5 yoga poses to get toned thighs

Yoga is the best bet for those who want to get rid of excess weight from areas around the thighs.

The thigh area especially the inner thighs can be one of the toughest parts of the body to tone. You must be working really hard to tone your lower body but the traditional practice of yoga can be your best bet if you want to get rid of excess weight from areas around the thighs. In addition to increasing your strength, flexibility and balance, yoga qualifies as an effective weight loss tool. Certain poses can be implemented to tone the leg muscles especially the quadriceps that are a major muscle of the thighs. Yoga expert Sunaina Rekhi lists a few asanas will help tone and strengthen the legs and slim down the thighs.

Natrajasana (Wide- Legged Squat)

Benefits:

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Reduces fat from the thighs.
Gets the calf muscles into shape.
Strengthens the ankles.

Steps:

Spread your feet apart by a foot more than your shoulder width.
Bend your knees and keep your hands on your thighs. Raise your heels as much as possible and stand on the balls of your feet. Breathe normally while you do this.
Raise your hands over your head and pull your upper body as high as possible. Hold the position for 10 breaths.
Come back to the starting posture and relax.

Janusirsasana (Head to Knee pose)

Benefits:

Helps remove stiffness from the spine.
Stretches the calves, hips, thighs, ankles removing unwanted flab from all these areas.

Steps:

In a sitting posture, bend your right leg and place it in such a way that it touches the inner part of the left thigh. The heel should touch the groin area.
Inhale as you raise your hands over your head and as you exhale, bend forward. Interlock your fingers and hold your heel.
Breathe normally and maintain the posture for thirty seconds to one minute.
Inhale slowly, raising your hands over your head and repeat on the other leg.

Ardhakapotasana (Half- Pigeon Pose)

Benefits:

Stretches the outer portion of the thighs bringing them into shape.
Stretches the abdomen thereby reducing fat from the abdominal area.

Steps:

In a sitting posture, bend the right leg to bring the knee in front of the body. Stretch out the left leg behind.
Place your palms in front and place the heel away from the groin.
Inhale slowly and make a cup with your fingertips. Now stretch your upper body backwards and look up to the sky.
Hold this posture for thirty seconds to a minute.
Bring your left leg in front and repeat the pose.

Suptavirasana (Reclined Hero Pose)

Benefits:

Stretches the thighs.
Strengthens the knee joints and back muscles.

Steps:

Sit on the floor with your legs bent at the knees and tucked under your hips.
Holding the heels, lean backwards and place your elbows on the floor with the neck stretched backwards. Slowly straighten your elbows and lie on the floor.
Maintain this posture for thirty seconds to a minute by breathing evenly and deeply.
Holding your heels, slowly move upwards placing your elbows on the floor. Press your palms on the floor and slowly return to the sitting position.

Prasarita Padatonnasasa (Wide- Legged Forward Bend Pose)

Benefits:

Stretches the inner part of the thighs and help tone them.
Stretches the hip, hamstring and calf besides reducing fat from these areas.

Steps:

Standing straight, spread your legs apart as far as possible.
Exhale and place your palms on the floor, bending your body forward.
Press the hips away from the mid- line of your body and trickle the upper body down to the floor.
Inhale and stand up.

Yoga routine

For best results, you can repeat each of these postures three to five times daily. Also, make sure to keep the breathing slow and rhythmic while you do these asanas.

Tips

Although yoga is a gentle form of exercise, the potential for injury exists if these poses are not done correctly. Therefore, it is always best to learn the correct way of executing these poses from an instructor.

At the end of your yoga session, spend a few minutes lying down in corpse pose to cool down the body.

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