Hitting the gym is not the only way to strengthen or sculpt your body, instead, you can opt for various yoga poses to tone your body muscles all through the body. The best part is you can do it from the comfort of your house.
Toning your body means reducing your body fat and replacing it with some lean muscles. Repeating exercises like you do in yoga practices paves the way for changing your body’s structure. In contrast to weight training, which is suitable for building muscle mass, yoga uses body weight for resistance that strengthens and outlines your muscles over time. In such a way, yoga is the same as cardio workouts such as running, an exercise for building lean muscle. Running is an aerobic exercise that burns up your body fat to get the energy that keeps you moving while simultaneously strengthening your legs and your core with each step you take.
Have you ever taken any vinyasa class or done ten sin salutations in a single row? If yes, doesn’t it gives you a feeling which is the same as running a few miles? Your heart beats similarly, and you can feel the same muscle strain. In addition, yoga also benefits you by toning your muscles, and you can target specific areas of your body through some particular poses.
Does yoga tone your body in the same way as strength training?
In a yoga class or 200 hour yoga teacher training in Rishikesh, you hold on to some poses that tone specific muscles, and then repeating those poses many times in each class certainly helps tone your entire body. This is true if you go to yoga classes regularly.
Regular practicing of yoga helps in sculpting a toned body. Your muscles strengthen and become more defined when you hold on to yoga poses that need muscle strength, giving you a toned look. Since most of the yoga training in the best yoga school of Rishikesh integrates several postures that tone varied body parts, you are surely toning your entire body in a yoga class. Each yoga pose acts on varied muscles and tones on various aspects of your body.
So, why are you waiting? Start feeling the burn and shape your body with the following yoga poses for toning.
If you think which yoga poses are best for toning, you must know that there are tons. Here are a few among them:
. Bridge pose or Setu Bandha Sarvangasana:
At first, lie down on your back, with your palms facing downward. Now bend your knees, keeping them at hip-width apart from each other. Try to bring your heels close to your butt. While exhaling, press your foot heels into the floor to lift your lower back from the base. You can move your shoulders together for a big backbend and then intertwine your fingers on your back. Hold on to the pose for a few breaths and lower your body. Repeat this a minimum of 3 times. Perform this pose to strengthen the muscles present in your thighs and glutes.
. Plank pose or Phalakasana:
Because of the inert nature of this pose, your abductors, shoulders, obliques, and glutes become stronger. When done constantly, at least two times a week, this pose helps develop a lean and sturdy midsection. Start this pose on all fours with your fingers spreading slightly. Step one foot back and then another. Your shoulder should remain stacked over the wrists while pressing the heels towards the back of the room. Fold on your tailbone so that your butt does not stick up in the air and puff up the space between your shoulder blades to ensure that your chest is not sinking. Embrace your quads and your glutes, and then breathe. Hold on for about 30 seconds to about 3 minutes. Repeat this for about 3 to 5 minutes, resting in between if needed.
. Four limbed staff pose or Chaturanga Dandasana:
It is a pose that is best for your abs, arms, and shoulders. Start with the plank pose. When you start inhaling, stand on your tiptoes so that your shoulders travel past your fingertips. Squeeze your elbows and biceps towards the sides, lower down halfway in one straight line, and then exhale. Next, involve the lower abs to keep your butt aligned with the rest of your body, and then lengthen your neck by maintaining your gaze down and forward. It is one of the intense yoga poses, and if you feel your lower back sagging, play it safe and practice it by coming down to your knees and taking the half push-up from there onwards.
. Chair pose or Utkatasana:
It is one of the best pose and eventual quads burner. Not only the quadriceps muscles that will feel the burn but also the gluteal muscles. To start these poses, you can first do a mountain pose by standing, keeping your feet a little apart, or saving the big toes together and with little space between heels. Go down evenly using your feet, lift through the crown of your head and then lengthen all four sides of your waist. Now raise your arms, lift up through your fingertips, and release the shoulder blades down the back. Sit down like you are sitting in your chair, and shift your weight towards the heel. Maintain the length in the torso while holding on to your pose for about 5 – 8 breaths.
. Crescent Lunge or Anjaneyasana:
This is a complete body yoga posture that allows flexibility in functionality, develops core strength, tones your legs, upper body, and butt, and enhances stability. To form a lunge position, step your right foot in front of you, making a 90-degree bend in the front side of your knee and keeping your front thigh in a parallel position to the floor. Keep your back heel above the ball mound of the back foot. Lower your tailbone toward the floor by keeping your lower abdominal muscles engaged. Sweep your arms over your head, keeping them shoulder width apart with your palms facing each other. Allow your pinky fingers to spiral slightly in an inward direction. Keep your legs engaged by putting pressure on your back heel behind you and your front knee in the forward direction, paying good attention to lifting the quadriceps muscles on your back leg. Hold on for about ten deep breaths.
Practicing yoga consistently helps in getting the best results.
Yoga will tone your body more likely if you keep consistency in practice. Other than making your body toned, it also enhances flexibility, body balance, enhanced mood, and your ability to relax quickly. Regular yoga also helps in improving chronic pain for several people. Because yoga helps eliminate body toxins, you are more likely to notice better skin by attending yoga classes regularly.
Conclusion
So, if you are thinking, does yoga tone your body, then the answer is yes, but when it is integrated with another form of exercise? Strength training exercises, outdoor walks, and cardio exercises are some exercises you should incorporate with regular yoga. Other than that, healthy eating is also essential.