15 Yoga Asanas for Flat Stomach – Poses You Must Try

There is a lot of hype about yoga but honestly, it’s well deserved. Yoga has many benefits for the mind and body, and if you choose the right power yoga poses, you can get a power workout that rivals those you get at the gym.

Yoga is an ideal workout for many reasons, and it has benefits for both men and women. In fact, the very first practitioners of yoga were exclusively men.

Depending on the poses you incorporate into your routine, yoga can help you stretch, meditate, tone, and yes, even eliminate stubborn belly fat. That’s not all, when you take the time to work on your core muscles, it improves blood circulation to the abdominal organs, improving digestion and keeping bloating under control.

Yoga Workout to Eliminate Tummy Fat

If getting a flat tummy is your goal, here are 15 yoga asanas to work into your routine.

1. Mountain Pose

Mountain pose may not seem like an exercise that tightens your tummy, but it’s an important part of any yoga workout that focuses on your core. Warming up before exercising is important, and mountain pose is an ideal way to get your blood flowing to make sure your core muscles are ready for the workout ahead.

Start with your feet close together, big toes touching and heel slightly apart. Distribute your bodyweight evenly. Next, use your thigh muscles to lift your kneecaps. Lift your pelvis and drop your tailbone to rotate the hips down.

Press your shoulder blades together with your arms at your sides, opening the chest. Keep your head and neck centered and stare at a fixed point in the distance. Imagine there’s a string pulling the top of your head to the ceiling and elongating the spine. Hold this position for 30 seconds.

2. Chair Pose

Transition to chair pose by bending your knees and lowering your hips, as if you’re sitting down in a chair. Reach your arms over your head, framing your face and extending at the same angle as your spine.

Look down and make sure you can see your toes. If not, lower the hips a bit until you can. Then, drop your shoulders and look up toward your hands. Breathe normally and hold for as long as you can.

3. Standing Forward Bend

This pose is a great workout for your tummy, but you have to pay close attention to your movements and the muscles you’re engaging. Stand with your legs hips-width apart, arms at your sides. Inhale and lengthen the spine, then hinge your body forward at the hips and place your hands on the floor with your fingertips next to your toes or reach behind and hold the back of your ankles.

Keep your elbows loose. Hold for five to ten breaths, then return to standing and repeat ten times.

4. Warrior Twist Lunge

The warrior lunge is a great workout for a flat tummy, and it works your back and legs, too. Begin by standing with your feet together. Then, take one step forward until your thigh is parallel to the ground and raise your hands overhead.

Watch your posture, elongating the spine, and keep your head and chest upright. Sink lower to deepen the stretch. To engage the abdomen even more, twist your upper body to the right and hold for two seconds. Return to centre, then repeat on the left. Come back to a standing position, then repeat with the other leg.

5. Bow Pose

The bow pose effectively works your back muscles, which are essential for a strong core and a flat stomach. You’ll also feel a deep stretch in your back and abdomen.

Begin by lying flat on your stomach with your hands at your sides, palms up. Bring your feet up toward your butt, then reach back with your hand to clasp your ankles, keeping the knees hips-width apart. Inhale, lifting your feet and pulling against your hands, bringing you shoulder blades together. Your thighs, chest, and knees should be off the floor. Hold for 30 seconds.

6. Plank

The plank pose is used across a variety of different workouts for good reasons – it’s one of the best ways to tone not only the stomach but the entire body.

Begin by lying face down on the mat. Place your palms on the ground and extend your arms, lifting your body off the ground. Spread the shoulders, begin careful not to let the spine sag. If this is too difficult, you can modify the pose by resting on your forearms instead of extending your arms.

Balance on your toes and turn the face toward the ground, but do not rest the chin against the chest. Hold for as long as you can, and try to extend the length of the pose every day.

7. Side Plank

From plank pose, it’s really easy to move into a side plank, which is another great workout for your core. Shift your weight from your toes to the outside edge of your left foot, placing your right foot on top of the left. Lift your right arm up onto your right hip, turning your torso to face forward in the direction your toes are pointing.

Your left hand, which is supporting your weight, should be slightly in front of the shoulder with the fingers pointing away from your feet. Be sure to keep the back and thighs straight, forming a diagonal line from the top of your head to your heels. Hold for between 15 and 30 seconds, then return to plank pose and switch to the opposite side.

8. Downward Facing Dog

Downward facing dog or AdhoMukhaSvanasana is one of the most popular yoga asanas. Not only is this a great pose for getting rid of stomach fat, but there are also several variations and other poses that you can easily transition to from it that also work your abdominal muscles.

