Karmarati Yoga: Personal Practice: Strengthening Legs and Abdominals

The Essential Poses, Very Friendly for Beginners

As modern people, we may live mostly sitting on chairs or wearing (uncomfortable) high heels and shoes. Having less outdoor walks and eating more prepared foods. From time to time, we wish for fresh air to breathe and more time to walk. Basically, we wish to come to the nature and return to the ground.

In the modern world we live in, the sensation of grounding on our own two feet may often be neglected. We may not have time to pay attention to our own “base”. And when we are not well-grounded, our core may not be strong. That all could lead to discomforts around our back muscles, and worse, the discomfort could spread up to our shoulders.

Many yoga students came to Karmarati Yoga requested for a guidance on personal practice for strengthening the base (legs, hips and abs). Beginners students of yoga can achieve that objective by practicing the essential poses with focus and perseverance. These poses - when done properly - can provide us with the perfect balance of strength, suppleness, relaxation and awareness. The statement of “properly done” here also means that yoga offers some modifications of the pose when we cannot perform the “full pose”. Modification does not mean that what we do has less benefits than the full pose. It simply means that yoga also regards the differences in human body structures and conditions in each time of the practice. Because every day is not the same and the condition of the body changes continuously, compassion and patience are important for us to support our practice. Doing modified pose also should not be defined and be judged as weakness. With the use of necessary and proper props, the benefits of a pose could still be gained.

Here are some essential poses to guide you to strengthen your legs and abs. In private sessions at Karmarati, the sequence developed for each person may vary. It would depend on several factors discussed earlier between the student and the teacher. A beautiful friend of Karmarati, Sylvia Suharja, modeled confidently in these pictures as she grows her interests to yoga more and more each time now. Thank you, Sylvi!

Anyhow, you should find these poses are friendly and fun to do! Challenge yourself to stay longer in each pose (don’t hold your breath, please) and pay attention to your body alignment. All in all, you will find your own sweet spots when your practice progresses.

Happy practice!

Peace and joy.

Namaste.

To begin: sit quietly in Sukhasana (Easy Pose) to focus your mind on your breath and set your intention for this practice. Warm up with a few stretches that elongate your back, abs and hamstrings. Prepare your Mulabandha (Root Lock) and start Ujayyi breath. Perform Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation) for 4-6 rounds and begin with the sequence.

To end: sit in Easy Pose and relax your face and your body. Perform Pranayama Nadhi Sodhana (Alternate Nostril Breathing) for 10 minutes. Close your practice with joy and respect to yourself.