It’s summertime and the sun is blazing. This core-strengthening yoga sequence will help you cultivate your own solar radiance so that you can keep on keepin’ on. Cultivating more energy in your core builds confidence, courage, and integrity within yourself and your relationships while eliminating lethargy.
PLANK
Begin in Plank Pose with a long body aligning shoulders over wrists and legs extended behind you. As you exhale, tuck your knee towards your nose as you tuck your tailbone and draw your belly in. Extend the leg back into Plank Pose and switch to the other side. You will feel a little fire building in the belly and a broad strength growing across your back.
BOAT
Balancing on the tripod of your tailbone and sitting bones, lift your shins parallel to the ground and lean into your back to find balance. Keeping the arms outstretched towards your feet, inhale as you lengthen your body to hover above the ground. Then exhale to pull your thighs and chest back up, coiling into the belly for a few rounds. Continue for a few rounds, lifting up and lengthening out. Then, as you exhale and coil your body up, bend your elbows and twist them to the right as you twist your knees to the left. Inhale, and lengthen your body back down to hover above the ground. Exhale, coil, and twist to the other side. Continue to cycle with a powerful breath for each movement.
LIGHTNING BOLT
Begin standing with your knees bent, and sit your hips back into an imaginary chair. Lift your arms alongside your ears as you inhale. During this series your legs will stay bent, sitting your hips close to the ground. As you exhale, fold your chest to your knees and brush your fingers across the ground so your hands reach behind you. Then inhale and lift your chest as you reach your arms up overhead. Continue to swing the upper body on each breath, noticing the navel center becom- ing more inwardly concentrated.
CROW
From Lightning Bolt Pose, lift onto your toes and sit your hips down to your heels, placing your hands in front of your feet. Open your knees so the shins are behind the arms, then prop your shins onto the back of your upper arms. Rock weight towards your shoulders and lift your toes higher to feel the belly coiling in towards the spine. Once strength and steadi- ness is maintained in the upper body, you can draw your heels up towards your hips and lift your waist to coil the navel into the spine.
