Poses for Your Thighs

Your quadriceps take you everywhere and help you do just about everything. Here's how to ensure they continue to do so without complaint.

Purvottanasana counteracts the effects of Chaturanga by stretching the pectoralis major, pectoralis minor, and anterior deltoids.

A classic standing posture, Vrksasana establishes strength and balance, and helps you feel centered, steady and grounded.

Bound Angle Pose, or Baddha Konasana, opens the deepest part of the hip muscles.

You need strength, flexibility, and endurance, and unwavering concentration for Eagle Pose.

Eka Pada Rajakapotasana is a deep hip opener and forward bend that you should approach consciously to reap its many benefits.

It might look straightforward, but there's more to Dandasana than meets the eye.

A simple pose that's anything but easy.

A standing posture centered around balance, Virabhadrasana III will strengthen your legs, ankles, and core.

When's the last time you reminded yourself that you can do difficult things?

Don't let the name fool you. If you're used to sitting in chairs, Easy Pose (or Sukhasana) can be quite challenging.

Extended Triangle Pose is a quintessential standing pose that stretches and strengthens the whole body.

Utkatasana powerfully strengthens the muscles of the arms and legs, but it also stimulates the diaphragm and heart.

Uttanasana will wake up your hamstrings and soothe your mind.

Bump up your energy (and confidence!) by bending back into Camel Pose. Ustrasana counteracts slouching and relieves lower back pain with a generous, heart-opening stretch.

Virabhadrasana 1 is a foundational yoga pose that balances flexibility and strength in true warrior fashion.

Take a break. Balasana is a restful pose that can be sequenced between more challenging asanas.

It seems so simple as to hardly be a pose. But this basic posture contains the secrets of how to hold yourself in countless other poses.

Bend back into the shape of a bow to feel energetically locked, loaded, and ready to take aim.

Want to fly? Fire up your core. Firefly pose is an arm balance pose that requires more core strength than arm strength.

Yoga and Pilates teacher Trina Altman shares why she practices and teaches a lot more than basic asana. Here, three big ways she’d love to see asana practice advance in the near future.

The intensity of Virasana can feel as daunting as the hero’s journey in your favorite adventure story. Choose the variation on the pose, ranging from gentle to fiery, to fit the narrative of your personal story on the mat today.

Dial in to the details for greater integrity in your forward folds.

The surprising key to soothing sciatica and lower back pain is a muscle you may never have heard of—the piriformis.

Stretch your hamstrings without straining your spine. Learn the basics of Supta Padangusthasana.

One poetic translation of Camatkarasana means "the ecstatic unfolding of the enraptured heart."

Work the small muscles of your inner thighs—often overlooked in yoga—to find ease in all sorts of poses.

Don't let tight quadriceps keep you from one of yoga's most relaxing poses: Supta Virasana.

When you practice Standing Splits focus on the stretch in your quad and hamstring, not how high you can lift your leg.

According to Hindu lore, the Peacock symbolizes immortality, love, and patience. Peacock Pose, called Mayurasana in Sanskrit, works to lovingly strengthen the core while stretching the palm side of the wrists.

Low Lunge, or Anjaneyasana in Sanskrit, stretches the thighs and groins and opens the chest. It provides recovery post-workout, and boosts energy while consciously working to improve posture.

Eka Pada Rajakapotasana II allows you to stretch the entire front body and deep into the hip flexors to strengthen your back and improve posture.

This variation of High Lunge, sometimes called Crescent Pose, is a great preparation for the full version of Virabhadrasana I (Warrior I Pose).

Counteract the effects of Modern-Day Sitting Syndrome by lengthening your hip flexors in High Lunge.

In Extended Hand-to-big-toe Pose, maintaining solid grounding through the standing foot helps keep you steady.

Can you practice Wheel with straight arms and Headstand without strain? Then, you're ready.

An excellent facilitator of good pelvic floor health, Garland Pose, called Malasana in Sanskrit, stretches the ankles, groins, and back while stimulating proper digestion. No worries if your heels don't reach the floor—simply rest them on a folded blanket.

Kapotasana invigorates your body and gives your spirits a lift. This extremely deep backbend is appropriate for advanced practitioners only.

Ease up into Half Frog Pose, called Ardha Bhekasana in Sanskrit. This pose strengthens the back while gently opening up the shoulders, chest, and thighs—a loving treat for the entire body.

This pose gently lengthens and strengthens even stubbornly tight hamstrings.

Check out Julie Gudmestad's author page.

Flexible, strong hamstrings are key to any yoga practice. But they're often stubbornly tight. These five hamstring stretches gently lengthen and strengthen them.

Check out Julie Gudmestad's author page.

In this challenging version of a twist, your arms wrap around your legs so your hands can clasp behind the back, almost like a lasso or a snare.

Dance with cosmic energy in this challenging yet graceful balancing pose that relies on equal parts effort and ease.

Take a leap of faith into Hanumanasana or Monkey Pose, named for a figure in Hindu mythology who did just that. And when faith doesn't get you all the way there, practice will.

Salabhasana or Locust Pose effectively preps beginners for deeper backbends, strengthening the back of the torso, legs, and arms.

Lay Virasana back and to take the stretch in the thighs and ankles up a notch.

Say hello to leg and ankle strength as you seek stability and extend into this balancing pose, Half Moon Pose.

Can't see the cow face? Notice that the crossed legs look like the lips. The bent-elbow arms, one up and one down, are the ears.

Upavistha Konasana is good preparation for most of the seated forward bends, twists, and the wide-leg standing poses.

A classic restorative posture, Supta Baddha Konasana or Reclining Bound Angle Pose can be modified for any level of hip and groin resistance.

Virasana is a balm for tired legs at the end of the day, as well as an alternative to Lotus for seated meditation.

Oh, your aching back? Or maybe you can't crack those tight hamstrings. Supta Padangusthasana I or Reclining Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose I is for you.

Janu Sirsasana, or Head-to-Knee Pose, is appropriate for students of any level and melds a forward bend with a spinal twist.