The Best Yoga Poses To Tone Your Body This Summer

As summer is just around the corner, you might be thinking of toning your body by hitting the gym and spending hours of your time in training to achieve your goals. Yoga is an alternative way to tone your body and increase your strength and flexibility.

Active and dynamic yoga is equivalent to heavy lifting in the gym. Yoga is a great way to stretch your arms and shoulders, hamstrings, calves and hips. In this article, we are going to talk about a few gentle and effective yoga poses that can help in getting your summer body back.

Forearm Plank / Phalakasana Forearm variation

Benefits: 

The forearm plank strengthens arms, legs, and abs. It provides a good stretch to the hamstrings, calves, shoulders, and arches of your feet. It also strengthens your deltoid muscles.

Formation of the posture:

Begin by lying on your stomach. Place your elbows below your shoulders, the hands with the palms on the ground, and onto your toes. This will create a straight line from the shoulders to the heels. Hold this position for approximately 10 seconds. If you are able to maintain this posture and hold longer, you may do so. 

Don’t do this pose for too long as you can lose p posture by dipping down or rolling side to side. The key here is to maintain good posture for as long as you are able to. Take the amount of time you are able to hold the position and complete however many repetitions you need to add up to 60 seconds. This may be either four sets of 15 seconds, three sets of 20 seconds, or even six sets of 10 seconds.

Padahastasana

Benefits: 

Padahastasana makes your backbone flexible, stretches the hamstring and wrists. Stimulates the glands and provides flexibility and lightness during summers.

Formation of the posture:

To do this asana first stand straight with your feet at a distance of two inches from one another. Now take a long deep breath in raising both your hands straight in front of you and take them up over your head. Stretch your body up as much as you can from your waist, while breathing out slowly in this posture bend your body forward till the point where both your palms can touch the floor.

When bending down take care that your arms and head both go down at the same time. Remember if you have a problem of stiffness in your back then bend only up to the point where you don’t experience any strain or difficulty breathing in and out normally. Stay in this posture for about 10 to 30 seconds.

Salabhasana (The Locust Pose)

Benefits: 

Salabhasana is great for strengthening your back, hips, spine, arms, legs and abdominal muscles. It provides a good stretch to the shoulders, things, chest and improves posture.

Formation of the posture:

Lie down on your stomach with your arms on the mat near the sides of your body and your body and your hands by your hips. Rest your forehead on the at with your neck relaxed, or lie your head down, turned to one side.  On your exhale, lift your arm, head, legs, and chest off the ground. Your legs must be straight and together to parallel to the ground.

If you have any trouble in lifting your legs together then raise your one leg first and hold it for a few seconds and then bring back to the ground, repeat this with another leg also. Look straight forward, or if your neck feels tense, look down forward toward the ground. Hold the pose for several breaths.

Warrior 3 Pose – Virabhadrasana III

Benefits: 

Strengthens the whole back area, shoulders, calves, legs, ankles, hamstrings and tones the abdomen; improves full-body coordination, posture, and balance.

Formation of the posture:

Begin by standing tall and bring your right leg forward. From here keep your breaths normal. Shift your weight towards your right foot and the left foot is slightly off the mat. Slowly bring your body weight completely onto the right foot. From here bring your body weight completely towards your right leg and slowly extending the left foot back and bringing your torso straight.

When you are ready, slowly bring your arms all the way up and look down. Once you are into the posture, hold it for 3-5 breaths. To release slowly inhale and bring yourself all the way up.

To expand your knowledge of yoga and meditation Yoga Teacher Training in Rishikesh is the best way. Rishikesh is the center of yoga and the spiritual world. It is a place where you can learn different types of yoga and the best place to visit during summer vacation. There are many yoga schools in Rishikesh where you can enroll yourself. It is the best way to visit Rishikesh as you can visit different places in Rishikesh but also learn yoga in the meantime.