why, if you like sports where good hand-eye
coordination is required, such as baseball, basketball, soccer or tennis, it is really worth working on
your abdominal muscles.
Abdominal exercises produce different beneficial effects for our body. They definitely strengthen
the muscles considerably and extend our lives by improving their quality. If we then associate
them with other aerobic exercises, the effects are superior.
The muscles in the abdomen enclose, support and protect some of our body's most important
organs, such as the liver, intestines and stomach. Within the area that is protected by the
abdominals very important vital processes take place, such as digestion, absorption and
evacuation. Maintaining this musculature in excellent health therefore means taking care of all the
organs it contains.
3. List of 15 poses
• Downward facing dog
• Plank
• Reverse Plank
• Extended Side Angle
• Tree Pose
• Warrior I
• Warrior II
• Warrior III
• Boat Pose
• Bridge Pose
• Cobra Pose
• Eagle Pose
• Bow Pose
• Crow Pose

3. • Gate Pose
4. Details of 15 poses
Downward facing dog
This asana, even if at first it may seem difficult, is a real cure because it is very complete: it works
both on strength and on the flexibility of the whole body.
To make it happen, you start in all fourth. Place your feet on the floor and bring your hips
upwards, thus pulling your knees off the ground. Continue to push with the ischi, the small bones
on which we sit, towards the ceiling and bring the heels to the floor, trying to gradually stretch the
legs.
Then, press your hands on the floor and move your chest slightly towards your thighs. Try to have
the weight evenly distributed between your hands and feet, keep your navel in, your neck relaxed
and your eyes on your knees. Hold for 5 breaths. If you feel excessive weight on your wrists or too
much tension on the back of your legs, bend your knees slightly, but keep the thrust of your chest
towards your thighs and that of your ischia upwards.
This position, in addition to stretching and strengthening the muscles of the legs, arms and back,
relaxes the shoulders and helps to reduce stress. In fact, by keeping the head lower than the heart,
the heart beats slow down and increases the blood supply to the brain, thus calming the mind.
Plank

4. To execute a perfect plank it is necessary to follow the following rules:
Lie down facing the abdomen towards the ground.
Bend the elbows 90 ° aligning them perpendicularly to the shoulders. Alternatively, you can also
keep your arms straight but still perpendicular to your shoulders.
The body must form a straight line (from head to heels). You will only have to lean on your
forearms or hands and on your toes.
The head and neck should remain upright, without stretching them forward or bending them.
The abdominal muscles and buttocks should always remain contracted until the exercise is
finished.
The legs must be perfectly straight and slightly apart, without bending the knees.
Reverse Plank

5. The departure is from sitting on the ground with the legs together. Breaking backwards forming a
45-degree angle between the ground and your torso, resting your hands on the ground with your
arms perpendicular to the ground.
The hands must be rotated so that the fingers are turned towards the feet.
Keep the shoulder blades adduced by pushing the sternum in front of us.
Lift the pelvis from the ground by contracting the buttocks to create a single line with the whole
body. The hands and wrists must create a line perpendicular to the floor, while the support on the
feet is borne by the heels.
The head must remain in line with the rest of the body.
Maintain the position with buttocks and cores for the set time.
Usually this type of plank has a shorter maintenance time in the initial phase: the maintained
position is not found in other free body exercises and is therefore more unusual: just think that
every time we do a push up or a burpee we are performing a plank; for this initially series of 15
seconds can be performed that will then be protracted to 20-25 seconds with the passing of the
days.
Extended Side Angle

6. Standing, with the legs apart, the left foot facing outwards and the right foot perpendicular to the
first. Bend the left leg so that a 90 degree angle is formed at the knee and the knee is aligned with
the ankle. Open the arms in a cross and look in the direction of the bent leg. From this position,
bend the upper body towards the bent leg, bringing the right arm up (next to the head) and the
left arm down: the hand should rest on the ground outside the foot.
If necessary, place it on a support brick: in yoga practice, small tools are provided to facilitate the
achievement and maintenance of asanas.
In this position the abdominals and the pelvic floor are active, the back naturally elongated (the
lumbar area is not arched), the neck is extended, the shoulders are away from the ears. The
exercise must be repeated in both directions.
Tree Pose

7. Start from Tadasana, the standing position of the mountain. Move the toes to adapt the weight of
the lower limbs to the ground and distribute the weight of the body on the entire sole of the foot.
Flex the right knee and try to bring the right heel towards the groin by opening the knee to the
outside. If you are unable to bring your heel towards the inner thigh, it is very good to place it on
your calf or ankle, always keeping your knee open to the outside (as shown in the photo).
Attention not to bring the foot on the straight knee because it could hurt us.
Pull the navel in and firmly contract the abdomen. In this way you awaken the center of gravity
of your body and give the body input to remain stable.
It roots the left leg on the ground by pulling the knee up (contracting the quadriceps).
Put your hands in front of your heart or put your hands clasped over your head with your
elbows open. Be careful to make the movements slowly if you are at the first few times.
BREATHE. Look at a fixed point in front of you and bring your mind into the present moment
without any distraction.
Perform the position with the other leg.
Warrior I

