Practical Yoga

Yoga classes for optimum day-to-day functionality

Isometrics
Yoga

Forever
Young
Yoga Class

Yoga
Cebu

Neti Pot
(nasal
cleansing)

Icebath
Nawa Saraan

Tummo Yoga + Wim Hof Breathing + Full-Body Muscle Contraction

Wim Hof
Tummo Yoga
Isometrics

Yoga Nidra
awakened
sleep

Kunjal Kriya / Vamana Dhauti (induced vomiting)

Dhauti
Hrd: Kunjal Kriya
induced vomiting

Varisara Dhauti (cleansing of the entire digestive tract)

Dhauti
Antar: Varisara
(intestinal cleansing)

Prana Vayu
body & mental
strength

Core

High Intensity Interval Yoga (Yoga + HIIT)

Abs

June 14, 2014
(updated July 28, 2020 for The Yoga Series: Abs at Nawa Saraan Healing Space, Chiang Mai, Thailand)

Abs Yoga: Core Sequence

Location :
Marichi Yoga House, Gen San City, Philippines
Nawa Saraan Healing Space, Chiang Mai, Thailand

Why Core?
Think of the core as the central hub for nearly all muscular activities that happen throughout the entire body - whether it's sweeping the floor or doing body-English on a mountain bike. The movement either starts with the core or move through it. Thus a strong core makes movement efficient from arms to body, delivering energy where it's needed (and not being sapped along the way) while enhancing balance and stability. Core underpins nearly every activity you do. Having said all that, the core is also one of the most neglected muscle groups in the body.

Weak Core
The core is a load-bearing structure of the body. If that is weak, the load is transfered to other body parts which are not designed to carry such a load. Result? Injuries. One with a weak core usually suffers from back pain - 80% of Americans suffer a debilitating low back pain at some point in their lives, which can be helped by a strong resilient core. From there, the injury cascades into a domino effect which can result in knee pains, etc.

Defeat has a posture - the slouch. Good core develops good posture. Good posture projects confidence and improves your self-image. Our reality is a manifestation of our self-image. Mandate? Develop the core!

Yoga first and foremost
Even though there are many abdomininal exercises here, this is still a yoga practice, first and foremost. This means many things. This means breath is the priority, breath comes first followed by the movement, one breath - one movement. We remain mindful of what we are doing - so we're not thinking about a deadline here or what we want to eat for dinner. Importantly, no matter how challenging the pose gets, we observe that difficulty with a calm and non-reactive mind.

Santiago, Joanne, Nicola and Lu doing pranayama

I WARM UP STRETCH

Child's Pose - spread your knees wide apart and have your big toes lightly touching. Reach forward with your arms, hands shoulder-width apart. When you can't move any further, plant your palms down. Breathe. Slowly transition into Cat and Cow
Cat and Cow - inhale, belly down, tailbone up and neck complying to the curvature of the spine. Sink down and feel the stretch. Exhale and roll the back, shoulder blades moving further away from each other, tailbone tucked-in and neck becoming neutral. Feel the stretch. Repeat while moving the body and hips in different directions to maximize the stretch
Wrist - for arm-balancing later (Crane, L-sit, Lolasana)
Child's Pose - transition back into Child's Pose, spread your feet hip width apart and tuck your toes in. Reach forward with your arms, hands shoulder-width apart. When you can't move any further, plant your palms down and your toes on the mat. Do not move your hands and feet - this is the optimum distance for your Downward Dog
Downward Dog - on Downward Dog, take a few breaths, pedaling the heels alternately, then slowly walk the hands to the feet into a forward bend
Hang - fold the arms into the elbows and just hang there, doing nothing, letting gravity do its work. Move your hips from side to side and see how this amplifies the swaying of the upper body
Twist - right hand to left ankle, other side
Padangustasana - hands to big toe on forward bend
Pada Hastasana - palm under feet on forward bend
clasp hands behind back
Rolling up - release the arms and on one long inhale, vertebrae by vertebrae, roll up into standing, Samasthitihi
knee rotation
hip rotation
quad stretch

II Generating Heat

Surya Namaskar A - 2x
Surya Namaskar B - 2x

III Deep Breathing

Bhastrika Pranayama - deep and full without pause. 30x
Bahya Kumbhaka - on the last exhale, empty the lungs and hold the breath for as long as you can while remaining completely relaxed on Gyana Mudra. You can focus on Sambhavi Mudra. No bandha.
Antara Kumbhaka - on the next inhale, fill the lungs completely and hold for as long as you can while still on Gyana Mudra. Squeeze the anal muscle (Mula Bandha), tuck the tummy (Uddiyana Bandha), visualize the energy (Kundalini Shakti) rising up through the central energy pathway (Sushumna) all the way to the brain stem and tuck the chin towards the chest (Jalandara Bandha)
Repeat the above - 3x or 3 rounds

IV Core Asanas (interspersed with Child's Pose, Vinyasa, Purvottanasana or Pranayama)

Lying Down facing UP / Seated

Bicycle - 1 minute, followed by Vinyasa
Leg raise - 1 minute, followed by Vinyasa
Crunch - 1 minute, alternating, followed by Vinyasa
Flutter - 1 minute, followed by Vinyasa
Hip raise - 1 minute, followed by Vinyasa
Knee to Chest In / Out - 1 minute, followed by Vinyasa
Navasana - boat, 1 minute, followed by Vinyasa
Purvotanasa - inverted plank, 1 minute, followed by Vinyasa

Deep breathing, 1 round

Facing Floor

Superman / Salabhasana - 1 minute, followed by Salabhasana (Locust), followed by Vinyasa
High plank (advanced: one hand square plank) - 1 minute, followed by Vinyasa
Side plank (alternative: side plank with flexion) - 1 minute, other side, followed by Vinyasa
Drag the mat - Vinyasa and on Downward Dog, then drag the mat with your toes towards the front
Jane Fonda BS - seated with extended legs, leaning forward with straight body, arms straight, palms flat on the side of knees. Lift your legs up and hold before coming down - this is not easy!

Deep breathing, 1 round

Arm Balancing

Crane - until you can't
Lolasana - until you can't
L-sit - until you can't
Manna - admittedly, only a few people on the planet can do this. Good luck!
Childs pose

Bicycle with Karen followed by Vinyasa

V Pranayama
1 round deep breathing (30X) followed by Anuloma Viloma (alternate nostril breathing) for 5 mins, followed by Bahya Kumbhaka (breath-hold on the exhale) on the last outbreath, followed by Antara Kumbhaka (breath-hold on the in-breath) + Maha Bandha Mudra (simultaneous activation of Mula Bandha, Uddiyana Bandha and Jalandhara Bandha) on the inhale.

VI Guided Seated Meditation
Focus was on gratitude emanating from the seat of consciousness - the heart. Gratitude for our health and for being in a beautiful place called Chiang Mai. Gratitude to the Thai people who have allowed us to stay in their midst.

Parting Thoughts
Mega-crunches alone will not develop great-looking abs. They also require diet and cardio workouts. Still, it's not that easy. Even when the abs get developed, unhealthy habits can erode the cuts and deep lines fast - abs is the first thing you lose when you drop the ball. However, once good abs have been achieved, it's relatively easy to bring it back to shape again - you don't have to go through hell again to bring it back.

When I first developed my abs in the Abs Showdown back in May 2002, it took me 3 months of intensive hard work. My officemates called me crazy for the things I did. But in the end, I had a stunning transformation:
Abs: before, after .

--- Gigit (TheLoneRider)
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