5 yoga poses anyone can do to get stronger

Bootcamp workouts and weight training aren’t the only things that get you strong, so does yoga. And according to Nikki Carter (@luminikki) from YogaSculpt, her particular style of classes will get you what she likes to call “healthy strong”.

How she accomplishes this is by designing classes that focus only on one to two muscle groups per session while performing low-impact, slow-twitch movements that you do at the speed of your own breath.

Here, Nikki shares her top five moves for getting strong while keeping things simple and safe.

1. Bridge pose

Bridge pose is great because it’s so easy to add on to or slow down. If you like to amp things up, you can add single-leg lifts, take the arms off the floor, and hold for stamina. 

2. Cat & cow crunches

These can be done on all fours to strengthen the front and back of the core. To destabilize, or make things more difficult, place a ball under your hand — it makes you move much more slowly and precisely. 

3. Weighted goddess pose 

In this wide-legged squat variation, you can dip as much or as little as is available for your hips and knees. By adding weights in the hands, you’ll strengthen both the arms and lower body. 

4. Vasisthasana / side plank

Vasisthasana is a traditional yoga pose that strengthens the shoulders, but it can be easily modified up or down from knees to feet. Adding in dips and twists will strengthen the obliques too. 

5. Standing split crunches

These work the leg stabilizer muscles incredibly well, and ends up being like a small one-legged squat for the standing leg. To amplify the stability challenge, you can place a ball under the supporting hands. 

To get strong with Nikki, try a YogaSculpt class today on NEOU.