Build A Strong And Steady Core In 15 Minutes

This 15-minute core practice builds strength and stability from the center out. A strong core does more than tone the belly: it supports your posture through long days of sitting, steadies your balance, and takes strain off the lower back.
Expect slow, deliberate movement with attention to the breath, working the deep core muscles that hold you upright. No equipment needed, just a mat.
Suitable for all levels. Move at your own pace and skip anything that doesn't feel right today.

Transcript

Hi, I'm Maryam. Today I'm going to show you a short core practice that you can use everyday to feel stronger, More stable. A strong core helps with your posture, It helps with your balance, With your back. Move slowly as always, Listen to your body. If something I say or do doesn't feel right, Please don't do it. When you're ready, Just come to your mat. You don't need any props, Just your mat and starting in tabletop position. Come to your hands and knees. Spread your fingers wide, Your wrists on your shoulders, Knees right underneath your hips. Pull your belly towards your spine. Back of the neck long. Looking straight down. Taking a few deep breaths in and out of your nose. With every exhale, See if you can pull your belly. Closer to your spine, Activating your core. Now moving through some Cat-Cows. Inhale, Drop your belly, Open up your heart, Look up. Exhale to round your back, Tuck your tail, Look down. Inhale, Drop your belly, Open up your heart. Cow Pose. Exhale to round your back, Tuck your tail, Cat pose. One more inhale. And exhale. Good, Come back to tabletop. From here, You're gonna extend the right leg long, And then flex your foot and lift your heel up just to the level of your hips. And you can extend the opposite arm forward, Thumb faces up. Pull your shoulder away from your ear. Coming to balancing table. Again, Looking straight down, Belly to spine. You can balance here or move with your breath. Inhale to reach. Exhale, Round your back, Knee and elbow under your body. Inhale, Reach. Exhale, Round your back. Inhale reach get long. Exhale to round your back. Inhale reach And then come back to tabletop position. Second side, Extend the left leg long, Flex your foot. Lift your heel up just to the level of your hip. Then extend the opposite arm forward, Shoulder away from your ear. You can stay here in balancing table. Or inhale, Reach, Get long. Exhale to round your back, Knee and elbow on your body. Inhale to reach. Exhale, Round your back. One more inhale. And exhale. Good, Inhale, Reach, Get long. And then exhale, Come back. To tabletop position. From here, Walk your hands forward, Tuck your toes under, Push your hips up and back, Downward facing dog. So if it's your first down dog of the day, You can maybe walk your dog, Bending one knee and then the other. You can choose to stay in stillness. Bending your knees as much as you need, Pushing your hips up towards the ceiling. Lengthening your spine, Allowing your head to feel heavy. Pull your belly towards your spine. Take a deep breath in. Open your mouth sigh it up. Let it go. Ah Good From here. You're gonna inhale come to plank Exhale, Downward facing dog. Good, Inhale, Come to plank, Shoulders over your wrists, Pull your belly to spine. Exhale to down dog. One more, Inhale to plank. Exhale, Downward facing dog. Good, Next inhale, Lift your right heel up. As you exhale, Knee to the outside of your right elbow. Inhale, Lift it up. Exhale, Knee to your elbow, Shoulders over your wrists. Inhale to lift up. And knee to your elbow. Good, Inhale lift it all the way up. And then come back to downward facing dog. Second side, Inhale, Left heel lift. As you exhale, Knee to the outside of your left elbow. Inhale to lift up. Knee to your left elbow. Inhale, Lift it up. And exhale. Knee to your left elbow. Inhale to lift all the way up. Exhale, Downward facing dog. Good, Take a deep breath in. Open your mouth, Sigh it out. Good. Inhale to plank. Exhale, Downward Dog. Inhale to plank pose. Exhale, Downward facing dog. One more inhale. And exhale. Good, From here, Drop your knees. Bring your knees as wide as the mat. Big toes together, Push your hips back towards your heels. Coming to Child's Pose. Keeping the child's pose active, Pressing your hips back towards your heels. You can allow your forehead to rest somewhere on the mat or on a block. Take a deep breath in. And a long breath