8. From the standing position (Tadasana), we take a breath and take a long step to the left so that
our legs are separated at a distance of approximately one meter. We rotate our left foot (the one
we have moved) 90 degrees, move the right one slightly (about 45 degrees) and also rotate our
trunk so that the hips and foot are in line. From there, we flex the left knee and raise the parallel
arms towards the ceiling (until they reach the height of the ears) and keep the head upright.
Warrior II

9. We start the same as in the previous position: from the standing position, we inspire and take a
long step with our left leg separating our legs. We rotate our left foot 90 degrees, while the right
one stays in place. We open the arms, forming a straight line with them and parallel to the ground,
at shoulder height, with the palms of the hands down, and turn the head to the left. We flex our
left knee making sure that it is directly above the foot and that our heels are aligned.
In this case, we do not turn the hip, which remains in front. The position of the warrior II has
benefits very similar to those of the warrior I: it strengthens our lower train while the arms remain
activated and it is very beneficial against back pain (the back muscles are active and our spine
elongated ).
Warrior III

10. The most complicated of the three, when performed on one leg. To carry it out we start from the
standing position and lean forward, placing our hands on the right thigh. From there, we take a big
step with our left leg back and raise our arms, keeping them parallel to each other and also
parallel to the ground, at the height of our ears. Finally, we raise the left foot from the ground and
raise the left leg until it is in line with our back.
In this equilibrium posture all our muscles are activated to maintain the position. It is important
that we press with the right heel on the floor and that we lengthen our back (as if a thread pulled
our head forward and our hips back), activating the internal muscles of the abdomen, to maintain
balance.
This asana also improves our coordination, strengthens our muscles and helps us improve our
posture in general, aligning ourselves correctly.
Boat Pose

11. This is one of the most iconic and famous yoga asana for abs. To perform boat pose, we start
sitting on the mat with the legs extended. Exhaling, we flex the knees and rest the feet slightly
more open than the hips. Now lift your legs and stretch them forward trying to contract your
quadriceps (pulling your knees towards us). The bust recedes slightly and the arms rise to the
knees. During Navasana, the breath is intense, better if Ujjai Pranayama. Once this position is
taken we bring attention to our body:
the abdomen must be contracted by pushing the navel towards the spine and not inflated
shoulders as low as possible
the chest goes upwards as if it had a thread
the eyes look at the feet, so the look is projected slightly upwards
the neck must not present tensions of any kind
the feet can be either hammer-shaped or point forward
the back must not arch and the lumbar area must not hurt
the buttocks must rest well on the earth, you must feel your bones (ischi) adhere perfectly to
the mat.
Bridge Pose

12. Lie flat on your back, relaxing all back and joint muscles. Bring your heels to your buttocks and
still your feet well to the floor. Make a small point break movement with your pelvis to activate
the energy in the center of your body.
Bend the elbows and place the palms of the hands on the mat next to the head. The fingers are
turned towards the shoulders.
Press the feet to the ground and push the pelvis upwards, lifting the buttocks off the mat. Feet
and thighs must remain parallel.
Press the palms of the hands together on the floor, bring the shoulder blades closer to the lower
back. Raise yourself with your arms by resting the top of your head in your hands.
Exhaling, lift your head off the ground. Extend your arms and also raise your whole body. Do not
bend the elbows.
Imagine that you have a thread tied to your navel that lifts you upwards. Arch your back slowly
and leave your head in your arms: with your eyes, look at your hands.
If you can move your feet slightly towards your head, lifting your heels.
The weight must be adequately balanced between the legs and arms, so as not to weigh down
the back.

13. Release the position slowly, controlling the descent with the arms. Place the head first and then
the buttocks.
Cobra Pose
To start, relax and lie down on a mat. The position of the cobra is simple to perform and here you
will find all the steps:
Lie on your stomach and release all tension.
Rest your forehead on the floor. Stretch and bring your legs together on the mat. So keep your
knees firmly and your instep on the floor.
Place the palms of your hands at the pelvic region.
Inhale and press your hands on the floor. You will have to open your fingers to maintain body
stability.
Inhale and lift the body from the ground starting from the trunk to the pubis, in contact with the
floor. Hold the position with the weight on the legs and palms of the hands.
Contract perineum, buttocks and thighs to maintain stability. This will prevent you from shaking
while performing the position.
Breathe deeply and lift your head looking towards the ceiling.
Hold for 20 seconds. Hold the air, then breathe normally and exhale.
Bend your elbows and lower your arms. Then let the trunk rest on the floor.
Return to the initial position, breathe and relax the body.
Eagle Pose

