Butt Toning

Q: Hi Ana & Ravi, I first want to say I really love your DVD Kundalini Yoga for Beginners and Beyond it has really helped me gain more energy and a more positive attitude. I look forward to doing my yoga in the morning. Thank you,
keep doing what you do! You are such a great inspiration I hope to teach Kundalini Yoga one day myself.

My question is this: since I have gone soo long without exercising I have lost a lot definition in the buttocks area. I used to have a nice butt, but now its flat and saggy what do you recommend I do to tone, lift and tighten this area?
Thank you,

A: Thanks for writing. We have found that yoga done with attention to alignment is the very best thing for lifting and toning the buttocks area. While yoga poses are about engaging and working the whole body, High Lunge Pose, Chair Pose, Locust Pose, Warrior 3 Pose, Bridge Pose, Camel Pose, and Triangle Pose, etc... are some of the very best exercises for this area. We recommend our Yoga for Beginners & Beyond: Stretch Strengthen & Be Stress Free (not to be confused with Kundalini Yoga for Beginners & Beyond) which includes many of the exercises cited above as well as a Posture Primer. Please pay special attention to the exercise where you lie face down, pressing the heels backwards.

The exercise in Warrior Workout where you lie on your stomach and kick your heels towards your buttocks is another very effective area for toning the backs of the thighs and buttocks.

Also, its important to try not to sit for long periods of time without getting up and moving. When convenient, you might even want to take a brisk 15-20 minute walk, (concentrate on rolling through the foot from heel to ball of foot and engaging your butt muscles) before your yoga practice to speed things along.