Yoga for Strong Muscles

We are continuing our series called “This is Your Body on Yoga” where we look at the systems of the body and how yoga helps keep them healthy. Here and in the next couple of posts we’ll be exploring the muscular system which is so much more than just our muscles. 

In the Indian health system known as Ayurveda, muscles are part of the mamsa vaha srotas, which is Sanskrit for “the channel for muscle in the body.” Muscles are supported by other important structures such as fascia, tendons and even the skin, especially the deep layers of the skin that are close to the muscles and fascia. 

In just about any yoga class there will be some mention of muscles and yoga students are usually familiar with the names of some muscles too, such as hamstrings in the back of the thighs or pectorals in the front of the chest. Every muscle has tendons which attach it to bones and every muscle is surrounded by a stiffer protective tissue called fascia. Because fascia is literally all over the body from head to toe, it’s another way that our body sends messages from one end to the other.

In yoga there are three main ways we work with muscles—we strengthen, stretch or relax them. Today we’ll look at ways to strengthen muscles and leave stretching and relaxing for the next two posts.

The research on yoga is very clear: yoga strengthens your muscles. And wait, there’s more: the strengthening of muscles in turn stabilizes joints and strengthens bones. Win, win, win! But there’s a catch: you have to do weight-bearing yoga poses in order to strengthen muscles and bones and stabilize joints. Restorative yoga and yin yoga alone are not going to provide these benefits. 

Here's how to strengthen your muscles in yoga class:

√ Hold poses longer. Holding a pose keeps the muscles contracted for some time and the muscles may even start to get a little shaky. This is a good thing. In order for muscles to get stronger, they have to break down a bit so they can rebuild. For upper body strength, hold plank pose or downward-facing dog. Start with 30 seconds and work up to 2 minutes or more. For lower body strength, hold balancing poses like tree, balancing half moon or eagle for 5-7 breaths. Standing in a warrior pose, triangle pose or side angle for many breaths works too.

√ Move in and out of poses. Slow flow is another way to work muscles because the muscles are alternating between contraction and release. If you’ve tried it before you will agree that muscles get quite tired from moving this way. The classic for upper body strength is push-ups. The yoga version is called chaturanga dandasana or “four-limbed staff pose,” a position that can be quite hard on the shoulders. So maybe try doing push-ups from the knees instead. Or flow from downward-facing dog to plank to upward-facing dog 5 times. Lunges are a wonderful way to increase lower body strength too. For instance, stand in crescent lunge and straighten and bend the front knee while lowering and lifting the arms. Or stand in temple pose with feet and knees turned out. Squat up and down or lunge from side to side. As you increase the number of repetitions stay aware of your breath and pay attention to any distress you feel in wrists, shoulders, hips, knees or lower back.

Check back next week as we explore the joys of yoga stretching.