Teachers always encourage students to keep their tummies tight during pretty much every yoga posture, and it’s not because they want all their students to have 6-pack abs! I did a little experiment in class last night: I let go of my belly. I took a beginner’s class because I was feeling weary and quite low-energy. I decided to honor my body and allow myself to rest by going to a less challenging class than I had planned. And at the beginning of class while spread out in child’s pose I just felt like sending the breath to my tummy. And then I decided to see what it would feel like to move through my entire practice with a relaxed belly.
It honestly made everything so much more difficult! I was tipping over in the balancing postures. I skipped navasana (boat pose- strengthens abs) completely. There was much internal giggling while I wobbled and wiggled and felt like jell-o on my mat.
There are so many names that yoga teachers use for the “abdominal area”. The sanskrit term is uddiyana bandha, or upward abdominal lock. You draw your navel up and in towards your spine in order to keep the energy inside your body. Other names are your belly, tummy, navel, or abs. But regardless of what it’s called, it definitely serves many important purposes. It protects your back and helps with balance by stabilizing your core. It allows you to go deeper into a twist, which gives your spine a detoxing massage. It helps keeps you lifted and stable in inversions like headstand. And it just gives everything a little bit more lightness! So the next time you’re wondering what you can do to bring your practice to the next level: tighten your tummy!
What happens when you tighten your tummy in your favorite yoga pose?
Happy New Year from my belly to yours!
Choose love,
Grace
