Want your yoga and a firm butt too? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! These moves will have you loving your buns of steel with the added bonus of a stronger core! All you need is a yoga strap and you’re good to go…
One-Legged Chair Pose
Using the yoga strap in chair pose helps keep the pelvis from an excessive anterior tilt, which can be problematic for those of us with tight hip flexors. The strap helps the outer glute muscles and standing on one leg helps activate the core as well as the hamstrings.
- Place a yoga strap halfway between your knees and your hips. Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Hold your hands in front of your chest in Namaste.
- Inhale and as you exhale, engage your abs by drawing your navel in and up as you sit back and down through your hips. Try to keep your lower back long and chest lifted.
- While squatting, resist your knees from collapsing by pushing your knees out and keeping tension in the band to activate your outer glutes.
- Draw one heel up towards your butt while still keeping tension on the strap, evenly pressing out through both thighs. Hold and try to sit down a little deeper. Stay for 30 seconds (about 8-10 breaths) and then switch sides.
Side Plank with Yoga Strap
Just when you didn’t think side plank could get any better…enter the yoga strap! Your buns will thank you!
- Place a yoga strap halfway between your knees and your hips. Make it tight enough so that when you press out into the strap your legs are hips width apart. Your goal is to maintain the pressure of your legs out into the strap the entire time. Do not allow the yoga strap to become slack.
- Start in a regular plank position. Firm your triceps and forearms towards the midline of your body to straighten your arms. Draw your frontal hip bones up as you draw your bottom ribs down and in. This should feel like pulling on a tight pair of pants while tucking in your shirt.
- Tuck your hips under and engage your glutes. Press out into the strap. This will fire up your outer glute muscles and prevent your lower back from arching.
- Transfer your weight onto your right hand and right outer foot coming into side plank position on your right side. Immediately lift the top leg and press your top thigh into the strap to prevent the strap from becoming loose. Keep your top foot strongly flexed, it helps a lot!
- Spread the weight through your bottom hand, all five fingers and knuckles. Spread your shoulders wide and draw them away from your ears, gluing them to your upper back. Imagine the floor is a big heavy door that you are pressing open.
- Lift your bottom hip strongly away from the floor. Maintain a long straight line from the crown of your head to your heels. Avoid letting your top hip roll back or your head lean forward. The more your press out into the strap, the easier it will be to maintain a long straight body. Hold for 30 seconds to 1 min and switch sides.
Crescent Pose Split Squat
Embrace the shake! These tone the tush, hips, legs, core… you name it!
- Start in Crescent Pose with your spine tall and hips square. Lift your back heel so that it stacks directly on top of the ball of your back foot and try to maintain it throughout. This action helps to keep the weight in your front heel and your front glute doing most of the work. Draw your frontal hip bones up and your bottom ribs down. This should feel like a hollowing out of your front body.
- Bend your back knee and lower it down so it almost touches your mat. Tuck your hips forward and engage your glutes.
- Hold and breathe. Try to maintain a 90-degree angle with your legs.
- Hold for 1 minute and then repeat on the second side. For a slightly more intense variation you can try lowering a couple of inches on an inhale and lifting a couple inches on the exhale, all while keeping both knees bent and never coming up to straight legs.
Forearm Side Plank Glute Burner
These not only tone your obliques and core, but target the outer glutes and hip stabilizer muscles.
- From forearm plank, transfer your weight onto your right outer foot and right arm. Reach your left arm straight up and in line with your shoulder.
- Zip up from your pubic bone to your navel and then from your navel to your sternum bone. Continue that length all the way up through the crown of your head. Resist the urge to lean your head forward or let your top hip roll back.
- Keeping your body in one straight, strong line, lift your top leg away from your bottom leg. Lightly tap the floor in front of your right leg with your left toes then lift back up and tap the floor behind your right leg. Avoid letting your body rock back and forth as you move your top leg. That counts as one rep. Continue for 15-20 reps and then come back to forearm plank and switch sides.
Upward Plank Pose
This squeezing and lifting action tones your entire backside, all while opening your heart and toning your legs as well!
- Sit on your mat with knees stacked over your ankles and hands underneath your shoulders, fingers pointing forward towards your body.
- Roll your shoulders back and widen across your collarbones. Press and firm your index finger and thumb knuckles down into the mat. If having your fingers pointing forward is too much on your wrist, try pointing your hands slightly out towards the sides of your mat.
- Inhale and lift your hips up. Exhale and walk your legs out straight and bring them together. Bring your big toe knuckles together. Press down through mounds of the big toes and roll your inner thighs to the floor as you squeeze your butt and lift your hips up. Stay for 5 breaths and repeat twice more.
Bridge with Knee to Chest
Often in yoga class, we are told not to squeeze our butt while in backbends. This is because there is a tendency to externally rotate at the hip joints causing pain in the lower back. Luckily while holding one knee into your chest, you are protected from this unfortunate issue so squeeze away!
- Lie on your back. Walk your heels in line. When you reach your hands down, you should be able to touch your fingertips to your ankles.
- Inhale and peel your body up away from the floor vertebra by vertebra.
- Keeping your feet parallel and pointing straight forward (don’t allow your feet to turn out Charlie Chaplin style) bring one knee into your chest and interlace your fingers around your shin.
- Hug the supporting leg’s hip to the midline and press your supporting shin back towards your shoulders. Don’t allow your knee to drift past your ankle. Hug your inner thighs towards one another. Engage your abs and keep your hips level. Stay for 5-8 breaths and then repeat on the second side.
Bridge with One Leg Up
This will have your booty feeling high and firm in no time! Last one, you’ve got this…
- Lie on your back. Walk your heels in line. When you reach your hands down, you should be able to touch your fingertips to your ankles.
- Inhale and peel your body up away from the floor vertebra by vertebra until just the tops of your shoulders are in contact with the mat. Interlace your hands underneath you and work one shoulder under and then the other. Press down through your upper arm bones and lift your chest.
- Keeping your feet parallel and your feet pointing straight forward (don’t allow your feet to turn out Charlie Chaplin style) draw your knee into your chest and the straighten your leg to the ceiling.
- Engage your abs and keeping your hips level, pulse your straight leg up to the ceiling. Pulse for 30 seconds and then switch legs.
Now that you’ve got your booty working, show it off with the perfect leggings you can find anywhere online!
