Best Poses to Destress Your Body
- Yoga moves that help you tone and slim your belly, butt, legs, and hips.
- Anecdotal evidence and research suggest this ancient fitness practice has endless health benefits, from boosting heart health to alleviating anxiety.
- And off course getting bendy can make you leaner and more beautiful too.
- Yoga burns calories, battles cellulite, and may make you look and feel younger.
- Click through for some of the best moves for every body part now.
Upper Arms- Dolphin Pose
How to do it:
- Begin on your hands and knees, and then lower your elbows to the floor, shoulder-distance apart.
- Interlace fingers, tuck your toes, and press hips up to create a long line between elbows and sitting bones (aka your butt).
- Slowly squeeze your upper arms inward to work biceps, triceps, and shoulders. Breathe and repeat.
Abs and Lower Belly- Boat Pose
How to do it:
- Sit up high and straight, hands beneath your knees.
- Slowly tighten your abs and lift your feet off the floor, knees bent, with your legs at a 45-degree angle. If this feels easy, straighten your legs and arms.
- Breathe and slowly lower.
Legs-Downward Dog Split Pose
How to do it:
- Begin on hands and knees.
- Take a big breath out and push into Downward Dog by straightening legs and lifting your hips and butt in the air.
- Relax head between straightened arms.
- Exhale and lift one leg as high as you can into the air, flexing foot. Repeat on other side.
Hips-Cow Pose
How to do it:
- Start on your hands and knees, and slide your right leg back to cross over your left leg.
- Gradually sit back between your heels, using a rolled up towel or block if you can’t sit on the ground.
- Hold as long as you feel comfortable, and then switch legs and repeat.
- This move looks relaxing but is one of the toughest hip strengtheners and openers.
Chest-Plank Pose
How to do it:
- Think of this move as the top half of a push-up.
- Start with your hands and knees on a mat, hands directly under shoulders and knees right below hips (if this is hard on your wrists over your arms and rest on elbows). Lift up and straighten legs.
- Tighten your abs and keep your eyes on one spot in front of you.
Love Handles-Side Plank Pose
How to do it:
- From plank position, press your right hand into a mat and turn your body so your weight is on the outer edge of your right foot. Brace your core and keep your arms elevated over your head.
- Option to bend your leg and place it behind you for support, or, if you’re super fit, to rock a few mid-air.
A Strong Back-Locust Pose
How to do it:
- This pose strengthens and stretches the muscles in your lower back and along the spine.
- Lie face down, press your legs together, and lift legs off the floor.
- Then lift your arms straight back behind you and lift your chest, coming into a mini-Cobra in the front.
