7 Fantastic Yoga Poses That Tone Your Butt ...

1. Superman

You will definitely feel the impact of this pose the next day. It is one of the best yoga poses that tone your butt, and it helps strengthen your lower back as well. To perform, lie on your stomach with your feet pointed on the ground. Simultaneously lift both your arms and legs off the ground. Your palms should be facing in, head up, and legs straight. Squeeze your butt muscles by lifting the legs (without bending them) as far up as possible. Breathe deeply, and hold for as long as you can. Rest and repeat. Aim for 30 seconds and work your way up.

2. Chair

Doing chair pose is almost like the yoga version of doing squats. However, it can be easier on your knees because you will be holding a steady position instead of jerking them up and down. Start by standing with your feet about hip width apart, and extend hands overhead. Squat down without extending your knees too much past your ankles. Look forward, hold in your abs, and press through legs to engage your butt muscles. Breathe deeply, holding this pose until you can’t anymore. Try to go for 1 minute to start.

3. Bridge

There are so many variations of bridge that even if you are advanced you can make this pose challenging. Begin by going onto your back, palms face down on the floor. Alternatively, you can clasp your hands together under your back. Bend your knees so that your feet are also on the floor. In one motion, lift your hips and butt off the floor, making sure they stay in a straight line. Engage your butt muscles, and hold as long as you can, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Gently lower down. To make it more difficult, try raising one leg into the air with a pointed toe (straight up to the ceiling). Once you’ve mastered the one leg raise, you can do the bridge on a stability ball.

4. Three-legged Dog

This yoga pose will tone your butt as well as your lower abs. You can’t beat that, am I right? To start, go onto your hands and knees. Lift your hips and knees off the ground, pressing your heels gently to the ground (to downward facing dog). From here, extend one leg in the air behind you, squeezing your butt at the top of the motion. Bring that extended leg down to your nose, or as close to your face as possible. Repeat 10 times, and then do the same thing with your other leg.

5. Warrior Three

Warrior 3 requires a great deal of balance and concentration, so don’t be alarmed if you can’t do it at first. The best way to get into warrior 3 is to start with warrior 2. Stand on your mat with your feet wider than hip width apart, engage abs, turn your right foot out to the side, and extend your arms out to your sides. From warrior 2, extend your right arm down as far as you can to your right ankle to come into side triangle. Extend your left arm overhead. Then, drop both of your hands to the floor and lift your left leg into the air behind you. If you can, raise both of your arms out in front of you, look up, and hold as long as you can balance. If you can’t raise both arms yet, just take it one at a time.

6. Goddess Pose

I find that this yoga pose is under-appreciated, and almost never hear it mentioned. It’s about time it gets some recognition for its leg and butt toning abilities! To get into goddess pose, stand with your legs wider than hip width apart. Turn both of your feet out to the sides, and either put your hands together in front of you or bend your arms 90 degrees out to the sides. Extend your legs far enough so that they are also almost at 90 degrees. You can perform this on the tips of your toes as well, if it doesn’t hurt anywhere when you are doing it.

7. One-Legged Plank

The typical plank pose boasts the benefits of strong abs, but this simple variation adds the benefit of a toned butt. Go into plank by getting onto your hands and knees. Then, lift your knees off the ground, keeping your arms straight. Then, lift one leg in the air behind you. Pulse this lifted leg up and down slightly until fatigued. Repeat this yoga pose with your other leg. If you find the pulsing too difficult, you can master just extending your leg behind you without the pulses. This yoga pose can also be performed on your forearms instead of your hands.

If you do these exercises regularly, you can say hello to the often-sought “yoga butt” that many people aspire to achieve. You can also prevent injuries with a stronger butt, which is helpful if you run or participate in sports. What is your favorite exercise to tone your butt?