Yoga's Core Value by Gwen Lawrence

Gwen with her New York Giants' yoga students. (Photograph: Matthias Clamer for ESPN)

                   By Get On Your Mat For Mental Health’s yoga teacher, Gwen Lawrence

A strong core helps us keep our balance, protect our backs and move with ease.  Yoga, through poses that twist, torque, bend and stretch, engages our core with every breath. However, some poses engage our abs more than others. Here are a few to try:

FOREARM PLANK:  This one’s essential whether you’re new to my class or one of my pro athletes. I include it in every session.  Complete three in a row, holding for one (full!) minute each time. Here’s how:  Place your forearms and knees on the mat, toes tucked under. Line your elbows up perfectly under your shoulders, aiming to get forearms as parallel as possible, palms flat on the floor.  When you are ready, straighten your legs, body in one straight line with bellybutton lifting to spine--no high butts, no sagging butts. Breathe evenly. Hold the pose, pressing your heels back as you stretch the crown of your head forward. Bend knees and lower down. Repeat at least twice more.

TIBETAN RITE LEG RAISE:  This exercise is part of the 5 Tibetan rites (see article at www.poweryogaforsports.com).  Lie on your back,  palms under your lower back to support and ease strain, palms face down.  Bring your legs up straight to the sky.  Glue one leg to the other, flex your feet and send energy out through your heels.  Lift your chin to your chest.  Slowly lower your legs and head at the same time. Just before touching the ground, exhale and lift the legs and head back up.  Repeat 1-2 minutes.  When you become stronger, try pressing the arms into the floor alongside your torso, palms down, lower back pressing into the floor. Lift and lower head and legs. Want more of a challenge?  Extend your arms overhead and keeping elbows close to ears, slowly raise and lower head and legs in sync with each other.

PLANK KNEE TO ELBOW:  Begin in plank pose, which can also be thought of as the top of a push up.  Be careful to perfectly align your shoulders over your elbows, over your wrists.  Send energy equally out through your heels and the crown of your head.  Lift belly firmly up to the spine. Bring your right knee to your right elbow and then back to plank position. Then right knee to forehead, back to plank. Finally, right knee to left elbow and back to plank. Rest in childs' pose.  Repeat on the other side.  Do these 1-3 minutes.

These may be a challenge now, but stay with them. You’ll be amazed at how quickly you progress.

About Gwen Lawrence

Gwen Lawrence has been a practicing fitness professional since 1990. Her current practice includes private yoga training, class instruction and her sport-specific Power Yoga for Sports training program www.poweryogaforsports.com. Gwen is the yoga instructor for several New York Yankees baseball players, team yoga instructor for the New York Giants, New York Knicks, New York Red Bulls, New York Rangers, several major college teams, including Yale and UNC, and  many youth teams in a variety of sports. She is also the official spokesperson for AFRIN PureSea, an ambassador for Lululemon and Manduka, Gaiam, and Yoga Earth. Her writing appears in Men's Health, Women's Health, Fitness Magazine, Shape Magazine, Yoga Journal, Details magazine, shape.com and espn.com.   She makes regular appearances on NBC TODAY show, Good Day NY and many TV news and national radio shows. Gwen is a featured teacher for Gaiam’s new yoga channel.