CORE WARM UP
Let the countdown—and weight loss—begin
Yoga is your guarantor for a strong core. Mat work can firm your abs while making them strong, give you peak performance, and ease your mind.
Sadie Nardini, founder of Core Strength Vinyasa Yoga, brings you a series of vinyasa flows to tap into your core and give you a powerful workout. This first series will be the foundation for the five weeks to follow. In the end you’ll have a full Power Hour that will be truly transformative: You’ll tone your body, burn more calories, and raise your metabolism as you strengthen, fast.
Secrets to getting started
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THE CORE OPENER: Core Warming + Breath
1. Come into a comfortable Easy Seat (Siddhasana), with one foot on the floor just in front of the other.
2. Adjust the flesh of the buttocks to broaden your glutes, coaxing the sit bones expand to the left and right.
3. To find your center, tilt your pelvis backward and forward, coming back to neutral.
4. Extend up through your waist and spine.
5. Activate the muscles of your pelvic floor (to tone the lower belly and enhance breath work.)
More tips
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WARM UP: YOGA DETOX BREATH 1
Practice the Yoga Detox Breath for one minute
Sadie’s using a pink ribbon to demonstrate the movement of your stomach as you inhale and exhale. On the inhale, your ribs and stomach should expand and the ribbon is taut. On the exhale, your stomach draws in and the ribbon relaxes.
From your Easy Seat, begin to deepen and slow your breath. After the first step in the sequence, you'll want to breathe through your nose only.
1. Open your mouth, and pretend that you're fogging up a window with your exhale.
2. Notice that you made a slight closure at the back of your throat, and try to keep it like that as you close your lips and continue to breathe through your nose only.
3. You should hear a smooth sound, like water rushing in and out; hence the name "Ujjayi", or "ocean-sounding" breath.
4. Aim for three to five second inhales and exhales. Whenever you want (and especially when your poses get challenging), return to the Ujjayi breath for instant focus.
More tips
Watch a video demonstration
Watch the sequence video
WARM UP: YOGA DETOX BREATH 2
Practice the Yoga Detox Breath for 1 minute
Sadie’s using a pink ribbon to
demonstrate the movement of your stomach as you inhale and exhale. On
the inhale, your ribs and stomach should expand and the ribbon is taut.
On the exhale, your stomach draws in and the ribbon relaxes.
From your Easy Seat, begin to deepen and slow your breath.
After the first step in the sequence, you'll want to breathe through
your nose only.
1. Open your mouth, and pretend that you're fogging up a window with your exhale.
2.
Notice that you made a slight closure at the back of your throat, and
try to keep it like that as you close your lips and continue to breathe
through your nose only.
3. You should hear a smooth sound, like water rushing in and out; hence the name "Ujjayi", or "ocean-sounding" breath.
4. Aim for three to five second inhales and exhales. Whenever you want
(and especially when your poses get challenging), return to the Ujjayi
breath for instant focus.
More tips
Watch a video demonstration
Watch the sequence video
SEATED CAT/COW POSE 1
Do one minute of Seated Cat/Cow
Matching movement to the breath will invigorate and open the spine, low back and hips.
1. From Easy Seat, bring your hands to your knees. On your inhale, arch your spine, pulling your shoulders back and looking up.
2. On the exhale, round your back, chin to chest.
3. Sync your breath to your movement, and you'll start to see what we
mean when we say that yoga is a breathing practice first.
More tips
Watch the sequence video
SEATED CAT/COW POSE 2
Do one minute of Seated Cat/Cow
Matching movement to the breath will invigorate and open the spine, low back and hips.
1. From Easy Seat, bring your hands to your knees. On your inhale, arch your spine, pulling your shoulders back and looking up.
2. On the exhale, round your back, chin to chest.
3. Sync your breath to your movement, and you'll start to see what we mean when we say that yoga is a breathing practice first.
More tips
Watch the sequence video
TWIST
Take at least 5 breaths on each side
Twists help detox you by wringing out your inner organs and are thought to balance your digestive and reproductive systems.
1. Return to Easy Seat.
2. On an inhale, reach both arms up, and on your exhale, revolve your chest to the right, placing your right fingertips behind your butt on the floor, and your left hand on your right knee.
3. On each inhale, lengthen your spine, and on each exhale, spin your heart, rear shoulder, head ,and gaze in the direction of the twist.
4. Inhale, and reach up to center, and repeat on the other side.
More tips
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FISTS OF FIRE 1
Do five to 10 rounds of Fists of Fire
Use this move to continue to build heat and strength in the core.
