10 Best Advanced Yoga Poses That Will Make You Stronger

 Yoga shouldn't be classified as an "easy" form of exercise. The muscle engagement, focus, control, balance, and breathwork required to operate in tandem can certainly feel just as challenging as a set of burpees. Any rumors of the practice solely being a form of stretching and meditation are false—yes, these elements are involved (and widely beneficial), but one can gain marked muscle tone and endurance from consistent yoga movement. One study found that participants who completed 24 cycles of sun salutations, six days a week, for 24 weeks, saw a significant increase in upper body strength, endurance, and, for the female participants, a decrease in body fat percentage.

1. Chin Stand

Benefits: Stretches and strengthens the wrists, biceps, and upper arms; opens up the chest and throat area 

Tips:

You can use a Yoga Mat for Best results and Comfort

From the plank pose, slowly lower your chest and chin down to the yoga mat. Using your core, hug the inner thighs in towards each other, lift one leg and then the other to rest on your hands and chin.

2. Compass Pose

Benefits: Opens up the hamstrings, chest, and glute muscles.

From a seated position, see if you can get your right leg over the right shoulder. From there, place your right hand down to ground you, and take a hold of the right foot with the left hand. Hug the inner thighs in towards each other, broaden through the chest, and press the right foot into the left hand to extend the right leg straight behind you. Repeat on the other side. 

3. Crow Pose

Benefits: Opens the hips; strengthens the core, arms, and wrists.

From Garland pose or a yoga squat, walk the big toes together and see if you can rest your knees high on your triceps. Begin to rock back and forth on the wrists, and when you feel stable, leaning forward, use your core strength to hug the inner thighs up and in towards each other. Engage your core and lift the toes up and in towards the glute muscles. 

4. Eight Angle Pose 

Benefits: Total-body engagement pose.

This pose strengthens and lengthens all parts of the body from head to toe, especially the inner thighs, back, arms, and wrists. From sitting, see if you can wrap the right leg over the right shoulder. Then send your left leg in front of your right hand. Hook the ankles, lean forward to lift the hips, and squeeze the inner thighs in towards one another. Repeat on the other side. 

5. Flying Crow

Benefits: Strengthens the upper body, arms, wrists, and shoulders.

With the knees together and pointing to the right side, see if you can rest the right hip on your right elbow, and your right knee on the left elbow. Lean forward, engage the core, and feel the toes lift off the ground. From there, see if you can split the legs apart, reaching the left leg up and back. 

6. Fore Arm Stand

Benefits: Strengthens arms, core, shoulder, and back; increases circulation.

From Dolphin Pose, walk feet to the heart. Send your gaze between the wrist, and lift one leg and hop to lift the other. Once you are stable and the legs are overhead, engage your core, press the forearms into the ground, bend the knees, and begin to send your gaze forward and up, opening the chest, as the feet come towards the head. 

7. Head Stand

Benefits: Alleviates stress, calms the mind, helps with memory, stimulates the lymphatic system, and strengthens the core and back.

Making a basket with the hands, keeping the elbows shoulder-distance apart, place the crown of the head down onto the mat. Press the forearms into the ground, and then lift your knees and walk the feet towards the face. Begin to lift one foot, then the other. Once knees are tucked and feet are off the ground, send knees over hips, then ankle over knees until the legs are straight.

8. Lizard Variation

Benefits: Stretches the hip flexors, quadriceps, and hamstrings.

Step the right leg to the outside of your right hand. Heel-toe the right foot out to the side of the yoga mat, and begin to use the ball of your foot to curl toes under and straighten your back left leg behind you as much as you can. Then, see if you can twist to the inside of your right leg and reach around and take hold of your left foot. Press the left foot into the hand, then draw the hand into the foot to find a deeper stretch. You can also try this on your forearms. 

9. Mermaid Pose

Benefits: Stretches the thighs, hips, quadriceps, chest, and glute muscles; opens the upper back.

From a three-legged dog, while your right leg is lifted, send your right knee behind your right wrist, and your right heel towards your left hip point. Then, walk your left foot behind you. From this Pigeon Posture, twist to the left and see if you can take hold of the top of your left foot. See if you can send the left foot into the crook of the elbow, then send your right hand back behind you to take a hold of your left hand. 

10. Side Crow

Benefits: Strengthens the upper body, core, glute muscles; lengthens hamstrings.

With the knees together and pointing to the right side, see if you can rest the right hip on the right elbow, and the left side of the leg on the left elbow. Lean forward, engage the core, and feel the toes lift off the ground.