You do not require expensive gym memberships or heavy weightlifting routines for a toned body; simply incorporating yoga poses and exercises into your workouts can have the same outcome. Besides the obvious physical and mental well-being as well as cosmetic appeal, a toned body gives you increased energy levels, self-confidence, and mental clarity.
When you add yoga poses for a toned appearance of the body, you would realize that it is an efficient exercise. The dynamic twists and folds of the yoga poses will both stretch and strengthen your muscles.
Yoga poses and exercises also provide you with countless other advantages such as torching fat from the body, enhancing posture, improving flexibility, increasing range of motion, greater stability, and overall mental well-being.
We have created a list of the five best and most effective yoga poses and exercises that you can incorporate into your daily routine for a toned body.
Simple and Effective Yoga Poses for a Toned Body
1. Upward Facing Dog
This is an underrated yoga exercise but it is outstanding in getting you a toned body by strengthening and stretching. It also helps in improving your posture through a backward bend of your body.
How should you do it?
Start off by lying on your stomach with your arms underneath your shoulders. Drive through your palms with shoulders rolled back to raise your chest off the ground. Make sure that your hips are grounded on the floor with your shoulders slightly bent and face lifted toward the ceiling. Release and repeat.
2. Warrior III Pose
This is also one of the most efficient yoga exercises that you can do for your toned body along with strengthening your back, legs, and shoulders. It will also help in enhancing the posture and balance of the body.
How should you do it?
Start off in an elongated standing position with your back upright. Next, shift your bodyweight to either of your legs before extending one leg behind straight and bringing it up to hip height. Simultaneously, bring your upper body forward so that it is angled parallel to the ground. Reach your arms forward until they are completely extended in front of you and angled parallel to one another. Your extended leg, hands, and upper body should create a straight line.
3. Wheel Pose
This yoga pose will also help you to get a toned body from a backward stretch and strengthened spine.
How should you do it?
Start off by lying on the ground with your feet planted on the floor, knees bent, and hands on the sides. Next, bring both your hands behind you at the top of your head by bending your elbows. Raise your hips toward the ceiling and slowly extend your hands completely.
4. Boat Pose or Paripurna Navasana
Boat poses are some of the most effective yoga poses and exercises that target the fat from your back, legs, abdomen, and arms. They improve balance and stability of the body by making you focus on the core and legs.
How should you do it?
Start off in the sitting position on the floor with your legs extended in the front and hands at the side of your body. Raise your legs off the floor straight together so that your shins are angled parallel to the floor along with slightly tilting your torso backward. In this position, try to form a V with your upper and lower body. Bring your arms to the front and extend at shoulder level.
5. Downward Facing Dog
The downward facing dog is one of the most popular yoga poses and exercises. It is a must include into your daily routine for a toned body. By stretching your shoulders effectively, this pose tones your legs and arms.
How should you do it?
Start off in the standing position with your feet hip-width apart before reaching your hands down to the floor. Next, curl your toes. Now push your legs back and with your hands straighten the legs. Pressing onto your palms further, raise your hips toward the ceiling with your feet firmly pressed to the floor. Make sure to maintain a flat back throughout the movement to feel stretched.
Bottom Line
The yoga poses and exercises mentioned here are simple practices that will help you achieve a toned body. Regularly practicing them will enhance both physical appearance as well as emotional health. For instance, research has shown that adding a few yoga exercises to your daily routine will stimulate the digestive process and improve gut health in the body.
Yoga is an ancient practice that is gentle while providing a solid workout alongside. It is increasingly gaining popularity due to the benefits that it entails for both mental as well as physical health.
Following proper breathing techniques is also crucial for yoga exercises to reap maximum benefits and develop better awareness of the body.