Hard-Core Yoga Exercises at Home

A regular yoga practice can be exhilarating, relaxing, enlightening, awakening and sleep-inducing. The poses you choose to incorporate into your practice determine not only the muscle groups that are targeted, but also the spiritual and emotional benefits of the sequence. Keeping your routine flexible and dynamic helps prevent yoga boredom. But if you just can’t fathom another sequence involving Downward-Facing Dog, Plank and Warrior, shake it up by adding a few advanced poses for a hard-core, high-intensity workout.

  1. Balance Poses

    • Balance poses can be very tricky -- which makes them much more satisfying when you finally achieve the proper form and can hold the pose for longer than a few seconds. Practice balance poses in an open area that’s free of clutter; you don’t want to risk falling onto something if you lose your balance. The arm balances tend to be more difficult for many people; they require significant strength in the shoulders, arms, wrists and core muscles. When introducing hard-core yoga exercises at home, start with Crane and Side Crane. As your practice improves, try Firefly, Eight-Angle Pose, Scale and Shoulder-Pressing pose.

    Inversion Poses

    • Inverted poses -- which require the body to tip upside down -- are among the hardest and most advanced yoga poses. Start with Supported Shoulderstand and Plow pose, which allow you to rest some of your body weight on your arms and shoulders. As you move into Headstand and Handstand, your strength must come from your chest and core to avoid placing too much stress on your wrists or neck.

    Intensifying Modifications

    • If you’re not quite ready to attempt the advanced yoga poses, you can still add intensity to your daily yoga routine. Do pushups while in Plank position or quickly alternate between traditional Plank and Dolphin Plank for 30 seconds. Lift up into calf raises while standing in Mountain or do biceps curls while holding Chair pose. Rather than just holding still in Boat pose, move your legs in and out to target those deep abdominal muscles.

    Considerations

    • Although yoga might not seem as intensive as other types of at-home exercise programs, some poses can be quite dangerous if you’re inexperienced or practicing without safety measures. In fact, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons estimates that there were more than 7,300 yoga-related injuries that required medical treatment in the year 2010 alone. Typically, these injuries are related to strains or sprains of the neck, shoulders, spine, knees or legs. Before attempting an advanced yoga pose at home, consult an experienced and qualified yoga instructor. An instructor can provide crucial tips and advice to ensure you use correct technique and proper form. While performing the various poses, listen to your body -- if you feel excessive discomfort, pain or exhaustion, stop immediately.