The Ultimate Yoga Exercise for Sculpting Thighs and Butt

Beginner
The Bridge Pose in yoga is the ultimate exercise for toning and shaping the entire butt, thighs, and backside. Begin by lying on your back on your yoga mat. Bending at the knees, bring your hips upward off the floor. Your feet and shoulders should remain flat on the floor, arms relaxed and resting at your sides. You should notice a straight diagonal line from your chest to your hips. Your knees should be bent at a 90 degree angle. If you are a yoga beginner, hold this exercise for a count of 30 seconds (or as long as you can tolerate it.) You'll feel the burn in your thighs and butt. Some yoga beginners find it helpful to wrap a length of cord around the ankles and hold it steady with their hands at their sides to prevent their feet from slipping out.

Intermediate
If you feel you're advanced enough in this exercise to move on to the next step, place your hands flat on the floor above your head, bending at the wrists and elbows. Roll your shoulders up off the floor resting your weight on the top of your head. Your back should be arched, creating a bridge. If you're comfortable here, hold this exercise for a count of 30 seconds.

Note: Yoga should never be painful. You should feel the stretch during your exercise- it means your muscles are strengthening and elongating- but you shouldn't feel any intolerable pain with yoga. If you feel pain, either you're holding the exercise incorrectly, or you're stretching too far too soon. Have patience with yourself. Yoga is supposed to be relaxing.

Advanced
When you've advanced enough, you can move on to the third step. Straighten your arms and lift your head fully off the floor. Now your back should be completely arched as demonstrated by the yoga practitioner in the picture. Take your time working through this exercise gradually. Attempting a full back bend right away could pull your muscles and cause intense pain. Again, yoga should never be painful.

Benefits of Yoga-- Working in the Beginner Bridge Pose
This yoga exercise alone- with your knees bent at a 90 degree angle, and your feet and shoulders flat on the floor, will work wonders for your thighs and butt. If you take some time out of every day to practice this exercise, you'll notice you can hold it for longer and longer intervals of time as your thighs and butt get stronger. You may even start to get bored, holding it up to 10 minutes before you feel the burn. If you do not wish to attempt the full yoga back bend, there are some other poses from here you can attempt to optimize the Bridge Pose. Try spreading your thighs, still keeping your knees bent at 90 degrees, and still keeping your feet flat on the floor. Bring your knees away from each other making a V with your thighs. You'll feel the strengthening of your outer thighs. OR try letting your feet slip out, making a 45 degree angle with your knees, and hovering your butt just over the floor. You'll feel your thighs working extra hard to keep you off the ground during this exercise.

You're Finished
Don't just fall down. Very slowly, come down from your yoga pose and lower your hips to the floor. Straighten your knees and let your thighs rest. You've just put a lot of stress on your back and shoulders and you need to offset it. You can do this with the Cat Pose. Get on your hands and knees, palms flat to the ground, arms straight, hips square, back flat. Now, arch your back into the air, tucking your chin down to your chest. This exercise is aptly named the Cat Pose because it resembles a cat stretching just after waking up. Anytime you do any intense strengthening exercise in Yoga, you must offset the exercise by stretching the other direction.

Benefits of Yoga-- The Results
The benefits of yoga become obvious more quickly than you'd think. Give this exercise a try; keep at it every day for at least a few months. If toned, shapely thighs, and a round, perky butt is what you're after, you'll get noticeable results quickly using the Bridge Pose.