This article is for women who cannot snatch time out of their daily chores to step out of the house and head to a gym to get the lower section of their body in shape. Well others too are welcome here as you all can benefit from the following yoga exercises. These are meant for slim hips and thighs, the areas prone to weight gain in women.
Ananda Balasana (Happy Child Pose)
In this pose, your spine and tail bone should always remain in touch with the mat.
Steps
- Lie down on your back and take a deep breath.
- Breathing out, fold your knees so that they press against your stomach.
- Breathing in, hold your feet. People who cannot do this should catch hold of a belt or a scarf. Open your knees so that they are wider than the torso and push them towards the armpits.
- Bring your ankle in line with the knees so that the shins are perpendicular to the floor.
- Push your feet into your hands to develop a resistance.
- Hold on to this position for 30-60 seconds.
- Bring your thighs back towards your belly.
- Breathe out and stretch out your legs.
Caution: Pregnant women, people with neck injury and knee injury should support their neck with a folded blanket.
Other Benefits: It is a great stress and fatigue reliever.
Warrior Pose I (Virabhadrasana I)
Steps
- Stand straight in a Mountain Pose (tadasana).
- While exhaling, step or jump (slightly) your feet. The distance should not be more than 3.5 or 4 feet between the two feet.
- Lift your arms perpendicular to the floor and parallel to each other.
- Turn your left foot 45-60 degrees to the right and the right toes should point forward i.e. 90 degrees. Your knee should be in line with the ankle.
- Breathe out and move your torso to the right.
- Now bend your right knee over the right ankle making right shin perpendicular to the floor.
- Keep your chest out and shoulders relaxed, feel the stretch down your torso and spine.
- If you want to feel more stretch, joins your palms and hold on this position for 30-60 seconds.
- Now breathe out and following the same steps come back to the original position.
- Now repeat the same with the left leg.
Caution: People with high blood pressure and heart problem shouldn’t do it. Those with shoulder problems should not join their palms and the ones with neck pain shouldn’t look up towards the palms.
Other Benefits: It strengthens muscles of the back, shoulders and arms.
Warrior Pose II (Virbhadrasana II)
Steps
- Stand straight in Mountain Pose (tadasana).
- Breathing out, step or jump slightly your feet 3.5 to 4 feet apart.
- Lift your arms parallel to the ground with shoulder blades wide and palms facing downwards.
- Turn right foot to the right side slightly and the left foot to the left side 90 degrees so that the heels of both the feet get aligned with each other.
- Now turn your left knee out to make the centers of both the knee caps to come in line.
- Now while breathing out, bend left knee over the left ankle so that the shin becomes perpendicular to the floor. Press the outer right heel onto the floor.
- Don’t bend your torso over your left knee. Keep your body straight and shoulder blades stretched out.
- Press tail bone towards the pubis.
- Turn your head towards the left and look towards the fingers.
- Stay in this position for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Inhale and come back.
- Now do the same with the other leg.
Caution: People with neck problem should look only straight.
Other Benefits: It alleviates backache during the third trimester of pregnancy and increases stamina.
Baddhakonasana (Cobbler’s Pose)
Steps
- Sit on the mat with your legs stretched out in front of you.
- If the hips or groin are tight, use a blanket to raise your pelvis.
- Breathe out, bend the knees, pull heels towards the pelvis.
- Drop the knees towards the mat.
- Now press the soles of your feet together.
- Try and bring your heels toward the pelvis, as close as you can.
- Hold the toes of the feet.
- With chest out, your front torso should be longer than the back
- Do not push the knees forcibly.
- Hold on to this position for 1-5 minutes.
- Breathe in, lift the knees and straighten out the legs.
Caution: People nursing knee or groin injury should place a blanket under their outer thighs.
Other Benefits: It revitalizes the abdominal organs and increases stamina.
Downward Facing Dog Pose (Adho Mukha Savanasana)
Steps
- Place your hands and knees on the floor. Your knees should be directly below your hips and the hands should be a little ahead of the shoulders.
- Turn your toes inside.
- Breathe out and lift your knees from the ground.
- Bend the knees and lift the heels from the floor.
- Breathing out, take the top of your thighs back and bring the heels down on to the floor.
- Now straighten up your knees, do not lock them.
- Hold on to this position for 1-3 minutes.
- Look towards your navel.
- Breathe out and bend the knees.
- Come back to the original position.
Caution: Women in the third trimester of their pregnancy should not try this pose. People with high BP or headache or the ones suffering from diarrhea should support their head with bolster.
Other Benefits: It helps soothing depression and stress and improves digestion. It also eases menopause symptoms which can cause aging signs on your face.
Stress, depression and numerous diseases accelerate development of aging signs. Doing these poses would spare you of spending money on anti aging treatments like creams and more because they work exactly how life cell or any other anti aging cream works?