1. Coming to center, place your feet flat on the floor about hip distance apart.
2. Inhale, and sweep your arms forward and up, palms facing each other.
3. Exhale, and lean back a few inches as you make fists and bring them to either side of your lower waist.
More tips
Watch the sequence video
FISTS OF FIRE 2
Do five to 10 rounds of Fists of Fire
Use this move to continue to build heat and strength in the core.
1. Coming to center, place your feet flat on the floor about hip distance apart.
2. Inhale, and sweep your arms forward and up, palms facing each other.
3. Exhale, and lean back a few inches as you make fists and bring them to either side of your lower waist.
More tips
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CROSSED BOAT POSE
Do five to 15 rounds of Crossed Boat Pose
1. Deepen into your core strength by crossing your ankles, and lifting your feet as high off the ground as you can. Your fingertips can be placed lightly behind your knees (as shown), on the ground behind your hips, or reaching straight out, palms facing up.
2. Keeping your back straight, inhale and extend your legs away a little, or a lot, depending on your level.
3. On your exhales, hug in your pelvic floor and navel, and draw your knees closer.
4. Widen the knees apart when you do this, but keep your ankles crossed to tone your inner thighs. One inhale and one exhale is one round.
More tips
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BOAT PULSES 1
Do five to 10 rounds of Boat Pulses
Start a bonfire at center now. The repetition of the last two poses and this one will help you gain strength, fast.
1. Using the same hand position options as Crossed Boat, uncross your ankles and press your big toe mounds together.
2. On your inhales, lengthen your legs away. Exhale, and use the
strength of your center to draw your knees in close to your chest.
3. On an inhale, try lengthening out so that you come close to the
floor with your legs and shoulders, but not touching. You'll balance on
the back of your hips for Low Boat Pose. Hold it three to five breaths.
4. Come back to Easy Seat for a few more Seated Cat/Cow Poses to release your lower back and hips.
More tips
Watch the sequence video
BOAT PULSES 2
Do five to 10 rounds of Boat Pulses
Start a bonfire at center now. The repetition of the last two poses and this one will help you gain strength, fast.
1. Using the same hand position options as Crossed Boat, uncross your ankles and press your big toe mounds together.
2. On your inhales, lengthen your legs away. Exhale, and use the strength of your center to draw your knees in close to your chest.
3. On an inhale, try lengthening out so that you come close to the floor with your legs and shoulders, but not touching. You'll balance on the back of your hips for Low Boat Pose. Hold it three to five breaths.
4. Come back to Easy Seat for a few more Seated Cat/Cow Poses to release your lower back and hips.
More tips
Watch the sequence video
THE CORE WAVE: DOWNWARD DOG to PLANK 1
Repeat the Wave three to 10 times
Now that you've awakened a lot of energy, we're going to do the Wave--a powerful movement to open your spine and bring increased flexibility to your whole body. Plus, this sequence is a great arm and core strengthener.
1. From Easy Seat, cross your ankles, and reach up.
2. On an exhale, rock onto your hands, and step or hop your feet towards the back of your mat. Press into Downward Dog Pose, and breathe.
3. Begin to link the waves of your ocean-sounding breath to the movement of your hips and spine.
4. On your inhale, draw your navel to spine, tucking your tailbone towards the floor.
5. Let this motion continue up your torso, as you shift your heart and shoulders forward into Plank Pose. Your arms should now be straight over your wrists.
6. On your exhale, lift strongly through your front belly, rounding your back into Downward Dog Pose, and lengthen through your heart and legs again once you're there.
More tips
Watch the sequence video
THE CORE WAVE: DOWNWARD DOG to PLANK 2
Repeat the Wave three to 10 times
Now
that you've awakened a lot of energy, we're going to do the Wave--a
powerful movement to open your spine and bring increased flexibility to
your whole body. Plus, this sequence is a great arm and core
strengthener.
1. From Easy Seat, cross your ankles, and reach up.
2. On an exhale, rock onto your hands, and step or hop your feet
towards the back of your mat. Press into Downward Dog Pose, and
breathe.
3. Begin to link the waves of your ocean-sounding breath to the movement of your hips and spine.
4. On your inhale, draw your navel to spine, tucking your tailbone towards the floor.
5. Let this motion continue up your torso, as you shift your heart and
shoulders forward into Plank Pose. Your arms should now be straight
over your wrists.
6. On your exhale, lift strongly through your front belly, rounding
your back into Downward Dog Pose, and lengthen through your heart and
legs again once you're there.
