Yoga for Swimmers Strength Practice: Core Stability

During the world’s fight against COVID-19 you can visit our website to develop your yoga for swimmers practice with several free classes ranging from 25-45 minutes. To access these classes click here.

This yoga for swimmers practice is a great way to help build core strength and stability. The sequences and poses below are the key components of the 12 minute yoga for swimmers express class above.

Core strength and stability are important in both improving efficiency in the water and injury prevention.

Yoga for Swimmers Sequence – Table Top to Sunbird

Table Top

Cues:

• Start on your hands and knees
• Having the fingers pointing straight forward and spread wide
• Ensure your shoulders are over your elbows and your elbows are over your wrists
• Have the knees directly under the hips
• Tuck your toes
• Find a neutral position for the pelvis and spine
• Engage the core

Sunbird

Cues:

• Start in table top
• On an inhale lift your left foot off the ground extending the leg back behind you
• Curl your toes back towards your shin and point your toes towards the ground keeping the hips even
• Bring your right arm up and forward extending the arm straight from the shoulder
• Keep active length in your spine
• Ensure that your left shoulder is over your elbow and your elbow is over your wrist
• Press the strongly into your left hand to stay balanced

Yoga for Swimmers Sequence – Forearm Plank to Dolphin

Forearm Plank

Cues:

• Start in table top
• Place forearms on the ground with your elbows directly under your shoulders
• Walk your knees back a few inches
• On an exhale feel the spine long from the crown of the head to the tailbone and engage the core
• On an inhale extend the legs bringing the knees off of the ground
• Keep the seat in line with the rest of the spine

Dolphin

• Start in a forearm plank
• On an inhale, staying connected to the core, hover the knees off the ground
• On an exhale press the forearms into the ground press the hips up and back into an inverted ‘V’ position
• Stabilize through the shoulders
• Feel active length in your spine from your tailbone to the crown of the head
• Extend your legs towards straight without forcing the heels down towards the ground and keeping length in your spine

Yoga for Swimmers Sequence – Plank to Side Plank to Down Dog/Dolphin

Side Plank

• Start in plank
• Keeping the right should and elbow in one line turn the forearm so the finger tips are pointed towards the left
• On an inhale bring your left hand off of the ground rotating your body and shifting your weight onto your right forearm while rolling onto the outside edge of your right foot
• Bring your left arm straight from the shoulder socket with the fingers pointed towards the ceiling
• Ensure that your right shoulder is over your elbow another
• Have the left and right shoulder in one line
• Engage the core and keep the hips high and spine long

Two-Point Plank

Cues:

• Start in a forearm plank
• Bring your feet to approximately mat distance apart
• On an inhale bring your left foot a few inches off of the mat
• On the next inhale bring the right arm up and forward in line with the shoulder
• Feel active length in the spine and the core strongly engaged
• Square both your shoulders and hips

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This Yoga for Swimmers article is brought to you by Swimming-Specific Yoga the world’s top resource for online yoga classes and content designed for swimmers and multi-sport athletes.

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