The muscles of your internal and external obliques crisscross on your waist. They are located on the sides of your six-pack muscles, which is the rectus abdominis. The oblique muscles are responsible for rotating your torso and enabling you to...
It's entirely possible to spend years of yoga focusing on basic, low-impact postures designed to tone muscles, foster proper breathing, build balance and improve your flexibility. On the other hand, aggressively physical practitioners of yoga can...
Yoga is a form of exercise designed to physically condition the body and promote mental relaxation. There are many benefits to yoga, one of the most important benefits being flexibility. Dancers and athletes alike participate in yoga to increase...
Once you've mastered basic yoga, it's time to move on to more advanced asanas. Some of the more advanced poses contort your body into different shapes, making them a cool addition to your repertoire. Others require the use of a partner, which...
Depending on the style of yoga practiced, there can be hundreds of yoga poses to try, plus numerous variations of each. The position of the hands (mudras) and arms in a pose can give it a different feel or focus. Yoga classes often cue poses in...
According to the Mayo Clinic, exercises that strengthen your core muscles--those muscles around your truck and pelvis--are an important aspect of a well-rounded fitness program. The benefits of strengthening your core, states the Mayo Clinic,...
Extreme yoga poses are intended for advanced practitioners. They are challenging and require maximum flexibility and balance. These poses should not be attempted by beginning yoga students who may be at risk of straining or injuring themselves.
Yoga improves breathing, calms the mind, increases flexibility and strengthens and tones the muscles. The ACE Fitness article "Does Yoga Really Do the Body Good?" by Mark Anders cites a study that proves regular practice of Hatha yoga...
Many Yoga poses offer full-body relaxation while improving strength, balance and flexibility. Yoga helps release tension in tight, overworked muscles without creating fatigue. Several Yoga poses work the muscles and joints of your shoulders...
Developing strong shoulder muscles is important not only for aesthetic reasons, but for injury prevention. The deltoid muscle forms the rounded contour of the shoulder. It is made up of three sets of fibers and is responsible for many motions....
Yoga positions feature standing poses, seated poses, kneeling poses, lying poses and balancing poses. Within these groups, there are poses that include twists, bends and inversions. Hold each pose individually for a certain length of time, or...
If you are a man who wants better developed and more defined abdominal and pectoral muscles, you are not alone. With the exception of the biceps, the frontal torso is the body area men most frequently want to develop, according to Bill Phillips in...
The ancient art of yoga is more than just another form of physical fitness. The word "yoga," which means to yoke or unite, implies the practice seeks to balance mind, body and spirit. In addition to stretching, yoga includes breathing exercises...
Strong shoulders are nice to look at as part of a toned physique, and useful for functional, everyday activities. Weightlifting is a common method of building shoulder muscles, but it is also possible to strengthen your shoulders with no weights...
The ancient art of yoga, which means to yoke or unite, helps individuals achieve harmony and balance of mind, body and spirit. Modern studies show that it also might be beneficial for children. A study by the Vivekananda Kendra Yoga Research...
The chest is one of the easiest muscle groups to work because it is involved in almost anything you do with your upper body, at least in part. Although bench presses get all the credit for building a solid chest, there are plenty of exercises you...
Yoga is a practice of physical and mental exercise that aims to unite the mind and body in one experience. According to the American Yoga Association, yoga means "to join or yoke together." A general yoga practice usually includes exercise,...
Yoga has many benefits for regular practitioners. It can provide you with greater peace of mind, clarity, strength (physical, mental and emotional), better sleep, more concentration, less stress and a more optimistic outlook. Specific yoga...
Yoga provides specialized poses designed to help with gas and other digestive problems. These poses, or asanas in Sanskrit, encourage movements or positions that stimulate the stomach, pancreas and intestines, notes YogicLogic.com. In fact,...
To the untrained eye, yoga may seem to be all about stretching. In actuality, many yoga poses can exercise multiple muscle groups. Some poses, such as the plank, are naturally weight bearing, with the body serving as a weight to challenge the...
Whether you have bad wrists and hands from outside injuries or from doing yoga, you do not need to stop practicing yoga. Instead, modify your routine by doing poses that depend less on arm and wrist support. If you experience sudden, extreme or...
Yoga is an ancient practice that dates back nearly 5,000 years, according to the American Yoga Association. The word "yoga" means to yoke or unite. It was developed to help an individual achieve balance and harmony of mind, body and spirit. From...
Begin toning arms with yoga trying the downward-facing dog pose. Start this pose on your hands and knees on the floor. The knees are directly below the hips, and the hands are palm-down directly beneath the shoulders. Extend the feet directly...
Yoga classes are generally broken down into three components: pranyama (breathing), asana (poses) and dhyana (meditation). According to "Dorland's Medical Dictionary for Health Care Consumers," asana is defined as postures used to achieve balance,...
Qigong, thought to be at least 4,000 years old, is the oldest of the four disciplines of Traditional Chinese Medicine. It helps practitioners develop and control the body's energy, which is known as Qi. Some of the physical exercises practiced by...
Regular prenatal yoga benefits the mom-to-be physically and mentally. Yoga strengthens the body to prepare for childbirth while providing relaxing qualities to calm stress and fears. However, a yoga class designed specifically for pregnant women...
Summertime means tank tops, shorts and bathing suits. Though the official start of summer may be several months away, now is a great time to start getting in shape. Whether you prefer a one-piece or a bikini, get your body sexy for the beach, pool...
Yoga is not just for meditation and relaxation -- it can provide a powerful workout as well. Yoga X, from the P90X workout series, combines an Ashtanga series, a balance series, strength work and flexibility work to produce a workout more...
Gaiam Life writer and ACE certified personal trainer Kelly Turner emphasizes that yoga helps build muscles because many of its poses require yogis to lift their own body weight. She adds that because yoga exercises stretch muscles through...
Looking for new yoga poses? Learn how to do the Side Crane Pose in this yoga video.
Improve balance, concentration and arm strength with the Crane Pose. Learn how to do the Crane Pose in this yoga video clip.
Change from the Half Lotus Forward Fold into the Crane Balance Pose. Learn a new yoga pose in this video yoga lesson.
