FITNESS Yoga to tone your legs

Prepare to bare those legs


Yoga
Lee Kennedy

Shorts weather is here again, so time to prepare our legs for the long days and bright sunshine of the summer ahead. Utkatasana is a Yoga posture that strengthens the quadriceps in the front of the thighs, hamstrings in the back of the thighs, adductor muscles of the inner thighs and the gluteus muscles of the hips. It will also strengthen and stretch the calf muscles and reduce flat feet. An all round leg strengthener and toner for anyone preparing to bare their legs this summer!
A word of warning, however – although to the untrained eye, someone doing this might look like a yogi sitting in an imaginary chair, this pose is definitely not a easy number! It’s a deep squat, that engages the strength of your legs, back, and ankles.

• Stand in Tadasana (the basic standing pose)
• Inhale and stretch the arms forward and up, keeping the arms parallel
• While keeping the heels down and the arms and upper part of torso lifted
• Exhale and bend the legs by about 60 degrees
• Move the kidney area, back ribs and shoulder blades deep into the back of the body
• Extend the abdomen, ribcage and stretch the armpit area
• Use this powerful pull towards the earth to relax your pelvis more deeply, this should bring ease to your lower back and take any strain off your quadriceps
• Keep the elbows straight
• Look ahead & stay in the pose for 20- 30 seconds to begin with
• Come out of the pose on an exhalation, straightening the legs.

This article is not a recommendation for your own practice but serves as interesting reading  for anyone thinking of going to a yoga class. As with any form of physical exercise, please consult your family doctor beforehand.

Lee Kennedy qualified with The BKS Iyengar Yoga Association UK, the YTTC and Ana Forrest of Forrest Yoga. She specialises in pregnancy-related yoga and also studied with Janet Balaskas, founder of the Active Birth Foundation, UK. Visit Yogadara.com or call 0863906343 for more information.