Yoga exercises and poses (asanas) help attain a flat stomach in the following manner.
Some yoga exercises strengthen the abdominal muscles. Certain yoga poses demand significant balance. To provide this balance, your core muscles, including the abs have to be taut and thus they get toned and become stronger. Finally certain yoga postures really stretch out the abdominal muscles, elongating them to give you a lean look. Thus yoga for flat stomach produces toned, long and strong abdominal muscles to create a slender look.
Yoga Exercises For Flat Stomach
Stand with feet apart, hands by your side. Raise you left arm upwards and gradually tilt to the right, bending from the waist. Come back to starting position. Repeat with other hand.
Besides working the abdominal muscles, this exercise also works on the obliques and gives you a sculpted look.
Keep your feet apart and hands stretched out by the side. Move your left hand down to the left ankle, by moving downward to the left from the waist. Simultaneously, extend your right hand upward.
Relax the neck towards the left and look up at your arm. Repeat with the other arm and side. This exercise requires your belly to be firm and thus automatically strengthens the abdominal muscles.
Lie down flat on the floor. Lift one leg straight up to 90 degree angle, without bending the knee. Feel your abdominal muscles being worked when you hold the pose. Bring the leg down and repeat with the other leg.
Yoga single leg lift and (below) double leg lift
Both legs can also be lifted simultaneously for greater effect.
Yoga Balancing Postures
Stand straight, hands by the side. Stretch the arms to the side and gradually lift the left foot and place on the inner area of the right thigh.
Lift your hands over your head. Maintain the pose as long as you can. Repeat with the other leg. This basic balancing posture tones and strengthens abdominal muscles as they remain taut to enable you to achieve balance, eventually flattening the stomach.
As your abdominal muscles strengthen, you should be able to lift your hands over the head, keeping the elbows straight.
Sit cross-legged on the floor.
When you sit upright with the spine erect, your abdominal muscles are under continuous tension to support the spine and this indirectly helps get a flat stomach.
Yoga Postures that Stretch the Abdominals
Lie on your stomach, with your hands under your shoulders. Gradually lift your chest and upper torso off the ground.
Relax the neck. The abdominal muscles are stretched well in this pose. It is also beneficial for the back.
This posture is similar to the earlier one, but engages the abdominal muscles to a greater extent.
Here, instead of keeping the legs flat behind you, bend them at the knee and hold your ankles with your arms as you lift up the upper torso off the ground.
We have considered just a few of yoga postures and exercises for a flat stomach. Other poses include forward bending postures, the cat pose, reverse boat etc.
With yoga exercises for flat stomach, the results are long term, because these exercises work on increasing the muscle strength and tone, which are permanent effects.