Women are more interested in a social component to their workout than men and are more likely to take group classes like Yoga. Women who regularly practice Yoga have lower body mass indexes and control their weight better than those who do not.
From ancient times, women have been part of yoga’s history as practitioners, teachers, sages and devotees.
Abdominal Exercises
Yoga is much more than just stretching and sitting in a lot of poses. It’s an active practice that strengthens abdominal muscles and the back, helping with balance, posture, strength and weight control. It’s also great for the core muscles, and training these muscles will help prevent back pain and injuries in daily activities.
One of the best exercises for the lower abdomen is a single-leg extension. This move stretches the upper and lower back while engaging the abs to keep the body erect. It’s a great alternative to crunches or leg lifts, and you can add this move to other poses to challenge yourself even more.
Another good abdominal exercise for women is chair pose. This yoga pose strengthens the legs and hips while engaging the abs, especially the tranversus and external obliques. It’s important to be able to engage these muscles because they help keep the torso upright and stable during any activity.
Backward Bending Asanas
As the name suggests, backbends strengthen and stretch the spine. They also stimulate spinal nerves, improve blood circulation and elongate the muscles of the core and abdomen. Beginners should work up to this pose slowly, building up strength and body awareness. Backbends should be followed by a counterpose that is not challenging to the shoulders and neck.
One of the easiest backbends to start with is the sphinx pose, which gently stretches the spine without putting much strain on it. It prepares the body for more advanced backbends like cobra or king plank.
Another easy backbend is the camel pose, a kneeling pose that stretches and strengthens the front of the torso and hip flexors as well as improving spinal flexibility. This posture also helps to activate the heart chakra and strengthens the neck. As with all backbends, it is important not to strain the lower back. Beginners should also take care not to push themselves too hard and should use a block for support.
Leg Lifts
Leg lifts — also known as prone single-leg lift, viparita karani and om namo gurunamo — strengthen the hips, buttocks and lower back muscles, including the rectus abdominis. They work the core for improved balance and stabilization of the body, helping prevent injuries such as lower back pain and tailbone (coccydynia) issues.
Blease explains that the straight leg raise is the more difficult variation because it requires your abs to support the pelvic weight, preventing it from moving into anterior or posterior pelvic tilt. To make the exercise more challenging, you can try lifting and lowering your legs at a faster pace to build momentum, she notes.
Lankford notes that if you have a strong upper body, you can hang your legs off the floor in a hanging leg lift. This is more advanced and challenges the deeper abdominal muscles even further. It also targets the latissimus dorsi, or outer thigh muscles. You can also do alternating leg lifts for more variety and to strengthen both sides of the core.
Breathing Exercises
As women juggle multiple roles and face unique health challenges throughout their lives, yoga can be an invaluable tool for physical, mental, and emotional wellness. However, it’s important to understand that yoga is more than striking Instagram-worthy poses or chanting “Om” in unison.
Breathing exercises can help reduce stress, improve sleep quality, and promote overall well-being. One particular type of breathing exercise, called Sitali, involves sticking out the tongue and curling it to create a tunnel. As you inhale, the cool air passes through the tongue and throat and into the body, lowering your core temperature.
This breathing exercise is beneficial for women because it strengthens the abdominal muscles, promotes digestive function, balances the secretion of hormones, and nourishes the lungs. It also helps alleviate back and neck pain, reduces headache, cures asthma and reduces the blood pressure of the brain. It also gives a glowing skin and provides energy to the whole body. This is a great practice during menstruation as it relieves the headache and energizes the mind.