Yoga to Strengthen Legs, Hips and Glutes

This 10 minute yoga leg workout at home is part of the Prime Women 30-Day Fitness Challenge. If you haven’t yet, get all the details and learn how you can participate! All you need is 5 minutes a day for 30 days to commit to a healthier you!

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This short yoga sequence will focus on strengthening and lengthening the long muscles in your leg. We will pay special attention to the hips, groin, and glutes as well. This leg workout at home includes cobra pose, child’s pose and lightning bolt pose. Child’s pose will help lengthen the back of the body, and cobra pose is great for Prime Women because it strengthens uterine muscles. Lightning bolt pose is similar to a squat and will strengthen and stretch the thighs, knees and ankles. This leg workout at home also has plenty of lunges, downward dogs and other muscle-strengthening poses.

Try This 10 Minute Yoga Leg Workout at Home

1. Come to stand at the top of your mat, hip-distance apart. Inhale, look up and raise hands toward the ceiling.
2. On the exhale, bring the hands down to the floor and fold. Step back to the push-up position.
3. On the inhale, lower down to the belly, pointing the toes and lifting the chest into baby cobra pose. Hold for a breath, then exhale and lower the chest.
4. On the next inhale take your hips back to your heels, arms still stretched forward in child’s pose. Hold this pose for several breaths.
5. Move onto all fours, arching the back into cat pose, then curving the spine into cow. Repeat one more time.
6. Curl the toes under, lift the hips up and back into downward-facing dog.
7. Take your hands and feet as wide as your mat. Take the left hand to the outer right ankle and twist under your body. Let the head hand and hold the pose for a few breaths.
8. Repeat step 7 on the other side.
9. Place your hands back down and move feet back to hip-distance apart. Raise the right leg up before bending the knee. Hold the right ankle and step the right leg forward, so it it between your hands.
10. Keep the left hand down and bring the right hand toward the ceiling, opening up your chest and twisting.
11. Bring the right hand down, left leg forward and on the inhale come up, raising hands toward the ceiling and bringing them together.
12. On the exhale fold forward, placing the hands on the ground. Inhale and lift the chest. Plant the left leg and step the right leg back.
13. On the next exhale the left leg goes back so you are in a plank position. Slowly go down to the belly.
14. Point the toes and go back into the baby cobra pose. Hold for a breath.
15. Push hips back over feet into child’s pose once more. Use this pose as a pause and get a nice stretch in your lower half.
16. Eas the toes and curl them under, raising the hips into a downward-facing dog.
17. Repeat steps 9-11 on the opposite side.
18. At the top of your mat, feet 2-fist distance apart, bend the knees and swing the hands back. Swipe the fingertips towards the back of the heels then bring hands forwards.
19. Take the left leg way back, planting the right leg with the knee still bent. Place the right hand on the right knee and left hand goes to the floor.
20. Raise the right hand to the ceiling and twist, opening the chest.
21. Turn your right toes toward the long edge of your mat and come onto the pinky side of the left foot. Right arm raises toward the ceiling.
    • If you want more of a challenge swing the bent leg back and stack it on the other leg, into a side plank, and look up at the right hand.
    • If you are advanced try bringing the top leg to rest on your inner thigh in a tree position, swinging the right hand forward and over the head.
22. Come back to plank pose. Then slowly lower onto the belly and come back to baby cobra pose.
23. Exhale back into child’s pose holding here for 3 breaths.
24. Push your hands into the ground as you come into all fours. Arch your back into cat, then curve the spine into cow.
25. On the next exhale, round the back, curl the toes under then lift the legs into downward facing dog. Swag the hips from side to side.
26. Bend the knees then step the right foot then left foot between the hands. Repeat steps 18-25 for the opposite side.
27. Lift the left leg up and back. Step the left foot forward and look up. On the next exhale step the right foot forward.
28. Strike the fingers to the back of the heels then inhale and lift hands to sky, curving and reaching hands backward.
29. Exhale bring hands to prayer and place them in front of your chest.

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