Overview
The largest muscle groups in the human body are located in the lower torso, including the gluteal or buttock muscles and the powerful muscles in hips and thighs. The Chair, Seated Angle and Camel poses are among many yoga asanas that target the glutes and hips to firm the butt, open the hips and infuse the muscles with fresh blood and oxygen. Master these basic poses and then add Cobra, Locust, Big Toe, Upward Plank and Upward Bow in your quest for strong gluteals and hips and open hip flexors.
Chair Pose
Stand on your mat and let your arms hang to your sides. Raise your arms up and hold them straight out in front of you while bending your body as if to sit in a chair. Keep your back as straight as possible, and go as deep into the pose as is comfortable. If you are particularly flexible and practiced, your thigh will form a 90-degree angle to the floor. Hold this pose for a slow count of 30. To increase the difficulty of this pose and challenge your glutes, raise your heels off the floor and extend your arms over your head.
Seated Angle Pose
After fully warming up, sit on a mat and spread your legs as wide apart as possible. With your back straight, hinge forward from your hips, aiming to rest your forehead on the floor. Reach out to touch your toes with your hands and hold this static stretch for a slow count of 30. Come out of the stretch gradually, pulling your extended legs together. Rest for a moment before repeating the pose. Vary Seated Angle by stretching your torso over each leg while keeping both legs spread wide apart.
Camel Pose
Kneel on a mat with your knees hip width apart. Place your hands on your hips with your palms resting of the top of your gluteal muscles. Push your hips slightly forward while dropping your head back. Allow your back to follow your head and drop into a back bend. Keep your hands on your hips. To make Camel more difficult, move your hands to grasp the backs of your ankles. Work up to holding the pose for a slow count of 30. Come out of Camel pose slowly and perform an opposite bend forward to release the pressure put on your back with the camel pose. Repeat the sequence once. Camel pose strengthens and tones your quadriceps muscles on the front of your thighs, as well as your hips and butt.
www.livestrong.com
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