There are LOTS of ways to build stronger inversions, arm balances, and core strength as well as exercises to rebuild strength postpartum. There’s nothing that will replace a consistent, daily yoga practice. But yoga strengthening drills are really effective!
In this post are a bunch of yoga strengthening drills. They:
- Are designed to build strength and thus stronger inversions & arm balances.
- Can be incorporated into one’s daily yoga practice.
- Can be done at home.
- Have helped me to rebuild pelvic floor strength post-baby.
- Before resuming any exercises postpartum, be sure to get the go-ahead from your doctor or midwife.
- During those first six weeks after Penelope was born, I got the go-ahead to begin mild restrengthening. The drills below I waited to resume again until about four to five months postpartum.
Strength, especially on a yoga mat, is built less from lifting heavy objects and more by learning the body from the inside out.
This means learning to use the body’s weight and how to turn on muscles that we cannot see (i.e. the muscles deep within the pelvic floor that are super important to “core strength” and to upside-down postures).
The strengthening of these muscles may not result in a six-pack, but they are everything in an inversions practice.
I’ve shared these 12 drills in several workshops, and students have always asked for little videos that demo the drill to accompany the text…so voila. Happy strengthening!
| SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS & MODIFICATIONS |
| Have you recently had a baby? Congratulations, mama! Again, *be sure to get clearance from your doctor or midwife* before attempting drills that focus on strengthening, especially within the pelvic floor. |
| Feel like these are too hard? That’s okay! Just start the attempts. Focus on being consistent and a daily yoga practice. I couldn’t do any of this when I started to practice yoga. And ALL of these I still find challenging. Hold for fewer breaths or take fewer reps or modify. But work to be consistent. |
The Menu: 12 Yoga Strengthening Drills
TABLE OF CONTENTS
L-SIT
- Easy to add into any yoga practice.
- Legs straight out, feet flexed, hands press under shoulders — a little farther forward toward your knees than you THINK they should be.
- a) When you work to press your seat off the floor, dome across the upper back and shoulder-girdle and draw up through your pelvic floor/mula bandha.
- b) If it’s not yet possible to lift your seat? That’s okay! Focus first on lifting the feet, maybe one at a time, leaning back just slightly, your hands by your hips with palms facing forward. Or lift your seat and keep one or both feet on the floor.
- Hold & breathe. You’ll feel it in the low belly!
- 10 to 20 second holds for 3 sets; Monday, Wednesday, Friday
MULA BANDHA ‘CHECKS’
- Great, when you’re ready, for rebuilding pelvic floor strength postpartum.
- Take wide-legged forward fold (Upavistha Konasana). Then decrease the size of the V just a bit; walk hands around the right leg, palms plant by the right thigh, chest in line with right leg.
- Inhale lift chest, exhale lower chest to hover above the leg, then inhale press through hands, dome across the upper back and shoulder girdle, and engage pelvic floor.
- Work to a) lift your seat, b) your feet, OR c) your seat AND your feet off the floor.
- Repeat to the left.
- Hold for count of 5 to 10 on both sides; Tuesday & Thursday
BLANKET/TOWEL PULLS
- Hands flat on floor in high push-up, blanket/towel underneath feet (…also GREAT for cleaning the floors …).
- Bend knees, sliding toes toward the shoulders, then toes back out to high plank. Bent knees are great to start, but work toward straight legs (a pike). Thick socks on hardwood floors work, too.
- 10 pulls for 2 to 3 sets; Monday, Wednesday, Friday
TWISTED BLANKET/TOWEL PULLS
- Hands flat on floor in high push-up, blanket/towel underneath feet. Bend knees, and slide toes toward right so that right knee touches right elbow, then slide knees to left elbow. Dome across the shoulders, draw belly up and in.
- 5 to 10 sets (right to left = 1); Monday, Wednesday, Friday
ZOMBIE PULLS
- Requires more space, like gym or studio floor or long hallway.
- Lay flat on floor, blanket or towel underneath your feet; arms stretched out in front of you/overhead, hands press into floor.
- Pull yourself forward until hands are adjacent to hips.
- Draw chest forward and up, as in up-dog.
- Begin to pike, pulling toes toward hands and belly up and in until feet meet the hands in forward fold.
- Walk hands back out, belly to floor, and repeat.
- Four to five pulls to equal the length of your studio or hallway space, then turn around and do four to five back down. Saturday or Sunday.
