Enough profundity. It’s time to talk about thighs and their destinies. Take mine.
The saddlebags have long since disappeared. The pocky cellulite on the quads has melted. I may need years to undo what has been wrought of my derriere by my previous couch-potato life, but I am not complaining: There are muscular hollows below my butt that I just do not sense I deserve.
Best for building muscle in the thighs are the chair-series poses, which are nothing more than intense, fancy squats. But the long lean line that comes with skiing or Pilates–that is a different matter. Several Bikram poses create this line, and creating it in turn helps the poses.
The key is a subtle inward rotation of the thigh that begins at the hip–think of the child with knees glued together whispering, “I gotta pee”. This motion is clearest in the third awkward chair; when pressing the knees together, the pressure begins not down at the knees but up at the hips, with the quads turning to face one another. It makes the thighs more stable too as they lower and lift.
In eagle, the top leg’s wrap around the bottom begins with an inward torquing of hip muscles. This rotates the thigh, makes the cross higher, the grip stronger, the bend deeper, the pose more stable. Full hero is another chance to explore this move: pressing the knees together is both a matter of squeezing the inner thighs together and rotating the outer thighs inwards to help exert downward pressure on the knees. And this torque deepens spine twisting as well.
I do not mind the spider veins that lace my legs. Flat and delicate, they seem like natural tattooes, drawn by life rather than a downtown tattoo artist. I have the yoga to thank for my thighs and for that attitude. There is something profound in the superficial after all.
Namaste,
Yoga Lily
hi yoga lily. I try not to be superficial when practicing yoga and love myself how i am – which i do. but w/ that said – i can’t lie and say that part of the reason i practice isnt to tone up my body. I definitely has some extra lbs. that couldnt hurt to disappear and i woulndt mind toning up my flabby sections. I’ve been practicing every day for about 6 weeks! I recently finished the challenge so decided to take like 2 days off to get a little rest, but still practiced at home and did 108 sun salutations at a benefit on wednesday. BUT despite all the time i’ve dedicated to this, I’ve actualy GAINED weight! i know i’ve gained muscle too, i do feel stronger and look more toned in areas – like my arms which shocks me bc i hhate my arms!! but i’m still very flabby in my midsection, lower back and butt/thighs. I’ve been eating alot more since practcing so often, but can I do anything to help this? I want to lose some weight and tone, shoudl i add cardio?? sorry for this long post – but i thought maybe you could help!! thanks so much, happy holidays and namaste!
Hey Lexi, I don’t know what to tell you about the weight thing. I know for sure that muscle is heavier than fat, so a scale is really useless for people who are building up and not just burning off. And because muscle is also smaller, more compact than fat, your jeans or skirts are a better way to measure what’s really happening in your body–you may be gaining weight but losing inches. That said, I will be doing a post on this topic in a week or two because I am having trouble losing some extra weight, so I have to have a good think about it and maybe talk it over with a teacher or two. But even with my extra weight, I still have a yoga body ( even my flab is streamlined– my thighs may be a bi overgrown but i don’t have saddlebags) and yoga skin (glowing) and that is a lot. Sorry for the delay. Namaste, YL