Yoga is not only a powerful practice for the mind and body but also a great way to sculpt and strengthen specific areas, including the glutes. Targeted yoga exercises can help lift, tone, and tighten your behind, making it a perfect addition to your fitness routine this fall.
By focusing on poses that engage the glute muscles, you can achieve a firmer and more defined look while also improving flexibility, balance, and overall body strength.
We checked in with Andrew White, a certified personal trainer and the co-founder of garagegympro.com, to learn about eight different yoga exercises that can help with a toned behind this season. Some of his suggestions were chair pose, locust pose, and crescent lunge. Read on to discover all eight.
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1. Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana)
White notes that the bridge pose "engages the glutes and lower back, enhancing core stability and lower body strength."
How to: Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart. Lift your hips towards the ceiling, pressing into your heels and engaging your glutes.
2. Chair Pose (Utkatasana)
When you lower into this pose, it mimics a squat, which is one of the best exercises for strengthening and sculpting the gluteal muscles. This "targets the thighs and glutes, building endurance and strength in the lower body," says White.
How to: Stand with feet slightly apart, bend knees deeply, sinking hips back as if sitting in an imaginary chair while keeping the chest lifted.
3. Locust Pose (Salabhasana)
White says this pose "strengthens the entire back of the body, including the spine, upper legs, and buttocks."
How to: Lie on your belly, lift your legs, chest, and arms, extend your spine, and squeeze your glutes.
4. Warrior III (Virabhadrasana III)
White reveals that the warrior III "focuses on balance and lower body strength, utilizing the glutes to stabilize."
How to: Balance on one leg, extend the other leg behind you, and lean forward with arms outstretched, forming a 'T' shape.
5. Crescent Lunge (Anjaneyasana)
Over time, consistently practicing Crescent Lunge helps to strengthen and tone the glutes, leading to a firmer and more sculpted behind, as White adds, "stretches the hips and strengthens the buttocks and thighs."
How to: Step one foot back and lower into a lunge, keeping the front knee over the ankle; raise your arms above your head.
6. Eagle Pose (Garudasana)
White says the Eagle pose "enhances balance and focuses on the outer thighs and glutes."
How to: Cross one thigh over the other at the knee, hook the top foot behind the lower calf, and sit back slightly.
7. Pigeon Pose (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana)
White notes that the pigeon pose is excellent for "glute activation and stretching the piriformis muscle, which can improve lower back pain and flexibility."
How to: From a downward-facing dog, bring one knee forward to the wrist, extend the opposite leg back, and lower your torso down for a deep stretch.
8. Ankle to Knee Pose (Agnistambhasana)
While this pose primarily focuses on flexibility and releasing tension in the hips, it also activates and lengthens the glute muscles. White says it "deeply works the glutes and hips, promoting flexibility."
How to: Sitting down, stack one ankle over the opposite knee, flexing the foot to protect the knee, and leaning forward to intensify the stretch.