BOAT POSE
- Easy to add into any yoga practice.
- Lean back so that your weight is in your sits (sitting) bones.
- Great, when you’re ready, for rebuilding pelvic floor strength postpartum.
- Bend knees so that shins are parallel with the floor or extend through the legs.
- Option a) hold lightly onto backs of knees. Toes eye-height. Lengthen through low-back, lift up through pelvic floor (root lock aka mula bandha), and lift through chest.
- Option b) lift arms; keep sitting up and out of pelvic floor.
- Option c) straighten legs, toes eye-height. Continue to lengthen through low-back, lift through mula bandha and chest.
- 2 – 4 times/day (#NETFLIXandBOATpose), holding for 10 to 15 breaths each time.
a) 
b) 
c)
HANDSTAND STRENGTHENING AT THE WALL
- You don’t need a ton of wall space.
- Bring hands 6 – 8 inches from the wall, in line with shoulders. Fingers spread wide. Shift shoulders over wrists and walk toes in. Bend one knee, gently kick up with a strong, activated opposite leg. Find the wall, then lift other leg up.
- a) Keep one leg on the wall to use the wall as a tool (see first image below).
- b) Maybe bend one knee and on that bent leg, firmly plant that flexed foot into the wall (second image below); press the floor AWAY from you, lift up & out of your shoulders, shoulders drawing down the back. Draw lowest ribs in – take out the banana shape.
- Engage through the legs and press inner thighs together. Gaze down and slightly forward, where floor and wall meet.
- Set timer where you can see it: hold for 60 seconds, lower and take gentle forward fold; then 40 seconds, followed by forward fold; then 20 seconds and forward fold. Saturday & Sunday.
a) 
b)
HANDSTAND “PUSHUPS” AT THE WALL
- a) Follow steps above to find strong handstand at the wall. Perhaps legs straight or bend one knee and stamp that foot into the wall.
- b) Bend the elbows to lower head toward the floor (a little or a lot), then push floor away from you to rise back up to straight arms. Repeat.
- 5 – 10 push-ups; Saturday & Sunday.
a) 
b)
TOE-TO-WRIST TAPS
- a) From down-dog, walk toes in a good bit (to find a really short downdog). Push the floor away from you as you shift forward, shoulders over wrists.
- b) Flex the right foot, lift it off floor (engage through pelvic floor to suck the leg up, flexed foot hovering three inches above the floor), and try to touch right foot to right wrist. Return right foot. Repeat on left side.
- 5 on each side; Tuesday & Thursday.
a) 
b)
BACKWARDS PIKE AT THE WALL
- Take a seat, back on the wall, legs extended in front of you, feet flexed. Note where your feet are.
- Come to hands/knees and place your palms down right about where feet were.
- Then:
- a) Begin to walk feet up the wall to find a pike position: shoulders, elbows, wrists stacked, and feet press into the wall.
- b) Draw belly in and feel hips shift away from the wall a tiny bit so that they’re just past the shoulders.
- c) Stay here and hold the pike, or keep one foot pressing into the wall and lift the other leg up toward ceiling, perhaps past the shoulders. Keep pressing into palms, shift hips back, draw belly in, activate legs.
- d) Stay or MAYBE start to feel so stacked that you move into a handstand.
- Hold for 5 to 10 breaths, then take forward fold with bent knees; Saturday or Sunday.
DOLPHIN
- More on dolphin and incorporating it into your yoga practice here.
- This is a great one to work, when you’re ready, on rebuilding pelvic floor strength postpartum.
- a) From hands/knees, measure out forearms.
- b) Plant forearms down. Ground inner wrist, thumb, and fingers; make forearm skin taut.
- c) Tuck toes under and walk hips toward shoulders, belly up and in. Bend knees if needed.
- d) Gaze between hands, shoulder-blades down the back toward tailbone. Hold here or take little hops, maybe in front of the wall.
- Hold for 5 to 10 breaths; if hopping, 3 to 5 hops each side; once/day.
a) 
b) 
c) 
d)
HANDSTAND
- Maybe the most fun yoga strengthening “drill.”
- Find space in large room where you can “fall” (cartwheel or step) out.
- Kick up and play (maybe in the kitchen!).
- Once/day. 🙂
Are these yoga strengthening drills helpful? Please share!
Are there other exercises you practice to build stronger inversions, arm balances, and/or core strength? To rebuild your strength postpartum? Comment below!
