There are three yoga poses for core strength that yoga teacher and physical therapist Audriana Monteiro wants you to know about, and they can help bulletproof your body against injury, build strength and protect your lower back.
Known as Empowered Movement on YouTube, I stumbled across Monteiro only this week, and immediately connected with the three yoga poses she shares for a stronger core.
The movements are all beginner-friendly and simple to follow, so you can be rest assured that you’re in safe hands, whatever your yoga level. Here’s each move, along with instructions on how to follow along from home. I also provide a few recommendations from a personal trainer's perspective, using only one of the best yoga mats and no other equipment.
Watch Audriana Monteiro's core yoga video:
1. Chair pose
Whether or not you’re a yoga beginner, some poses will never be fun — say hello to chair pose. Chair requires a degree of thoracic mobility to keep your feet planted, back straight and arms raised overhead while sitting into a squat position. It will also challenge your ankle strength, stability and overall balance.
Try to keep your chest lifted and shoulders pulled back as you sit further into the squat, and engage your core at all times. You can start with your arms by your sides or extended in front of you, over time, raising them overhead as your posture improves.
- Stand with your feet together on your yoga mat
- Engage your core (here’s how to engage your core properly)
- As you inhale, raise your arms overhead and begin bending your knees
- As you exhale, sit into a squat and send your hips backward as if sitting in a chair behind you
- Reach your fingertips toward the ceiling and press down through your heels, keeping your knees close together
- You should be able to see your toes if you look down, so keep your knees behind them
- Hold, then slowly stand and lower your arms.
A tip I've been taught over the years is to slightly tuck your pelvis during chair pose so that you're not arching your back or excessively sticking your butt out. You almost want to scoop your belly in at the same time.
2. Chaturanga
Chaturanga looks like a push-up, strengthening your chest, arms and shoulders while engaging your core for stability to protect your lower back. You can perform this pose from your knees if you prefer, just remember to keep your hips aligned with your shoulders and brace your stomach throughout.
Core strength aside, chaturanga is a beneficial exercise to learn because it crops up during yoga sequences, especially the standard sun salutations, moving the body between plank, upward dog, child’s pose and downward dog.
To increase the intensity of this exercise, lower to the floor slowly, maximizing tension in your muscles. During standard chaturanga, you lower halfway, then move into upward dog (or a variation of it), but for this version, your yoga teacher lowers to the floor; you can practice both.
- Start in a plank position with shoulders over wrists and hips aligned with knees
- Engage your core
- Bend your elbows and slowly lower your body toward the floor, keeping a straight line from head to toe
- Pause just above the floor, then lower your body to the mat with control, keeping your hands close to your ribcage
- If you feel brave, keep your toes tucked under, then practice pressing upward into a plank position.
3. Boat pose
I love the boat pose, and I’ve stolen it from yoga for many core workouts since. You can scale the pose in several ways, which haven’t been shown in the video, but are useful to know. Boat pose strengthens your deeper core muscles responsible for stabilizing your hips and torso, and targets the hips. Depending on the variation, it can also activate your quads and hamstrings.
- Start seated with your legs bent and feet planted on the floor, hands by your sides
- Lean back slightly, creating a V-shape with your body
- Engage your core
- Lift both legs away from the mat and bend your knees to 90 degrees
- Extend your arms alongside your legs
- Lift your chest and keep your back straight
- Hold.
To progress the exercise, lean further back and extend both legs, pointing your toes. You could also extend your arms overhead. To make the exercise more accessible, place your hands on the mat, either side of your hips, for support.
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More from Tom's Guide
- No, not planks — I swapped them for Pilates push-ups, and my core and arms feel strong and stable
- Yoga for knee pain workout
- This one bodyweight exercise strengthens your upper body and core without weights — and no, it’s not regular push-ups or planks
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