14. Standing, unload the weight of the body on the left and cross the right leg on the left, bending it to
be able to put the foot behind the calf, hooking;
extend the arms in front and cross the right arm on the left;
then bend the elbows keeping them at the height of the heart and also cross the wrists, until
joining the hands together, even if partially;
finally the thumb of the left hand presses the point under the nose;
eyes can be opened.
Hold for 4-7 breaths, return and repeat on the other side for the same time.
Repeat the whole cycle 2 more times, increasing each of 1-2 breaths.
Bow Pose

15. Lie down with your belly on the ground, chin (or forehead) resting on the ground and your arms
along your chest and your palms facing upwards. with the palms of the hands facing upwards.
Exhaling, bend your legs and bring your heels closer to your buttocks
Put your hands up and grab your ankles
Do not stretch your knees too far so that you keep them at the same width as your hips
Inhale and lift both the heels from the buttocks and the thighs from the ground.
As a result, the chin (or forehead) and chest will rise from the ground, and keep your eyes
ahead.
Push the coccyx towards the floor, keep the back relaxed and bring the shoulder blades closer,
so as to open the chest well.
Bring your attention to the abdomen, which remains flat on the ground, and move the breathing
to the upper back and sides.
Keep the asana for some respiratory cycles and always following your chances
Exhale and leaving the grip of the ankles, stretch the legs on the ground, bring the crossed hands
under the head and resting on the cheek relaxed breathing deeply.
Crow Pose

16. • Prepare yourself with garland pose on the chair, it will help you to flex the spine and push
the trunk forward.
• Squat down and spread your knees. The heels are raised and the feet are separated from
each other as the shoulder size.
• Place your hands on the floor and form a square with your feet. Open your fingers well: in
this way it will be easier for you to maintain balance. The trick is to always place your
hands a little bit ahead of what your mind tells you: you will have to move your weight very
forward and your hands must be sufficiently forward to support you.
• Bend your elbows slightly outwards.
• Stretch the legs, stand on tiptoe and raise the pelvis upwards. Push the straight abdominals
towards the pelvic floor: it will be useful to activate the core. Activate the inner
musculature of the thighs (you will feel your legs approaching slightly): this allows you to
better stabilize the core.
• Bring your knees gently on the back of your arms and rest them on your triceps.
• Start to carry your body weight forward on your hands.
• Lift your feet off the ground, one at a time. Do everything very slowly and focus on the
movements you are doing. Make sure your mind is exactly there and joined to every part
of your body.

17. • Tighten your abdominals well and try to stabilize the crow's position, bringing your eyes in
your hands. Better if you can look a little further, at a point in front of you.
• Keep the position until your body asks for it.
• Get out of position by placing your feet on the ground, one by one.
You will need commitment and perseverance to be able to perform Kakasana and Bakasana in the
right way. The more you have the femoral muscles stretched, the right abdominal strength and at
the level of the arms, the more you will be able to do the position of the crow with ease.
In some cases it takes years of practice. Do not be discouraged: when you are ready the position
will come by itself. There are endless possibilities in your body and in your mind.
Gate Pose
Sitting position in Vajrasana. Breathe evenly.
Get up on your knees with your toes facing out. Relax your arms and shoulders.
Inspire and raise your arms at shoulder height. Stretch the left leg to the side. Rest your foot on
the floor.
Exhale and tip the trunk to the side. Place your left hand on your left knee and stretch your right
arm up. Turn your head to look at the stretched hand. Hold for 10 seconds, breathing normally.
When exhaling, the tilt increases to the side. Slide your left hand gently down the left leg and
heal the right arm over the head. With each exhalation, try to increase the inclination a little more.

18. Hold on for 20 seconds, breathing normally. Breathe in while straightening the trunk and return to
the kneeling position. Repeat the stretch to the other side.
5. Things might need for a home yoga practice
If you want to practice yoga at home there are some things you should know. First of all, you
should commit to the practice considering it as a journey, exploring your body during the
performance of each asana and follow the proper breath to it. Basically when performing yoga
poses, to each movement follows a breath. But what do you need to get started with your at
home yoga practice? Basically nothing fancy:
Yoga mat- a basic tool for your practice for a stable firm and safe performance. It supports you in
standing postures, gives you comfort and relaxation for lying down positions and offer safety while
flowing!
Comfortable yoga clothes- Mandatory to live your practice in a free comfy way without forcing
your moves

19. Yoga block- A tool to support you while performing difficult mandatory asanas and to work on the
poses in a stress-free way

20. Blanket- Perfect for relaxation but also to support you while playing around with asanas that
could be tricky or painful for your knees, hips and head
Yoga strap- Useful to work on challenging asanas like backbends, but also to deepen your
stretches and work within a pain-free range

21. Meditation cushion- The right support to get a comfortable seated position to relax and focus on
being present while meditating

22. Bolster- A precious tool that, just like a blanket, gives you support and helps you relax and deepen
some of the postures. Great for yin yoga!
Follow your instinct, commit to the practice with a few minutes of yoga every day and remember
to always listen to your body keeping things easy and pain free for a great experience for your
health.