Want to amp it up or slow it down? There’s a core practice to match your vibe.
(Photo: Yan Krukau | Pexels)
Published January 28, 2026 11:41AM
You probably don’t need another trainer, yoga teacher, Instagram reel, TikTok, or friend who does CrossFit telling you how important core strength is. You already know it helps improve your balance, coordination, posture, and makes pretty much anything you do with your body a little easier—blah, blah, blah.
What you do need? Ways to strengthen your core that aren’t (a) boring, (b) impractical to do at home or between meetings, or (c) seemingly reserved for Olympians due to the unfathomable level of physical exertion they require.
That’s why you need yoga for core strength. Because if there’s one thing yoga promises, it’s meeting you exactly where you are and giving you exactly what you need—minus all the random voices chiming in about sit-ups and protein shakes.
5 YouTube Videos for Core Strength
These videos deliver yoga for core strength in ways that are creative—and the opposite of boring. As with any yoga practice, you can find a teacher, style, and method that fits your unique vibe or how you’re feeling that day. Start with the practices below.
1. Core + Restore | 27-Minute Yoga For Your Core | Yoga With Adriene
Don’t let the idea of a 27-minute core routine freak you out! The entire vibe of the calming practice is the opposite of the intense images your brain might conjure upon hearing the words “core strength.” That means slow, intentional exercises (think lifting into Bridge Pose) are interspersed with calm counter stretches (including Reclined Bound Angle and supine spinal twists).
This practice by Yoga With Adriene lives up to both promises in its title: core AND restore. In the words of one commenter, “I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this when usually I despise core work.”
2. 5-Minute Yoga Workout for Core Strength | Yoga With Bird
Contrary to popular belief, core work isn’t just about targeting your abs. It’s about using every muscle from your shoulders down to your hips to stabilize your body on the mat—and make off-the-mat movements easier. That’s exactly what you’ll do in this 5-minute yoga for core strength practice by Yoga With Bird.
Whether you’re practicing a unique take on a yoga posture (balancing on one leg in Thread the Needle) or being reminded how a common pose seriously works the core (Revolved Chair Pose), you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how accomplished you feel after only 5 minutes.
3. 20-Minute Core Strength Yoga | Yoga With Kassandra
If you didn’t know this video by Yoga With Kassandra was for core strength, you’d think it was a grounding and challenging-in-a-good-way vinyasa flow—and that’s sorta the point. Like a creative parent sneaking bits of broccoli into their kid’s mac and cheese, Kassandra will seamlessly guide you from a calming stretch (Reclining Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose) into a slow core exercise (lowering one leg down toward the mat in that same pose). The result is a beautiful integration between the thing you might already love to do (relax on your mat), and the thing you procrastinate doing (strengthening your core).
Do core work that doesn’t feel like core work.
4. 15-Minute Power Yoga for Core Strength l Strengthen Your Abs | Travis Eliot
Let’s be real—some days you need physical exercise to keep yourself from throwing your laptop against the wall. It’s those fed up moments that you might want to take advantage of your angst (it’s energy!). That’s when you can turn to this 15-minute power yoga flow by Travis Eliot. You’ll alternate drawing your knees toward your elbows in Plank, move through Downward-Facing Dog, Chaturanga, and Locust Pose, and do another core-firing knee-to-elbow exercise from standing—all within the first five minutes.
There’s a suspenseful soundtrack that’ll make you feel as if you’re in American Ninja Warrior. Not to mention you’ll experience the release that comes with trying something difficult. As one commenter says, “I had to take five breaks but made it through.”
5. Core & Confidence Yoga Workout | 10 Minutes | Black Yogi Nico Marie
As Nico Marie points out in the introduction of this 10-minute yoga for core strength video, the solar plexus chakra, which is linked with your sense of self and confidence, is in your core. In yoga tradition, that means that core-activating poses can not only build muscle but boost your self-esteem.
And if you forget about your personal power while in a challenging one-legged Side Plank or breaking a sweat in Locust Pose, Nico Marie reminds you of it with affirmations including “I am strong” and “I am not afraid to take risks.” It’s amazing how core work can make you feel, isn’t it?
