Most Recommended Yoga Poses that Help You Tone your Body for the Summer
When we asked most recommended yoga poses Lucía Liencres, yoga expert and founder of The Class Yoga, if this discipline can help us get ready for the summer, to tone our figure, her answer is overwhelming: “Sure!”. And he explains that in yoga, as in any other physical exercise, you have two basic tools: your body and your mind. “And breathing is an essential axis to achieve flexibility in both.
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As for the first, you will feel that, with each exhalation, you go further in your asanas or postures. And, in relation to the mind, you will discover how through conscious breathing, you free yourself from your thoughts and quiet your mind. And why am I talking about flexibility? Why keep the body flexible, it has physical and mental benefits, especially in the face of that time of year when we most need to disconnect and feel good about ourselves”, he details. Therefore, we must take advantage of the many advantages of yoga.
Benefits of Yoga on Physical Level
- Strengthens many muscle groups in the body (legs, arms, core or abdomen), and helps to tone them.
- Prevents the risk of injury.
- It reduces most of the muscular pains (mainly derived from teleworking or spending most of the time sitting ).
- In case of injury, the recovery time is less.
- Improves body posture.
Benefits of Yoga on Mental Level
- By improving the above, you improve your self-confidence.
- It reduces stress and anxiety (so we are usually less tempted to snack between meals or eat more).
- Encourage relaxation.
The Most Recommended Yoga Poses or Asanas
We wonder what are the positions that can help us in this task, to get our body ready and keep the weight under control. “One way to start sweating is to practice vinyasa or flow, a type of dynamic yoga where you synchronize a series of postures or asanas with the breath; that is, breathing and movement come together creating a fluid sequence ”, Lucía Liencres explains.
And he adds that twisting postures are also good, since when we twist there is an internal stretch. “At the visceral level, it generates a very powerful and beneficial massage in certain areas, depending on the side towards which the twist is performed, which stimulates circulation by compressing the abdominal organs and the pelvis, and improves digestion”, he details.
On the other hand, balancing postures require a lot of concentration and strength, especially in the legs. So they are very good for strengthening this lower part of our body.
1- Tree pose
It is an easy asana in which balance is worked. It helps you to work the muscles of both the legs and the arms.
Standing, from the position of the mountain, root yourself to the ground with your feet, become aware of where you are, and breathe.
You have to let your weight go to one leg.
Then, raise the foot and place it on the opposite groin: the leg that is on the ground remains firm; Little by little, bend your left knee and place your foot on the opposite groin.
It is time to bring the palms of the hands together in a prayer posture and place them in the center of the chest, keeping the leg firmly supported and the trunk erect.
2- ‘Parivrtta trikonasana’ or Extended Torsion Triangle
With this twisting asana, you can also work the muscles of the legs and arms:
Situate yourself on the mat with your legs apart and the soles of your feet in parallel.
Place the foot on the side towards which you are going to do the posture (for example, right) facing the front, and the one behind (left) do not move it.
Inhale, fix your feet on the ground and, from there, turn your hips towards the front leg (right).
Exhale and bring your trunk forward, from the hips, placing your left arm just next to the right ankle, while the left arm points towards the sky. If you don’t make it, you can put a block on the floor or bend your front leg.
Once here, hold the posture for approximately 5 breaths.
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3- Cobra Pose
In this case, by doing this pose, you strengthen your arms, shoulders, and glutes. It also contributes to strengthening the core, the well-known abdominal girdle.
Lay down on your stomach with your legs stretched out and your feet together, resting your insteps on the mat.
Place your hands on both sides of your body, just below your shoulders, with your palms flat on the floor and your fingers pointing forward. The forehead is resting on the ground.
As you inhale, lift your head and chest slightly; this is open and the arms are slightly bent.
Place the shoulders away from the ears and the elbows close to the body, never apart. The insteps, thighs, and pelvis are flat on the floor and the legs are firm.
Hold the position for several breaths, inhale and exhale deeply.
4- Warrior Pose I (legs, glutes, and arms)
Again we are in a position that allows us to work the muscles of the legs, buttocks, and arms.
Stand on the mat, take a big step back with the left foot, leaving the right foot at the beginning of the mat and with the toes facing forward.
Bend your right leg, so that the knee is just above the ankle (important). The left leg is fully extended and the sole of the foot is fully supported on the ground. The left foot (that is, the one in the back) is at 45 degrees.
Rotate your hips, so that they are facing to the left (or the same side of the foot that you left behind), at the same time that the right foot faces forward and you keep this ankle in line with the knee.
Raise your arms in the shape of a cross and stretch them leaving the palms of your hands down, facing the ground, and keep your shoulders relaxed and away from your ears.
Once here, keep your back straight, with your arms outstretched and your gaze pointing towards your right hand. You can bend your right leg a little more to deepen the posture, but the knee never goes beyond the ankle and the weight of your body is distributed between the two legs.
Hold the posture for at least 5 breaths. To undo it, go up and inhale, pressing your back heel firmly into the ground and straightening your right knee.
5- Chair pose or Utkasana and Eagle Pose or Garudasana
This posture, which is a good ally if you spend many hours sitting, helps you mobilize your legs, buttocks, and arms. It helps us to work the quadriceps muscles in an isometric way, strengthens the ankles, buttocks, hip flexor muscles, and helps us open the chest and diaphragm area. And, without a doubt, the movement is reminiscent of the well-known squat.
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Start on your mat in tadasana, placing the feet together and aligned, connecting the legs and knees. Take a deep breath to enter a state of relaxation.
Raise your arms straight and straight until they are completely vertical. The hands have to be in line with the shoulders, parallel and with the hands facing inwards or touching the palms, but always with the fingers pointing towards the sky.
Exhaling, bend your knees, and lower your body slightly. Make sure your knees don’t go over your toes.
Keep lowering your body keeping your back straight and your arms aligned with your back. Roll your shoulders back.
In the final position, lean your upper body forward, roughly at a 90-degree angle with your thighs.
Hold here for 30 seconds and do 10 reps.
Finally, the expert recommends the sun salutation, a dynamic exercise (or vinyasa ) of 12 postures performed as a single continuous exercise in which movement is combined with breathing. “It is very useful as a cardio exercise, especially if you do several repetitions,” he tells us.
