Can yoga help in toning up muscles? Just try out these asanas and see for yourself

Utkatasana: This asana builds your leg, pelvic and the core muscles because of the breathing linked with this practice.

· Stand with your feet together and hands raised over the head with palms together in a prayer pose.

· Steady your posture, relax.

· Take a deep breath and as you exhale, bend your knees to lower the body about a foot while keeping the spine straight.

· Then inhale and come back to the full standing position.

· Then as you exhale, lower your body twice as much the first time to come almost to waist level, bending with full weight on all the muscles in the thigh, calf and ankles. The core area is pulled in and tightened and the arm’s muscles remain stretched and taut.

· Then resume a full standing position as you inhale.

· Then in the next round, go a little lower than the waist and with inhalation come back to the starting position.

· Finally, in the last round, squat down with buttocks close to the floor, arms stretched above your head and spine straight.

· Then as you inhale, raise your body again back to full standing pose.

· Bring your hands down and relax your whole body.

· This makes one round. Do three to five rounds.

Naukasana (Boat pose): This asana tones up the arms and leg muscles but is most effective in building a strong core and reducing excess fat around the belly.

· Lie down on your back with head and spine aligned and relax your whole body.

· Take a deep breath and raise your legs, arms and head about 15 degrees or 15 cm off the floor.

· Your fingers will be pointing towards the toes with palms facing downwards.

· Balance your body on your buttocks and hold your breath inside.

· Hold for as long as possible.

· Exhale and release the breath and relax your whole body in the base position.

· This is one round. Do three to five rounds.

Santolanasana (Balancing pose): This asana strengthens the muscles of the thighs, arms, legs and spine.

· Sit in Vajrasana. Then come up on your knees and place the palms in front of the knees such that your arms and thighs are at a right angle to the body.

· Then rest your body on the toes while sliding the body forward, so that in the final position, your body is resting on the toes and palms and is like a plank. This pose is also known as the plank pose or Chaturanga asana, as the body is resting on four points.

· Hold the final plank position as long as it is comfortably possible.

· When you want to release, get back to the base position or relax in reverse Shavasana.

· This is one round. Start with three rounds and build to five rounds.

· Breathing is normal.

People with high BP, heart condition or hernia should not practise this asana.

Agnisar: This is again a practice for tightening the core muscles and has a direct influence on the BMI rate of the whole body. It converts visceral fat into muscles. Anyone who practises this for a few months will lose belly fat and tone up abdominal muscles. It is also a wonderful practice for the digestive system.

· Sit in Vajrasana but separate your knees so that you are able to place your palms flat with fingers pointing inwards and the palms themselves are in line with the knees.

· Stick your tongue out to a maximum.

· With tongue out, exhale with a loud sound like the gasping of a dog. Do a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 25 rounds.

· Take your tongue inside and relax in a base position.

· This is one round. Do three to five rounds.

Suryanamaskar and Shavasana: This is a proven, tried and tested series of asanas for toning up the whole body. These must be followed up with Shavasana practice.

If you are regular with your yoga, you are most likely to have good quality of sleep, which is imperative for the body to build on tissues, muscles and your nervous system. Fruits, vegetables and proteins must be part of your daily diet.