Stronger Legs with Yoga
When you think of yoga the first that might come to mind is balance, flexibility or even mental health. And whilst that is not wrong, sometimes it is easy to forget that yoga is also a fantastic physical workout and great for developing body strength. Through the many asanas, you are constantly moving and putting your body in positions that require you to use muscles you might not normally use in such a way.
We have talked about poses that can develop your core strength in the past, but we noticed that an area that doesn’t get much focus is our lower body, especially our legs. After all, not only does flowing through different poses can help tone your quads, glutes, calves and hamstrings; the work done through balancing poses can also strengthen your hip, knee and ankle joints.
In this blogpost we explore different ways in which yoga can help strengthen, tone and benefit your lower body.
Building a Foundation: Standing Poses
Yoga's many standing poses are the first stop for developing leg strength. Poses like Warrior I, Warrior II, and Triangle pose engage the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves. These poses challenge our leg muscles by requiring us to hold steady, balance, and support our own body weight. Plus, the time and effort spent holding these poses help build strength, endurance, and stability in our legs. These poses are also great for beginners, and can be modified to provide a deeper or more challenging stretch as our practice progresses.
Power and Balance: Balancing Poses
A more demanding kind of asanas are the balancing poses, such as Tree pose and Eagle pose, which require both strength and stability in the legs. These poses activate the smaller stabilising muscles in our legs, improving our overall balance and coordination. The balance work involved will not only strengthen muscles but also the tendons and ligaments in our joints, which take longer than muscle to gain strength. Be careful and always have something to hold onto (wall or chair) nearby if you feel unsteady on your feet.
Dynamic Flow: Sun Salutations
For a more advanced workout, consider adding leg-focused poses to your flowing practice. A great example of this is Sun Salutations (Surya Namaskar). These sequences involve movements like lunges, forward folds, and plank poses, all of which engage and strengthen the legs but require you to do so in constant movement. They are a great cardiovascular workout that will simultaneously build leg strength, so by incorporating them into our yoga practice, we can experience an invigorating full-body workout.
Deep Release: Hip-Opening Poses
No one realises how tight their hips are until trying hip-opening poses, plus beyond releasing any tiredness from your calves and thighs, they are also great at strengthening the little muscles in the joint. Pigeon pose and Warrior II variations for example, not only increase flexibility but also target the inner and outer thigh muscles, helping to improve leg strength and stability while simultaneously releasing tension and promoting mobility.
Alignment and Mindful Engagement
We’ve all heard the phrase, “where focus goes, energy flows”, well it is true! In yoga, proper alignment and mindful engagement of the muscles are crucial for maximising the benefits of each pose, but also, sometimes just thinking of the muscles that need activating will help make it work harder. By focusing on aligning our joints, activating the appropriate muscles, and maintaining proper form, we can optimise the strengthening potential for our legs. Mindful engagement allows you to connect with the muscles being targeted and cultivate a deeper mind-body connection.
From standing poses to balancing poses, dynamic flows to releasing poses,, the rich variety of yoga asanas provides ample opportunities to strengthen your legs. Embrace the power of yoga, and witness the transformative effects it can have on your leg strength and overall well-being. Step onto your mat, breathe deeply, and let yoga help you develop stronger, more resilient legs through your practice.
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