Best Yoga Workouts for Getting a Toned Body

The Indian discipline of Yoga has found many takers not just in India, but throughout the world. Yoga exercises comprise a series of physical poses or asanas that promote mindfulness, body fitness, stress management and even weight loss. Yoga is one of the best forms of body toning exercises one can perform anytime and anywhere with no special equipment.

One of the key aspects of some yoga asanas is that they use your own body weight to tone your muscles. Other asanas help introduce flexibility within your body by stretching your muscles and joints. 

Yoga for Muscle Toning

A popular question among yoga enthusiasts is whether one can achieve great muscle tone solely by performing regular yoga. The answer is not straightforward. Let us first understand what muscle toning is.

What is muscle toning?

Toning of the muscles is, basically, giving shape to your muscles by tightening them and increasing their leanness. A toned body will show enhanced muscle definition and sufficient tension in the muscle even when it’s relaxed. As opposed to muscle building or ‘bulking up’, muscle toning does not increase muscle mass significantly.

Can Yoga Help in Toning Muscles?

Certain Yoga asanas are definitely great for attaining muscle tone, but there are other factors to consider. Muscles appear lean and well-defined because there is very little body fat around them. Hence, your diet also plays a major role in how quickly you can tone your muscles. 

Yoga exercises may also not be as quick as a body toning workout at the gym for improved muscle tone. However, they’re gentler on your bones and joints. Yoga, along with cardio exercises can help you burn calories and improve muscle tone.

Yoga Asanas For Increased Muscle Tone

The following Yoga Asanas are best known to improve muscle tone and strength.

• Phalakasana (Plank Pose)

The Phalakasana is a great pose to get a toned body and strengthen your abs, glutes, arms and shoulders. To perform the Phalakasana, get down on your hands and knees, keeping your palms on the floor just below your shoulders. Move your feet back and get on your toes. Hold the pose for 30 seconds. 

• Chaturanga Dandasana (Four-Limbed Staff Pose)

The Chaturanga pose goes one step ahead of the Phalakasana in terms of difficulty and muscle load. You start with the Phalakasana pose, but instead of staying propped up on your palms, bend your elbows and lower your upper body till it’s parallel to the floor. This is the same as the latter half of a push-up. Hold that pose for at least 30 seconds.

• Paripurna Navasana (Boat Pose)

The boat pose is a great strength training exercise. Start by sitting on the floor with your knees bent in front of you. Place your hand beneath your knees and straighten your back. Slowly lift your legs in the air and straighten your knees. Your legs should be at a 45-degree angle to the floor.  Hold the pose for about 10 breaths.

The Paripurna Navasana can be a tricky pose since it requires you to balance yourself on your sitting bones. An AI fitness coach that evolves according to your needs can help you   
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• The Bottom Line

As discussed at length in this blog, yoga exercises can be excellent for body toning, provided they’re performed in a combination with fat-burning cardio workouts like running, cycling or swimming. A good diet is also key for good muscle toning. Yoga, by itself, may not be enough to improve muscle tone. Among the many asanas, some exert greater tension on the muscles, and these may be the best poses to get a lean and athletic body.