Try this quiz. Fact or myth?

Yoga is a great workout for abs.

You don’t need equipment to build muscle tone.

A vegetarian diet can stack you up on protein.

If your answer is “yes” to all of the above, you’ve passed with flying colours! Yoga can give you 6 pack abs for sure. Yoga needs no equipment but can give you nice, long, lean muscles. A vegetarian diet also offers a great choice of plant protein which is easily digested with no cholesterol build up. Lets see how to get six pack abs at home:

6 pack abs home workout

Who needs an expensive gym membership plan when you can get those ripped abs at home? Over time, hard workouts in the gym can actually shorten your muscles just as inactivity can. This can make you inflexible, restricting your range of motion. The great thing about yoga is that it builds muscle tone while simultaneously improving flexibility.

Yoga also does its magic without exerting pressure on the joints. Making it an ideal choice for any age group. And here’s yet another clincher - yoga does for you what the fanciest gym anywhere in the world can’t. It regulates appetite, stimulates the digestive system, prevents bloating and helps ease away constipation. It can keep the thyroid, which is responsible for regulating the metabolic rate, healthy. Plus it gives you an indispensable positive, can-do attitude which will keep you on track.

Just six to seven weeks of dedicated yoga practice accompanied by a sensible, low fat diet plan can melt fat, chisel your abs, strengthen your entire body, and promote physical and mental health.

Six pack abs workout plan

Yoga asanas are diverse in nature and can engage different areas of the core. This ensures an effective and balanced workout. Do several repetitions of the asanas and conclude each one by holding for a few seconds, building up toat least one whole minute. This isometric quality toughens muscles while perking up your will power and stamina.

Padahastasan (Forward bend)

Super way to toughen up the abs and hamstrings.

Ardha Matsyendrasana (Sitting half spinal twist)

Makes the spine supple.
Opens up the chest.

Naukasana (Boat pose)

Strengthens the back and abdominal muscles.
Tones the leg and arm muscles.

Dhanurasana (Bow pose)

Strengthens the back and abdominal muscles.
Makes the back flexible.
Tones the leg and arm muscles.

Setu Bandhasana (Bridge pose)

Strengthens the back muscles.
Stretches the chest, neck and spine.
Reduces thyroid problems.
Helps improve digestion.

Viparita Salabhasana (Superman pose)

Stretches and strengthens the muscles of the chest, shoulders, arms, legs, abdomen and the lower back.
Massages the spine, keeps the back supple.
Improves blood circulation.

Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation)

Surya Namaskar is very effective as a cardiovascular workout. It works all the muscles, toning up the entire body. Working out the entire body is important. To see rock hard abdominals, you will certainly need to trim overall body fat.

Slowly build up the reps until you’re doing a minimum of 108 sets of fast paced Surya Namaskar every day.

6 pack abs diet plan

Saying no to non vegetarian food means saying no to cholesterol. And yes to a well-toned physique.

Ensure that you eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. Broccoli and spinach are high calcium choices. Favour chickpeas and other legumes. Substitute quinoa for rice if possible. Snack on nuts, they provide energy and a healthy source of fat. For essential fatty acids reach for walnuts, flaxseeds, even flaxseed oil. Those little chia seeds are power houses of nutrients. Peanut butter is also a great source of energy. You may tank up on fruit juices and smoothies – good to add chia seeds to these.

Eat regular, low fat meals. Follow a disciplined and rigorous yoga schedule. Add pranayama or deep breathing techniques, meditation to your routine and you’ll find that pumping iron may well become a thing of the past - your past.

Let’s hear what Mayur Karthik, a fitness enthusiast has to say.

“I have been working towards achieving a healthy body for the past few years now. I used to spend more than two hours everyday at the gym trying to build a fit body. Though the results were good, they were not up to the mark and the practices required a lot of strenuous effort.

Then I was introduced to the courses conducted by the Art of Living. I was also introduced to Surya Namaskar, an ancient yoga routine. In my personal opinion, this is the most complete sequence that can offer an overall hit rate. Surya Namaskars are quick and effective. They give good muscular shape and more strength to the body. I used to feel drained by the end of my gym routine but the great thing about doing yoga was that I felt livelier and calmer.

Being vegetarian helped me shun the extra calories and cholesterol that invariably come with meat. It also reduced aggression and brought more focus during my training sessions. Gradually my routine changed to include Surya Namaskars and other yoga poses along with my strength training at the gym. I began to notice improvements in my fitness levels. I worked hard on my routine, but still felt fresh. I reduced the amount of time I spent at the gym and still the results were extraordinary. Pumping iron and yoga are two opposite poles. Pumping iron contracts and hardens the muscles whereas yoga stretches and relaxes the muscles, keeping them flexible. Eventually, I ended up having six pack abs.

Other add-on benefits that I got included a more relaxed state of mind and a freshness that lasted throughout the day, which in my opinion is a requirement for every individual out there. Going vegetarian and including yoga in my day-to-day routine not only made me look good, but also made me feel great! It gave me the liberty to eat anything I wanted without thinking about the quantity.

If you are one of those people who value fitness as much as I do, I'd recommend you to give yoga a chance.”