9) Naukasana
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| Targets: | Abdominal muscles, glutes, back, and hips. |
| Level: | Advanced |
Naukasana | also called the Boat Pose, is an ultimate pose for building abdominal muscles and tightening and strengthening the core as a whole. The pose not only makes the core strong, but also tightens the glutei muscles. It also strengthens the lower back and hip flexion. |
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- Sit with your legs, stretched straight in front of you and abs tight.
- Keeping your back straight, tilt your torso backwards. Support your back with your hands if you want.
- Sitting on the two sitting bones, lift your legs with your knees bent, so that your calves are parallel to the ground.
- Straighten your arms by the sides of your legs.
- If you are comfortable with this and want to deepen the pose to complete the version, straighten your knees with your feet pointing out.
- Hold the pose for 20-30 seconds. Then, lower yourself to the original position.
10) Bakasana
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| Targets: | Arms, shoulders and upper back. |
| Level: | Advanced |
Bakasana | also known as Crane Pose or Crow Pose, offers highly advanced arm balance. It is one of the toughest bodyweight exercises. It helps to build biceps, triceps and also strengthens the upper back. |
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- Start in Tadasana and squat down deeply with your feet just inches apart.
- Turn your posture similar to Malasana and then reach with your hands forward.
- Push your hands firmly into the ground. Try to contract your torso and shift your weight onto the balls of your feet. Keep your back rounded. Press your knees to your armpits.
- Lean forward and lock your elbows. Shift your weight onto your hands and keep your tailbone as close to your heel as possible.
- Push forward and balance your torso and legs on the back of your upper arms.
- Hold the pose for 10-20 seconds and then relax.
11) Adho Mukha Vrksasana
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| Targets: | Arms and shoulders. |
| Level: | Advanced |
Adho Mukha Vrksasana | Adho Mukha Vrksasana, or Handstand, is an arm balance and an inversion pose. The handstand is effective for strengthening arms and shoulders. If you are not a practiced performer of Handstand, it is better to do it by a wall. |
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- Get into Down Dog Pose.
- Tighten your shoulders and lock your elbows. Firmly shift your weight onto your hands.
- Step very close to the wall.
- Start hoping a few times and then jump a few inches up.
- Finally, press your legs into the wall for support.
- Hold the pose for 10-20 seconds.
[su_note note_color=”#fff” text_color=”#484e59″ radius=”5″]These poses of yoga to build strength are traditional, which can be experimented with. Many of the asanas can be done either in a Yoga Flow or with repetitions. A few poses can also be mixed with weight training by using light-weight dumbbells. Don’t forget to follow these poses with stretching poses to avoid any soreness. The advantage of these asanas is that they not only make the body strong, but also bring out inner well-being and relieve stress. In this way, they ensure overall health and strength.[/su_note]
