The core of a strong, fit body is a strong, fit ... well, core! (Makes sense, right?) And if you love to roll out your mat and get your downward dog on, there’s good news: yoga can be really effective for building core strength.
Especially if you practice like Danielle Diamond.
Diamond is a superstar Nutritious Life-Certified yoga instructor and creator of Xen Strength Yoga, a method that combines yoga and meditation with muscle-building. Using both weights and warrior poses, the practice comes with major mind-body benefits. Now, she’s sharing 10-minute sequences you can do at home in a series of videos that illustrate yoga’s many functions.
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She’s already showed us how to stretch out our hamstrings and strengthen our glutes. Now, she’s showing us how to work our abs, with sun salutations instead of sit-ups. “You want to make sure you work all angles,” she says, "Front, back, and side-to-side." A strong core, after all, is essential for posture, balance, stability and more.
Xen Strength Yoga for Core Strength
(Image: Danielle Diamond, Xen Strength Yoga)