If you’re looking to reduce belly fat and build core strength in time for summer, then incorporating some yoga moves into your workout routine may help. Yoga can help burn calories, target abdominal flab, build muscles, and improve flexibility. Of course, yoga alone won’t completely tone up your abdominal muscles. Combining a balanced, high-protein diet with yoga can help you shed belly fat. All you need to do is adhere to the plan and make sure you’re doing the right yoga moves.
To learn more about 5 easy yoga moves to reduce visceral fat and build core strength, we spoke with Jewell Singletary, a yoga instructor and founding owner of Gratitude Griot LLC, a well-being-based business that helps people alleviate stress with trauma-informed yoga, somatic meditation, and therapeutic arts. She highly recommends the seated boat pose, knee down twist, bird dog, half bow, and plank pose.
“Each of these poses is beginner friendly. For the static poses like the seated boat, half bow, and plank start with 30 seconds, and as you build strength over time, work your way up to 1 minute. For the dynamic poses like knee down twists and bird dog see how reps you can complete in 1 minute without compromising the form,” Singletary explains. Find out more about these poses below!
1. Seated Boat Pose (Paripurna Navasana)
“Start seated on a yoga mat, blanket, or towel with your knees bent and feet on the floor about hip-width apart. Tighten up your core muscles and lift your feet off the floor one at a time so that your torso and thighs form a ‘V’ shape,” Singletary explains. “Stretch your arms straight in front of you. Beginners keep your knees bent; if you want to level up straighten both legs. Hold your thighs for extra support or challenge your balance by holding your big toes. Maintain the shape for 5 deep breaths then release.”
This pose helps strengthen the lower abdominal muscles and targets visceral fat in the belly area. It can also improve digestion and can help reduce a bloated stomach. You can also place a block between your thighs to engage your inner thighs, as well. Just remember to focus equally on keeping your lower belly and your back muscles engaged and keep breathing throughout the pose.
2. Knee Down Twist (Jathara Parivarthanasana)
“Lie flat on your back on a yoga mat with your arms stretched out like a capital ‘T’ and knees bent with your feet on the floor. Lift your knees over your hips so they form a 90-degree angle. Engage your core muscles then exhale to twist and lower your knees to your right side. Inhale lift your knees back to center. Exhale to twist and lower your knees to your left side. Inhale lift our knees back to the center,” Singletary says.
Remember not to force the twist and relax. This dynamic strengthener is ideal for working your oblique muscles and reducing those love handles on the sides of your body. Plus, it can massage the digestion organs and restore spine neutrality and balance in the nervous system.
3. Bird Dog (Chakoravakasana)
“Use a yoga mat, blanket, or towel to cushion your knees. Your knees will be hip distance apart and your palms are flat on the floor, shoulder distance apart. Look down in between your palms so there’s a nice long line between the crown of your head and your buttocks,” Singletary advises. “Tighten your ab muscles as you lift your left leg straight back behind you with your toes pointing down towards the floor. Exhale to bend the knee of the lifted leg and curl it in towards your chest and chin. Exhale to release the crunch and bring your lifted knee back to the mat. Repeat on the right side.”
The bird dog pose targets visceral fat in the lower abdomen and strengthens the abs, hip flexors, and muscles that support the spine. It can also improve posture and enhances balance and flexibility. Plus, this pose can even help to alleviate lower back pain.
4. Half Bow (Ardha Dhanurasana)
“Lying face down on the floor or yoga mat with your legs stretched long behind you. Rest your right forearm in front of you to lift your chest and support your upper body. Bend your left knee to lift your heel closer to your buttocks and reach your left arm back to grab your left ankle with your left hand. Tighten your core muscles and ease into a deeper backbend by lifting your left thigh further off the mat. Hold for 5 deep breaths then release and repeat on the other side. Many people forget that it’s necessary to strengthen the back to have strong abdominal muscles,” Singletary notes.
Half Bow pose is great for reducing back rolls and visceral fat on the back side of the body. It also helps build mobility, strengthens the back, and opens the chest and shoulders. To make this pose easier, you can do it in different stages by only lifting your chest up, leaving your thighs and knees on the floor. If you feel tension in the neck, remember to drop your chin towards your chest. Singletary says that anyone with high or low blood pressure, headaches, or back injuries should avoid this exercise.
5. Plank (Chaturanga Dandasana)
“[The] plank pose is often referred to as the top of a pushup. Start in a pushup position with your palms flat on the floor directly under your shoulders. Look down in between your palms and stretch your legs long back behind you with your toes tucked under. Keep pressing into your palms to keep your shoulders hips and feet in one straight line,” Singletary explains. “Engage your core muscles by tightening up your abs. Take deep breaths to keep you focused as you hold for 30 seconds. Work your way up to a minute. Bend your knees to bring them back down to the floor or yoga mat to take a break.” Planks are incredible and they work every muscle in your body including the abdominals and back muscles—they burn fat all over.
The Bottom Line
Many factors can contribute to visceral fat. But, thankfully, with a combination of healthy eating and yoga, you can reduce belly fat and tone up your abdominal muscles. Singletary points out 5 easy yoga moves you can do from the comfort of your home: the seated boat pose, knee down twist, bird dog, half bow, and plank pose. Just be sure to consult your doctor or a personal trainer if you’re worried about injury!
