Core exercises from yoga, done with your bodyweight

The core is the whole trunk: the deep muscles that wrap around the waist like a belt, the long muscles along the spine, the obliques on the sides, the diaphragm above and the pelvic floor below. In yoga it works quietly, keeping you steady in a lunge or a balance.

All eight use your bodyweight and a mat. Each starts from a yoga pose and adds slow movement, building strength and control rather than simply holding still. The set takes about fifteen minutes.

Who should check with a doctor first?

See a doctor or physiotherapist before core work if you have back pain that spreads into a leg, a recent abdominal or back surgery, a hernia, or a known disc problem. If you have had a baby recently or are pregnant, ask your doctor or midwife first, and read about yoga in pregnancy and after birth for gentler options.

Stop any move that causes sharp pain, a bulge along the middle of the belly, or a pinch in the lower back.

How do you do core exercises with yoga poses?

Breathe out on the effort and breathe in as you return. Never hold the breath. Do eight to ten slow reps of each, or the time given, then rest for a few breaths before the next.

1. Dead bug. Lie on your back, knees bent over the hips, arms reaching up, lower back gently towards the mat. Breathing out, lower the right arm behind you and the left leg towards the floor, only as far as the back stays down. Breathe in to return. Alternate sides, eight to ten reps each.
2. Bird dog. Start in Table Top Pose, on hands and knees. Breathing out, reach the right arm forward and the left leg back, hips level. Breathe in and bring the elbow and knee to meet under you. Eight reps, then switch.
3. Plank shoulder taps. From Plank Pose with the shoulders over the wrists, widen the feet a little. Lift the right hand to tap the left shoulder, then the left hand to the right. The hips should barely move. Ten taps in total, knees down if the lower back sags.
4. Side plank hip lifts. Lie on your right side, propped on the right forearm, elbow under the shoulder, knees bent or legs long. Lift the hips into Side Plank, breathing out, then lower them halfway on the in breath. Eight lifts, then the other side.
5. Boat pose toe taps. Sit in Boat Pose with the knees bent, hands behind the thighs, chest lifted. Breathing out, lower both feet to tap the floor; breathing in, lift the shins back to level. Eight taps, keeping the spine long rather than rounded.
6. Forearm plank rocks. Come onto the forearms in a plank, elbows under the shoulders. On the out breath, rock the body forward an inch over the toes; on the in breath, rock back. Eight slow rocks. It shares its base with Dolphin, the forearm version of Downward Dog.
7. Locust lifts. Lie on your front, arms by your sides. Breathing in, lift the chest, arms and legs a few centimetres; breathing out, lower. Eight reps, neck long and gaze down. The Locust Pose page explains how to keep the lift small.
8. Bridge marches. Lift into Bridge Pose with the feet hip width. Keeping the hips level, lift the right foot an inch off the floor, place it down, then the left. Eight marches in total, then lower slowly.

Finish in Child’s Pose for a minute, knees wide and forehead on a cushion.

Which level should you start at?

Not every move suits every body on day one. Start where you can keep the breath slow and the lower back quiet.

A four-week plan

1. Week 1: two sessions, one round, the easier option for every move.
2. Week 2: three sessions, one round, the standard version where it feels steady.
3. Week 3: three sessions, two rounds, a short rest between them.
4. Week 4: three sessions, two rounds, with one harder option chosen for your weakest move.

How long before core exercises make a difference?

Many people notice they feel steadier in balances and lunges after three or four weeks of practising two or three times a week. Visible change in the stomach depends on far more than core work, as the FAQ below explains. A useful test is bird dog: if you can hold the arm and leg out for three slow breaths without the hips tipping, your trunk is doing its job.

Doing core work in a small, warm space

Every move here fits on a single mat, which suits a condo bedroom. On a tile floor, use a mat or two folded towels under the knees for bird dog and plank taps. In humid weather, the hands can slip in the plank moves, so keep a towel at the top of the mat, and train in the cooler early morning or with a fan on if the afternoon heat makes you light-headed.

Common mistakes

• Holding the breath. It is the first sign a move is too hard. Choose an easier version and breathe.
• Arching the lower back in dead bug. Make the arm and leg movement smaller until the back stays down.
• Rushing the reps. Slow movement asks more of the core than fast swinging.
• Sinking into the shoulders. In every plank, press the floor away and keep space between the shoulders and the ears.

Make it easier or harder

• Easier: move only the arms in dead bug; do bird dog with the arm or the leg alone; keep the knees down in plank taps and side plank; hold the thighs in boat taps.
• Harder: straighten the legs in side plank and dead bug; add a three breath hold at the top of each bird dog; lift the foot higher in bridge marches; do two or three rounds of the whole set.

How is this different from a yoga core sequence?

A yoga core sequence moves through seven poses with breath counted holds, as a flowing class would. These core exercises take several of the same shapes and add reps and movement, closer to a home workout. Prefer to hold poses in a flow rather than count reps? Try the 15-minute yoga core sequence, and use these harder plank options to progress. Alternate the two across the week.

Where do core exercises fit?

Warm up first with a few rounds of Cat-Cow and the warm up exercises before a workout. Afterwards, the back stretches for everyday stiffness let the trunk soften again. If plank shoulder taps feel easy, the ten plank variations from incline to reverse plank add more options.