More tips
Watch the sequence video
SHAKTI KICK 1
Do three to five hops on each leg
Strengthen your back and legs, and then stretch them while building more flexibility and muscle tone.
1. Once you return to your last Down Dog Pose, look forward, bend your knees, and inhale.
2. Use your exhale to lightly curl your back and jump halfway forward, hovering into your arm strength, kicking your heels into to your sitting bones, your knees and navel pull in.
3. Keep your arms straight and shoulders back, and land gently.
4. On your last Shakti Kick, go all the way—sweeping both feet lightly between your hands.
More tips
Watch the sequence video
SHAKTI KICK 2
Do three to five hops on each leg
Strengthen your back and legs, and then stretch them while building more flexibility and muscle tone.
1. Once you return to your last Down Dog Pose, look forward, bend your knees, and inhale.
2. Use your exhale to lightly curl your back and jump halfway forward,
hovering into your arm strength, kicking your heels into to your
sitting bones, your knees and navel pull in.
3. Keep your arms straight and shoulders back, and land gently.
4. On your last Shakti Kick, go all the way—sweeping both feet lightly between your hands.
More tips
Watch the sequence video
SHAKTI KICK 3
Do three to five hops on each leg
Strengthen your back and legs, and then stretch them while building more flexibility and muscle tone.
1. Once you return to your last Down Dog Pose, look forward, bend your knees, and inhale.
2. Use your exhale to lightly curl your back and jump halfway forward,
hovering into your arm strength, kicking your heels into to your
sitting bones, your knees and navel pull in.
3. Keep your arms straight and shoulders back, and land gently.
4. On your last Shakti Kick, go all the way—sweeping both feet lightly between your hands.
More tips
Watch the sequence video
SHAKTI KICK 4
Do three to five hops on each leg
Strengthen your back and legs, and then stretch them while building more flexibility and muscle tone.
1. Once you return to your last Down Dog Pose, look forward, bend your knees, and inhale.
2. Use your exhale to lightly curl your back and jump halfway forward,
hovering into your arm strength, kicking your heels into to your
sitting bones, your knees and navel pull in.
3. Keep your arms straight and shoulders back, and land gently.
4. On your last Shakti Kick, go all the way—sweeping both feet lightly between your hands.
More tips
Watch the sequence video
FLAT BACK to FORWARD BEND UNDULATIONS 1
Do three to 10 rounds of Flat Back to Forward Bend Undulations
1. Once you land, straighten your legs as much as you can, inhale and lift your torso up halfway to a flat back.
2. Lift your navel into your body, supporting your lower back.
3. Your arms should point straight down at the floor without touching it, palms facing each other.
4.
As much as you reach through your fingers, pull your arms into your
shoulders more so your shoulder blades hug onto your back. This will
open your heart and give you a regal feeling in the pose.
4. On your exhale, bow forward over your straightening legs.
5. Repeat this motion with a few rounds of breath.
More tips
Watch the sequence video
FLAT BACK to FORWARD BEND UNDULATIONS 2
Do three to 10 rounds of Flat Back to Forward Bend Undulations
1. Once you land, straighten your legs as much as you can, inhale and lift your torso up halfway to a flat back.
2. Lift your navel into your body, supporting your lower back.
3. Your arms should point straight down at the floor without touching it, palms facing each other.
4.
As much as you reach through your fingers, pull your arms into your
shoulders more so your shoulder blades hug onto your back. This will
open your heart and give you a regal feeling in the pose.
4. On your exhale, bow forward over your straightening legs.
5. Repeat this motion with a few rounds of breath.
More tips
Watch the sequence video
DOUBLE FIST FOLD
Hold for five to 10 breaths
Allows any final tension to flow out of the crown and away into the floor.
1. Stay in your final fold, but bend your knees.
2. Fold more deeply over your legs.
3. Make active fists, bend your arms and rest each fist in the crook of the opposite elbow. This position sends a signal to your central nervous system to release the big muscles of your lower, mid, and upper back.
4. Relax your head.
More tips
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MOUNTAIN
Hold for five to 10 breaths
1. On your last inhale, straighten your legs and slowly sweep up to standing, stretching your arms out and up.
2. Spend a few breaths here, dropping your shoulders while reaching your heart to the sky, drawing your navel in and grounding down into your legs and feet.
3. On your last exhale, bring your palms together and down to the center of your chest for Namaste.
More tips
Watch the sequence video
NEXT WEEK: Part 2
Core Sun Salutations: How to generate more power in each pose!