Spring is HERE (hopefully) and now is the perfect time to start to work on your waistline. Join me in tweaking to your waistline with the Magic Circle and some wonderful oblique work.

Working our obliques is important, as these side muscles help support our torso upright as well as act as the connectors between the pelvis and rib cage. This quick yet effective move is great to incorporate into an already-existing yoga practice or as an added bonus to an already great workout.

Yoga Ring Exercise for Oblique Muscles

1. Start in a standing position (neutral). Take a large step back with your left foot. Balancing on the ball of your back foot, relax slightly into the back heel, keeping your ankle neutral.
2. Now square your hips forward and work to keep your pelvic floor and deep core active and the leader of the movement.
3. With the ring between the palms (keep fingers open and pointing forward not to grip) and the arms extended long in front of you, inhale at center, working to expand the rib cage wide, and exhale, pressing in on the ring as you twist toward your right side. While twisting, be mindful not to hunch forward and watch not to overemphasize pressing in on the ring. You should feel contraction on your right side. Inhale while twisted and with a strong core contraction, exhale. Return back to center, keeping modest pressure on the right, extending it back out in front of you.
4. Repeat this series five to ten times on each side; it is not uncommon to be weaker on one side of the body, as we typically move in daily living in a very asymmetrical way. In order to create more body balance, work to repeat the weaker side a second time.

Repeating this move three to five times a week will leave you feeling tall, strong and empowered with core strength!

We don’t need to reinvent the wheel when it comes to your workout! I like to focus in on move that matter with focus and intention!