Yoga stretches and strengthens muscles throughout the body, but it also requires a surprising amount of strength. The twisting, inverting and back-bending poses build essential physical strength.
Improved flexibility is often the first benefit new students notice. As you practice, the tightness of your hips and hamstrings starts to fade, and you become able to perform previously impossible postures.
Downward Facing Dog
Downward Dog is a popular pose that opens the chest, strengthens the back and arms and stretches the legs. It can also help relieve stress, depression and fatigue by getting the blood moving. It’s also used to strengthen the core and build shoulder, arm and wrist strength.
This posture can be challenging for beginners due to the weight bearing, arm rotation and balance required. When the hands and feet are not centered or properly aligned, it can strain the wrists (see the article on wrist pain in yoga) and shoulders. It’s important to work slowly and listen to your body.
Practicing Downward Dog with a wall can help reduce the pressure on your wrists and shoulders. Stand with your back to the wall and place your hands on it. Move your hands down the wall to bring them in line with your torso and then shift your hips back to create a flat, parallel line with your back to the floor.
For an advanced variation try balancing Downward Dog with one leg up in the air. This poses challenges your balance and core strength while stretching the triceps and biceps, neck, chest and abdominal muscles. It also helps strengthen the ankles, thighs and hamstrings. It’s a great pose to work on in combination with Single Leg Stretched Forward Bending or Dolphin Pose.
Upward Facing Dog
Upward Facing Dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana) is a commonly used pose in yoga, especially in sun salutations and vinyasa flows. It is a backbend that also strengthens the shoulders, arms and wrists. This posture is also helpful in improving posture and counteracting daily forward flexion activities like sitting at work or driving.
When done properly, this posture can offer a profound chest opener as well as a deep backbend. It can be a difficult pose to master and for many students it will require practice. It is important to warm up the spine and hips through other poses before coming into this one. Those with lower back pain or shoulder injuries should consider modifying this pose by practicing Cobra Pose.
Cobra Pose offers the same benefits as Upward Facing Dog, but it is much easier on the ankles and wrists. In Cobra, the entire body is pressed into the mat, whereas in Upward Facing Dog only the top of the feet are on the floor. It is also a good idea to not extend the neck into this posture too deeply, as it can put a lot of pressure on the joints. This is also why it is a good idea to practice with a qualified instructor who can help you to find the right modifications to suit your own needs.
Warrior I
Warrior I is a classic yoga pose that builds strength, focus and balance. It also stretches the back and shoulder muscles, as well as the groins and legs. The pose is also often used to warm up the knees, ankles and hips before deeper backbends.
From Mountain Pose (Tadasana), step your right foot back and bend the front knee towards a 90-degree angle, keeping the knee stacked over the ankle. The back leg should be straight and pressed firmly down into the ground. Press the outer edge of the front foot against the floor for stability, balancing weight evenly across both feet. Keep your torso open to the side, and gaze out over your right fingertips.
The position of the front knee can be difficult for many people, especially if there are any issues with the knee or ankle. To avoid injury, don’t push your knee past the ankle, and work to build a strong foundation by focusing on building strength in the legs. As your balancing skills and confidence grow, you can vary the stance of the feet to challenge yourself and find more stability. You can also experiment with different arm positions in the pose. Try lowering the hands to prayer position or clasping them behind your back to add a chest and shoulder stretch to the posture.