To start, get onto your hands and knees on your yoga mat. Your knees should be directly beneath your hips, and your hands should be slightly in front of your shoulders. Splay your fingers wide, keeping your pointer fingers parallel.

Exhale, lifting your pelvis from the floor and supporting your weight with your hands and feet, which should be flat against the floor. You should form a wide upside-down V with your body. Hold for between one and three minutes.

9. One-Legged Downward-Facing Dog

This variation on a downward-facing dog is sometimes called a three-legged downward dog and is great for your stomach and improving balance. To do it, get into a downward-facing dog position, then straighten one leg behind you, making a continuous line with your spine. You can also bend the extended knee over your back.

Hold this pose for five deep breaths, then return to downward dog and repeat with the other leg. Try to do five or ten sets in all.

10. Raised Leg Pose

For this pose, begin by laying on your back. Relax your body with your arms at your sides, palms facing the floor. Inhale slowly, and raise your legs off the floor. Lift your legs between 45 and 90 degrees, making sure not to bend your knees and hold for as long as you can.

As your strength improves, you should be able to hold the pose for as long as a minute. When you begin to lose control or feel strain in your abdomen, lower the legs and relax. Then, repeat the pose up to five times. You can also do this pose with one leg at a time.

11. Lotus Hip Lift

This is one of the more advanced asanas, but if you’re looking for a challenge or something to work up to, the lotus hip lift is it. It starts with the lotus pose, which is a recognizable asana but one that is extremely difficult to master. Work your way up to it, and get the guidance of a qualified instructor.

To do the lift, get into lotus position with your arms resting at your sides. Place your palms on either side of your torso and lift your body off the ground, using your upper body and abdomen. Again, this is an extremely advanced maneuver, but it’s one of the best yoga exercises to flatten the stomach.

12. Seated Forward Bend

This is a simple yet effective move for toning your tummy. Sit with your legs stretched out in front of you with your arms at your sides and your spine and neck straight. Take a deep breath. Suck in your stomach. Then slowly bend forward. Try to touch your toes with your hands as you lower your head as close to your knees as possible.

13. Wind Relieving Pose

If you’re looking for a way to alleviate gas or bloating, give the wind relieving pose a try. It also helps relieve tension in your back, hips, and thighs, which gets you loosened up for additional poses in your workout.

Lie on your back with your arms and legs extended. Inhale and draw your knees to your chest, wrapping your arms around them. Hold onto your right knee, and extend your left leg, letting it rest on the floor. Hold for one minute, then pull it back to your chest and resume the original position. Repeat with the other leg. Exhale, and release both legs to the floor.

14. Cobra Pose

This yoga pose is a great abdominal fat burner, and it can be combined with other poses for a truly effective core workout. Start by lying on your stomach with your palms next to your shoulders, your legs stretched out far behind you, and the tops of your feet against the floor.

Take a deep breath and raise your upper body off the ground by stiffening and raising your shoulders. Straighten your arms to support yourself while bending your spine, tilting your head back to look at the ceiling.

15. Vinyasa Flow Sequence

Certain vinyasa flow sequences are very effective at toning the stomach. This beginner’s sequence combines some of the poses we already reviewed, but putting them together makes for an even more effective workout.

Start in plank position, dropping your knees to the floor if needed. Watch the positioning of your shoulders, keeping them directly over your wrists and maintain a straight line through the spine and hips.

Next, lower your chin, chest, and knees to the mat, keeping your buttocks in the air, elbows at your sides, and toes curled under. Then, move into cobra pose by inhaling and siding your body forward without moving your arms and hands. Use your back muscles to complete this motion, trying not to push down on your hands.

From cobra, curl your toes under, straighten your arms, and lift your pelvis into the downward-facing dog.

Final Word on Yoga Asanas for Flat Stomach

As you can see, there are a lot of yoga asanas that give your core a good workout and burning stubborn belly fat. You can either work some of these poses into your currency yoga routine or use a combination of them together for the ultimate yoga workout for belly fat.

Note that some of these asanas are more advanced than others, but there are plenty that are beginner-friendly, too. If you need to, invest in a yoga block or bolster for additional support while you work on improving your strength and flexibility.

A lot of people mistakenly think that yoga is primarily a way to meditate and relax, but the truth is it’s also a great way to tone your entire body and get the flat belly you’ve always dreamed of. It’s all about choosing the right asanas and making sure you keep up with your practice.