Kiran Sawhney

Bharadvajasana  Benefits Stretches the spine, shoulders, and hips Massages the abdominal organs Relieves lower backache, neck pain, and sciatica Helps relieve stress Improves digestion Especially good in the second trimester of pregnancy for strengthening the lower back Therapeutic for carpal tunnel syndrome.

This is another wonderful piece of equipment.Very light and portable. It is in A shape and is called fit squeeze. Place it between your knees. As you roll upwards, squeeze it with your thighs.  So your abs crunch and your thighs squeeze.

Sit straight. Place the exercise ball on your thighs. Fold your hands. Press your palms together. Rest your elbows on the ball. Now lean back as far as you can and let the ball slide upward. Maintain the control and balance.

Now hold the exercise ball in your hands. Lift your torso and the hand straight up. Bend one knee 90 degree. Lift the other leg straight up 10 inches off from the floor. Hold this for couple of seconds. Lower down and lift up again. Switch the legs this time. This exercise is same as above. But now you straighten up the bent knee. So both legs are straight.

An extension of the previous exercise. Adding on the challenge. Still targeting the abs. Starting position 1. Same as before- Keep the ball in between the knees. Keep the knees bent, thighs perpendicular to the floor, back flat, abs tight, toes pointed. 2. Extend the legs straight out. Lower them as low as possible without arching the back. 3. Bring the legs straight up. 90 degree. Toes are pointed throughout. Do this 30 times and then, you can reverse this. Do 1, 3, 2.  Feel your lower abs tightening and your thighs activating. 

This is a simple and effective abdominal workout. Place a small ball between your knees. This is done to isolate the abs and not let the hip flexor muscles assist in the movement. Your thighs also get worked because the adductors are holding and squeezing the ball. Starting position Bend the knees. The legs are up. Keep the abs tight and back flat. Point your toes. Ending position Maintaining the same angle, lower down the legs and lightly tap or touch the toes on the floor. Immediately bring the legs back to the starting position. Repeat this for 30-50 times. Watchpoints:  Do not arch the back.  Let the movement come from your lower abs or hip joint but not from your knees.  So not stop, hold or rest at the ending position. Immediately get back to the starting position.

It is important to work on balance training. It helps in Strengthening the core Working on your response time Preventing future injuries. Activates muscles of legs- thighs, hips, calves Improves balance, coordination and posture Straightens the spine. Bosu, which was earlier used as Ball on the side up. Now is Both sides up. We utilize both sides of Bosu.

Having a strong core is very important. Isometric contraction really helps to develop good core. Hold this position for few seconds or a minute.