Yoga isn’t only about improving your flexibility. It can be one of the best workouts for building strength. I have had many new yoga students report to me that they were very surprised at how difficult the class was and afterward how “sore” they felt. I have been told many times that yoga caused them to be sore in muscles they didn’t even know they had.
How Yoga Builds Strength
In yoga, you are using your body weight to perform the “exercises” or yoga poses. Body weight can be much more challenging then using weights for building strength. You always have the option to “lighten your load” or use less weight when using weights in strength training. However, you really can’t do much about decreasing your body weight when performing yoga poses.
There are many different styles of yoga and some of them focus more on building strength then others. However, any standing yoga pose is strengthening your muscles. When you are standing and holding your body in a static way you are isometrically contracting your muscles. They are generating force by holding your body in a still position.
When you add in some of the unusual positions that yoga poses put your body into you are strengthening muscles that you don’t often use. We typically have just a few positions or postures that we repeat throughout the day. Your resting standing posture is one of them. This is how you would be standing while in a resting state.
Typical Postural Deviations
For example, standing in line at the grocery store. Most people do not have a great posture while in this state and how you typically stand is determined by which muscles you use more often and which are weak. If you sit at a desk and work on a computer all day I am willing to bet you are slightly bent forward ( perhaps leaning on the shopping cart) your arms are in front of your hips and your head is slightly turned downward. Your posture may look different if your typical day is different.
Some other postural deviations I often see are; shifting all of your weight to one hip ( the classic “mom” position from having a kid on their hip) and the tilted head and lifted shoulder ( holding a phone without using your hand).
Strength Building Yoga Postures
When you stand for yoga your posture is much different. Even standing in Mountain Pose ( Tadasana) looks and feels much different than standing in line at the grocery store. Focus on aligning your spine, balance your weight evenly, press the crown of the head up towards the ceiling and keep your heart open. Simply standing in this simple position can be challenging for many people and challenges the muscles to activate in ways that are not usual for them.
More challenging Poses
Mountain pose is one of the most basic and simple yoga poses however, it is often the most needed pose to correct posture. I recommend that you spend time standing in Mountain pose everyday for a few minutes. Take that time while your are standing in line to “fix” your posture and stand correctly for a change.
There are many other more challenging poses that will build strength in almost every muscle in the body. These poses should be held for at least 20-30 seconds and can be held for extended periods of time. Challenge yourself to see how long you can hold them.
Warrior 2 ( Virabhadrasana II)
In Warrior 2 pose, stand in a wide stance with one knee bent and your hips facing forward. This activates your quadriceps, keeps your hip open and glutes engaged. Your torso is aligned with your hips to strengthen your spine and core muscles, and arms extended out to the sides which activates all of the muscles in your arms and shoulders.
Half Moon ( Ardha Chandrasana)
In Half Moon Pose, balance on one leg with your open hips. All of your leg muscles need to be activate in order to hold you in this position. Your core needs to be engaged and the muscles in your arms need to be active to keep your arms extended.
Plank (Phalakasana)
Plank is one of the best poses for strengthening your core muscles. Engage your core to keep your spine in a straight line from the crown of your head to your feet. Gaze a few feet in front of your hands to create a neutral neck and engage all of your leg and arm muscles to support your body.
Side Plank ( Vasisthasana)
Side Plank also engages all of the core muscles including your obliques and lats. Aim to keep your hips lifted and shoulders aligned.
Chair (Utkatasana)
Does this pose look like a common strength building exercise? Yes, it is a squat. Holding chair pose strengthens all of the muscles in your lower body and demands strength from your core and upper body by keeping your arms raised and chest open.
Using Yoga to Build Strength
If you are looking to turn your yoga session into a strength building workout, hold these and other strength building poses until your muscles become fatigued and your form begins to fail. You will begin to feel a trembling or shaking sensation. This sensation is telling you that you are using your muscle strength to hold you in this position.
You will be amazed at the effort needed to hold these poses and the strength you will build by “just” doing yoga. If you would like more information on using yoga as a strength workout please contact me at rebecca@vitalitytransformations.com or schedule a free no-obligation consultation with me to discuss how I can help you add this very important element into your daily routine.
Also, be sure to check out the other resources and posts that I have available on yoga and subscribe to my mailing list so you do not miss out on any future resources or services I provide.
