You know yoga is a great way to sculpt lean muscle, but knowing which poses target which muscle groups can be tough. Since we'll still be flaunting our booties in bikini bottoms for another month, we got some help from Women's Health and The Women’s Health Big Book of Yoga to tone our tush. You can do the poses on their own or as a sequence. If you have extra time, throw in a few Sun Salutations to warm up and do some hip stretches afterward to keep muscles loose.
Chair pose
Begin standing with your feet together. Bend your knees and drop your hips, brining your weight into your heels. Drop your tailbone, firm your front ribs in and lift your arms up shoulder-width apart. Keep your shoulders relaxed in their sockets, and rotate the outer edges of your arms inward to broaden your upper back. Gaze upwards. Hold for eight breaths.
Begin standing with your feet together. Bend your knees and drop your hips, brining your weight into your heels. Drop your tailbone, firm your front ribs in and lift your arms up shoulder-width apart. Keep your shoulders relaxed in their sockets, and rotate the outer edges of your arms inward to broaden your upper back. Gaze upwards. Hold for eight breaths.
Warrior III
Standing on one straight leg, lean forward with your chest until it is in line with your lifted back leg and parallel to the ground. Extend your upper chest and gaze forward as you flex your back foot, keeping your leg straight and all of your toes pointing down. Stay here or extend your arms straight out in front of you and keep them shoulder-width apart or join your palms together. Hold for eight breaths.
Standing on one straight leg, lean forward with your chest until it is in line with your lifted back leg and parallel to the ground. Extend your upper chest and gaze forward as you flex your back foot, keeping your leg straight and all of your toes pointing down. Stay here or extend your arms straight out in front of you and keep them shoulder-width apart or join your palms together. Hold for eight breaths.
Revolved half moon
Start in a standing forward fold. Place your fingertips on the floor and sweep your right leg up to a 90-degree angle behind you (or enter from Warrior III, placing your fingertips onto the ground). Keep your hips square and move your base fingertips under your shoulder (the hand opposites your standing leg should be down). Revolve your chest toward your standing leg and firm your base shoulder blade to open your chest. Reach your top arm up until it points straight to the ceiling. Stack your shoulders while keeping your hips square. Hold for eight breaths.
Start in a standing forward fold. Place your fingertips on the floor and sweep your right leg up to a 90-degree angle behind you (or enter from Warrior III, placing your fingertips onto the ground). Keep your hips square and move your base fingertips under your shoulder (the hand opposites your standing leg should be down). Revolve your chest toward your standing leg and firm your base shoulder blade to open your chest. Reach your top arm up until it points straight to the ceiling. Stack your shoulders while keeping your hips square. Hold for eight breaths.
Side leg lift
Come into a standing forward fold. Hook one of your big toes and keep your other hand on fingertips on the ground. Stack your shoulder over your fingertips and lift your big toe and leg up to the side so that it’s parallel to the ground (or close to it). Firm your standing hip to keep it straight as the other leg goes higher. Hold for eight breaths.
Come into a standing forward fold. Hook one of your big toes and keep your other hand on fingertips on the ground. Stack your shoulder over your fingertips and lift your big toe and leg up to the side so that it’s parallel to the ground (or close to it). Firm your standing hip to keep it straight as the other leg goes higher. Hold for eight breaths.
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