Core-Strengthening Exercises for Real People (In Just 10 Minutes)

Some days all you have time for is a quick 10-minute yoga practice. This short sequence is designed specifically for those days. The focus is less on a traditional practice and more on yoga-inspired core-strengthening exercises that can help you navigate everyday life with more stability and also prepare you for challenging arm balances. Because sometimes you just need more abdominal strength.

These core-strengthening poses can be practiced as a sequence or you can incorporate one or more of them into your regular workout or yoga practice. They’re challenging but in a way that leaves you feeling empowered and not exhausted. Let’s not waste any time and get started.

10-Minute Yoga for Core Strengthening

You will need one block for this practice. You can simply keep it within reach.

Constructive Rest

Lie all the way down on your back. Widen your feet, let your knees fall toward each other, and find a neutral spine. Rest your hands on your lower belly and see if you can breathe so you feel it beneath your palms, feeling the navel lift as you inhale and release back down as you exhale.

Yoga Bicycles

Bring your feet slightly toward each other, about hip-distance apart. Press your lower back against the mat, stack your knees over your hips, and bring your shins parallel to the mat. As you lift your shins, notice if your lower back lifts off the ground. If that happens, press your back down again and keep it glued to the mat as you realign your knees over your hips.

Interlace your fingers behind your head. As you inhale, slowly curl your head and shoulders off the mat. Think of lifting yourself toward the ceiling instead of toward your thighs. As you exhale, twist over toward the right and lift both shoulder blades off the mat, extend your left leg straight in front of you, and hover above the mat. Inhale as you come back to center, squeezing and curling your tailbone up. Exhale as you twist toward the left, reaching your right leg straight. Inhale back to center, squeezing and lifting. Do that 4 more times, moving slowly.

Bridge Pose Squeezes

 Grab hold of your block, place it between your inner thighs, and squeeze to hold it in place. Keep your feet hip-distance apart. Push your feet into the mat, squeeze your block, and lift your hips, lower back, and mid back off the mat into Bridge Pose. Having the block there makes sure you don’t let your knees fall open up to the sides and helps you engage the hip adductors. Push down into the heels and try to drag your heels toward your shoulders but without moving them. Lift the pelvis a little higher and very slowly release yourself, inch by inch, back to the mat.

Reclined Core Exercises

Keep the block exactly where it is and reach your legs straight toward the ceiling and take Barbie feet. Those of you who had Barbies, you know that means you’re  pointing your feet through the feet, but then you’re curling your toes back, activating and spreading the toes.

Interlace your fingers, but take them in the opposite way as you did earlier, and bring them to the back of your head. As you inhale, squeeze your block and lift your head and shoulders off the mat. As you exhale, squeeze your block and curl the tailbone off the mat. As you inhale again, let the hips come back down, and as you exhale, lower your head and shoulders down. This is a very subtle movement. We’ll do that 4 more times. Then release your arms, bring your feet back to the mat, and move your block off to the side.

Reclined Eagle Pose

This is your last reclined ab sequence. Bend your knees and wrap your right thigh over your left and stay here or try to can tuck your right foot behind your left calf. Then bend your elbows, wrap the right arm under your left, and stay here or try to bring the backs of your hands to touch. either binding once or twice. So this is just as if you were doing Eagle Pose, but you’re doing it lying on the mat.

Inhale slowly and as you exhale, curl your head and shoulders off the mat as you try to bring your elbows and knees to touch. As you inhale, move your elbows and knees farther away from one another, but don’t let your head touch the mat.  Repeat that 3 more times.

Then repeat Bridge, the Reclined Core Exercises, and Eagle on the other side with your left leg and arm on top.

Knees to Chest

Pull your knees toward your belly and rock a little side to side.

Downward-Facing Dog

From lying on your back, rock backward and forward, cross your legs at the ankles, plant your palms on the mat, and step back to Downward-Facing Dog. Here you are going to create some space. So peddle your feet out, reach your chest toward your thighs, and take your time here.

Three-Legged Dog to Plank

Inhale as you reach your right leg toward the sky, keeping your leg straight and your hips squared toward the mat. Exhale as you shift your shoulders forward over your wrists into a one-legged version of Plank Pose in which you try to touch your right knee to your nose.

Inhale and reach your leg back and up into Three-Legged Dog. Exhale knee to nose again. Same thing. Inhale, reach it up. Exhale, squeeze it in and hold here for a count of 5. Then return to Downward- Facing Dog, let yourself stretch out, and switch sides.

Forearm Plank

From Down Dog, come forward into Plank Pose. Lower onto your forearms into Forearm Plank. You’re welcome to interlace your fingers or not. Your knees can come down to the mat if you need. Reach the crown of your head forward, drag your shoulder blades down your back, and reach through your heels. Hold here for a count of 5.

Sphinx Pose

Let your hips and thighs come down to the mat and bring your forearms in front of you as you lift your chest in Sphinx Pose. Feel the stretch through the abdominals and releasing across the chest. Push into your palms and forearms to lift your chest. Linger here.

Closing

Take a seat in any way that is comfortable to you. Sitting up nice and tall, close your eyes. Try to feel the fire in your belly that you created from this short but powerful sequence, and remember how strong you already are and how powerful you can feel when you connect with your core. Know that you can always access that strength within you. You are so much stronger than you think.

Thank you for taking this quick core-strengthening sequence with me. Let me know in a comment below how you feel afterward!