out. One more deep inhale. And exhale. Good, Slowly come back to your hands and knees and make your way to downward facing dog. Good, From here, Inhale to plank pose, And exhale to hold. As you inhale, Tap your left shoulder with your right hand. And exhale to bring it down. Inhale, Tap your right shoulder with your left hand. And exhale to bring it down. Inhale here. Exhale downward facing dog good inhale left lift your right heel Exhale, Knee to your right elbow. Inhale, Lift it up. Knee to your left elbow. Inhale to lift up. Me to your nose. Inhale, Your heel lifts. And downward facing dog. Take a deep breath in through your nose. Open your mouth, Sigh it out. Inhale to plank. And hold here. Inhale, Right hand to your left shoulder. And bring it down. Inhale. Left hand to your right shoulder. And bring it down. Take a deep breath in. And exhale, Downward dog. Good. Inhale, Lift your left heel. Knee to your left elbow. Inhale to lift up. Knee to your right elbow. Inhale, Lift it all the way up. Bring your knee to your nose. And inhale lift up Come to downward facing dog. Take a deep breath in. And a long breath out. Good. Inhale to plank. Exhale to hold. Inhale right hand left shoulder Exhale, Bring it down. Inhale, Left hand, Right shoulder. Exhale, Bring it down. Take a deep breath in. And then as you exhale, Slowly start to lower it all the way down. You can drop your knees. All the way down to your belly. Good, You can stack your hands, Bring your forehead onto your hands. Good. Pausing here. Breathing deeply. And then coming to Sphinx pose, You're going to bring your elbows on your shoulders and your arms parallel, Fingers spread, Pressing your palms down. Good. From here your feet can be wide or closer together and the closer your feet are together the harder this is going to be on your lower back. So just adjust your feet if you need to. You can stay here and just breathe. Into the stretch in. Your lower abdomen. Your lower back. If you want a little bit more, You can start to bend your knees. Bringing your big toes together. Take a deep breath in. And a long breath out. One more inhale. And exhale, Slowly bring everything back down. Lower all the way down and make your way to your back. Coming to your back. Hug your knees into your chest. Just gently rocking from side to side. Massaging your lower back. Good. From here, You're going to extend your legs. Long your feet and heels moving towards the ceiling and your arms can be by your side or you can tuck your hands just under your hips. Again, Making sure your lower back is grounded, Your shoulders are heavy and comfortable, And you can have a bend in your knee so it doesn't have to be completely straight. Good. Relaxing your feet. Deep breath in. As you exhale, Bring your right ankle to hover over your mat. Inhale to lift up, Switch sides. Left ankle hovers over the mat. Inhale to lift up. Bring your right heel down. That sucks. Good, So starting here, You're gonna inhale, Exhale slowly, Drop the right heel to hover over your mat. Inhale to lift up. Exhale, Left heel hovers over the mat. Inhale, Bring it up. Exhale, Right heel down. Inhale up, And left heel down. Good, You can have your legs straight or you can bend your knees and just tap. Your toes down if that feels good. So moving through a breath. Good. Inhaling to lift. Exhaling, Your foot comes down. Inhale, Lift. Exhale, Switch. Inhale to lift. Exhale, Lower. Inhale to lift. Exhale to lower. Inhale, Lift. Exhale, Lower. Inhale lift Exhale. Good. Do one more on each side with your own breath. Moving as slowly or quickly as your body wants. Good. When you're done, Hug your knees into your chest. And gently rock from side to side. Massaging your back. You can make circles with your knees in one direction and then the other. Good. From here, Make your way to Shavasana. Soften everything. Allow your hips and your shoulders to be heavy. Soften your jaw, Allow your tongue to fall away from the roof of your mouth. Soften the muscles of the face, Allowing your eyes to gently close. And then let your body breathe naturally and take in the effects of your practice. You can stay here as long as you need. Or if you need to get back to your day, You can slowly get up, Come to a seat. And take a deep breath in. And a long breath out. Good. You can come back to this practice whenever you need. And I hope you enjoyed that. Thank you so much for practicing with me. Namaste.