8 Best Yoga Poses to Tone Your Buttocks

What’s inside?

• Why yoga is a holistic exercise ?
• Yoga poses to tone your buttocks

If you want a toned back, you can definitely try squats. Or, you can try a holistic set of exercises that work out your entire body while targeting your hip region specifically, and at the same time also helping you relax. Sounds ideal? Well, yoga is considered by many to be the ideal exercise, as it challenges both the mind and body to work together for your overall health. If you are looking for some killer workout to tone your hips, here are some yoga poses you should definitely integrate into your workout –

• Natrajasana (Lord of the Dance Pose) – A fine balancing act, this pose challenges the strength of your legs and engages all the muscles of your hip region as you stretch your shoulders and open up your chest. The longer you hold the pose for, the more impact you will feel on your hips. Make sure to repeat on the other side too. This pose also enhances posture and metabolism and aids weight loss.

• Anjaneyasana (Crescent Moon Pose) – An intense stretch for those with tight hips, this asana is a great way to increase flexibility in the region, which is a prerequisite for toning and strengthening. This asana also engages the core and helps in stimulating the digestive organs of the body. Beginners may find keeping the bottom knee on the mat helpful, as it reduces the intensity of the stretch.

• Purvottasana (Upward Plank Pose) – A great way to work the whole body and challenge your upper body strength, you will feel this asana work your hips as you consciously contract and engage these muscles to keep yourself off the ground. This asana also increases core strength. Try holding it for at least half a minute and increase your hold as you progress.

• Salabhasana (Locust Pose) – Deceptively simple-looking, this asana can bring great results for the hips and core when it is done properly with muscle engagement and correct posturing. It also stimulates the internal organs and improves blood circulation, thus also giving all-round results for the body, and makes it an ideal pose for weight loss too.

•  Vasisthasana (Side Plank Pose) – A great challenge for the oblique and core, this asana can also help in burning excess fat off the hip region when done properly by not putting too much pressure on the wrists and letting your hips droop, and also by not taking your hips too high. Keeping them in alignment with your body is the way to go, and you can lift your upper leg for an extra challenge.

• Virabhadrasana III (Warrior Pose) – This third variant of the asana uses the maximum amount of leg and glute effort, as your entire buttocks region works to keep your leg and body in balance. The shoulders also get a good stretch, and you also hone your skills of balance and concentration, making this a great asana to practice. That is why this pose is one of the best yoga poses to tone your buttocks.

• Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge Pose) – Dependent completely on lower body strength, out of all yoga poses this one promises to tone your buttocks in no time. You can engage in multiple sets of the asana and hold the pose for the best impact. You can also practice a more challenging version by incorporating a leg left, transferring your weight to a single leg which is sure to fire up that burn in the buttocks.

• Malasana (Garland Pose) – Known also as the ‘yoga squat’, this asana tones all of your lower body, from the glutes to the calf muscles. It also helps in opening up the hips in a gentle manner, thus helping you prep for other, more intense asanas. To make this pose more challenging you can assume its ‘ideal’ form, which involves simultaneously squatting and bending forward.

So be sure to integrate these asanas into your daily workout to see amazing results for your buttocks.