A Yoga Instructor's Top 10 Moves for Sculpted, Leaner Legs
If you're looking to shape up your legs, yoga can be your very best friend. Since many poses are in standing form, yoga is a beneficial exercise for toning, defining, and strengthening your leg muscles. We consulted with Emily Forte, ERYT 500 and corporate trainer for YogaSix, who shares 10 of her top yoga exercises for leaner legs.
"From balancing poses to warrior-based poses and lunges, yoga can help with leg strengthening, stretching, and flexibility," Forte tells us. "When standing poses are held for multiple breaths, and there is intentional muscle engagement, you [strengthen] your muscles while in a lengthened state or contracting. This combination can increase your range of motion and strengthen muscle tissue, which in turn can reduce your risk of injury in the future."
Below are 10 common yoga exercises for leaner, stronger legs. Once you're familiar with them, it will be easy to work these poses into a mini-sequence for a solid leg day stretching and strengthening session. Plus, it's easy to incorporate ankle weights or weighted ankle bands into the poses for extra resistance. Although wrist weights aren't leg-focused, it's an extra sprinkle of challenge to your workout.
Namaste, and let's dive into 10 of the best yoga exercises for leaner legs.
Downward-facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)
Kick things off with downward-facing dog to strengthen and stretch your hamstrings, calves, quads, and glutes.
Begin in a tabletop position with your hands placed below your shoulders. Tuck in your toes and raise your hips toward the ceiling. Pull your shoulder blades down and press your heels into the floor. Lengthen your spine and keep your tailbone up as you evenly distribute your body weight between your hands and feet. You're essentially making a downward "V" shape with your body. Hold the pose for five to eight breaths.
Low Lunge (Anjaneyasana)
"Another good pose to incorporate toward the beginning of a practice [is the] low lunge, [which] helps to stretch hip flexors, quadricep muscles, and the front of your hips," Forte explains.
From the downward dog position, raise your right leg and step it forward between your hands. Your ankle should be aligned with your right knee. As you lower your left knee to the floor, lift your arms overhead. Bring your left hip forward just a bit. Hold the pose for five to eight breaths. Then, step back into a downward-facing dog and perform the same motion on the other side.
High Crescent Lunge (Ashta Chandrasana)
"Similar to a low lunge, yet adding some difficulty, the high lunge also strengthens the legs—quads, hamstrings, and hip flexors," Forte says.
From a low lunge position, tuck your toes back, raise your back knee of the ground, and raise your arms toward the ceiling. Push your back heel toward the back edge of your yoga mat. Use the ball mound of your front big toe for stability. Push your hips forward just a bit. Bring your shoulder blades back and down. Hold the position for five to eight breaths before doing the same on your other side.
Warrior II (Virabhadrasana II)
"Warrior II is great for quads, inner thighs (adductors), hamstrings, and hip flexors and helps to develop stability and balance," Forte tells us.
From a high crescent lunge position, bring your back heel down to your yoga mat, placing it at a 45-degree angle. Turn your chest toward the long edge of the mat, and bring your arms to form a "T" shape so they're parallel to the ground. Push your back heel into the floor as you ground your front foot.
"For [a greater] challenge in the pose, align your back foot-arch or instep with your front heel," Forte instructs. "For support in the pose, separate or widen your feet like you are standing on railroad tracks. Stack your front knee over your ankle at about 90 degrees—feel the work in your quads, and press your knee out toward your pinky toe to engage your front inner thigh or adductor."
Hold the pose for five to eight breaths before repeating on your other side.
Triangle (Trikonasana)
"Triangle pose is great for hamstrings, inner thighs, calves, and hip strength," says Forte.
While in a Warrior 2 pose, lengthen your front leg. Elongate your spine and pull your belly inward. Press your hips back, and bring your right arm down to the inside of your leg. Turn the top of your ribcage toward the ceiling and point your back arm upward over your shoulder. Hold the pose for five to eight breaths and repeat on the opposite side.
Half Moon (Ardha Chandrasana)
"Half moon pose stretches [the] hamstrings, calves, and groin and strengthens [the] ankles and thighs. It can help improve balance, full-body coordination, and core strength," says Forte.
From the triangle pose position, have a bend in your front knee as you ground into that foot. Bring your body weight to your front leg. Raise your back leg so that it becomes parallel to the floor. Rotate your top hip to line up with your raised leg. Put your top hand on your hip or extend it overhead. Flex your raised foot. Hold the pose for five to eight breaths and repeat on the other side.
Sugarcane (Ardha Chandra Chapasana)
"A variation of a half moon, sugarcane pose stretches your hip flexors and calves of your top leg," says Forte.
From a half-moon pose, bend the top knee and bring your heel toward your buttocks. Your front knee should be slightly bent for added stability. Reach back with your top arm to hold onto your foot or ankle. Bring your heel in and back to stretch your quads. Hold for three to four breaths before repeating on the other side.
Locust (Salabhasana)
Begin on your stomach with your arms at your sides. Bring your forehead to your mat and place your feet hip-width apart. Breathe in as you lift your chest and forehead off the floor, keeping your gaze on the front of the mat. Lift your hands and legs off the mat, reach your fingertips back, and hug your shoulders inward. Bring your body weight to the front of your pelvis. Hold the position for three to four breaths. As you progress, hold for five to eight breaths.
Bridge (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana)
"Bridge pose helps to strengthen your hamstrings, hips, glutes, and upper back. Add a lift to your heels for engagement through your calves," Forte says.
Begin by lying flat on your back on the floor. Bend your knees and plant your feet on the ground with your heels close to your glutes. Keep your arms at your sides, palms facing down. Ground your feet and hands on the floor as you raise your hips and glutes. Activate your glutes. Hold for three to six breaths, and as you progress and build strength, hold for five to eight.
Waterfall/Legs Up the Wall (Viparita Karani)
"To round out the practice, end in waterfall pose, also known as legs up the wall," Forte instructs. "Waterfall pose can help relieve any tension or swelling in the legs and is restorative after a powerful yoga or gym session. I like to do legs up the wall when traveling, especially if I get any swelling in my feet or ankles after long air travel."
Begin on your back with your feet on the ground and your heels close to your buttocks. Place a yoga block or rolled-up towel under your lower back. Lift your feet off the floor and extend your legs toward the sky. Hold the position for five to eight breaths.
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