Yoga for legs: poses that strengthen and stretch your legs and glutes, and a 25-minute routine

Two ways yoga works your legs

Standing poses are bodyweight strength holds for your thighs, buttocks and calves, and one-leg poses add balance. Lunges, folds and hip openers stretch them.

Sources 1, 2

Different poses, different muscles

In older adults, chair pose, the warriors and crescent lunge loaded the front of the thigh most, and only one-leg poses loaded the side of the hip. In young adults, half moon and warrior III worked the buttock muscles hardest. No pose loaded the muscle at the front of the shin.

Sources 1, 2, 3

It builds leg strength, especially in older adults

In trials of older adults, yoga improved leg strength against no exercise and against other exercise such as walking, by small to moderate amounts, though a 2026 review found the gain borderline once it allowed for small studies that may be missing.

Sources 4, 5, 6

About as much as strengthening, in two trials

In 117 people with knee arthritis, leg strength rose by 17.8 kg with yoga and 21.2 kg with a physiotherapist-led strengthening programme, a difference that could be chance. In 118 inactive adults averaging 62, yoga matched stretching and strengthening classes for standing up from a chair.

Sources 7, 8

For more muscle, add load

We found no trial comparing yoga with weight training in healthy younger adults, and a yoga-based programme lowered body fat without changing muscle mass. No pose slims or tones one part of your legs: training one leg didn't take fat off it in a trial.

Sources 9, 10, 11

Knees: change the pose, not just the support

A wide squat and an upright lunge put the least sideways load on the inside of the knee, and a one-leg balance the most. A hand on a wall didn't reduce it.

Sources 12, 13

Leg strength in older adultsEmerging evidence

Across 22 trials of older adults, yoga improved leg strength against no exercise, a small to moderate effect, and against active comparisons such as walking. A review of 33 trials in people aged 65 and over rated the gain in leg strength and endurance against no exercise as moderate certainty, with possibly no edge over other exercise.

Sources 4, 5

The newest review is less sureMixed evidence

A 2026 review of 21 studies (1,471 older adults) found possible gains in leg strength and in balance while moving, but once it allowed for small studies that may be missing, the strength gain was borderline and the balance gain unclear. Balance standing still didn't improve, and no best dose emerged.

Source 6

Against strengthening exercise in knee arthritisStrong evidence

In 117 adults with knee osteoarthritis, in a trial with blinded assessors, leg strength rose by 17.8 kg after 12 weeks of yoga and by 21.2 kg with physiotherapist-led strengthening, and by 22.0 against 23.4 kg at 24 weeks: no clear difference. Chair stands improved about equally, and for knee pain yoga was no worse.

Source 7

In inactive older adultsEmerging evidence

In 118 inactive adults averaging 62, 8 weeks of hour-long hatha classes 3 times a week matched stretching and strengthening classes for chair stands, arm curls, balance, flexibility and getting about.

Source 8

In younger adults, few trialsEmerging evidence

In 34 women aged 35 to 50, 8 months of twice-weekly Ashtanga classes raised leg-press strength by 11.4%, while it fell by 6.5% in women who didn't do them, with no change in the other lifts. In 75 middle-aged adults, a 3-month yoga-based programme improved core strength and hamstring flexibility and lowered body fat without changing muscle mass (a quasi-randomised study).

Sources 14, 10

Balance and flexibilityEmerging evidence

Yoga improved balance and mobility a little in people over 60, and lower-body flexibility against no exercise (a moderate effect) and against active comparisons (a small one). Iyengar classes focused on standing poses improved standing balance and one-leg standing with the eyes closed in 54 older adults.

Sources 15, 4, 16

The muscles

The front of the thigh (quadriceps) straightens the knee. The back of the thigh (hamstrings) bends it and, with the big buttock muscle (gluteus maximus), straightens the hip. The side of the hip (gluteus medius and minimus) keeps your pelvis level on one leg, the inner thighs (adductors) draw your legs together, the calves push you up on your toes, and the muscle at the front of the shin lifts your foot.

Front of the thighsEmerging evidence

In older adults, chair pose, the front leg in warriors I and II and both legs in crescent lunge loaded the front of the thigh. The back leg in crescent lunge and chair pose made the biggest demands on the front of the thigh, similar to walking's, though thigh muscle activity was only a third to a half of walking's. In young women, squatting and lunging poses worked the front of the thigh most.

Sources 1, 2, 12

ButtocksEmerging evidence

In 31 young adults, half moon worked the big buttock muscle hardest, at about 63% of its maximum on the lifted leg, then warrior III at 46%; the smaller muscle at the side of the hip worked at about 42% in both. Bridges and locust work the buttocks too (our suggestion).

Source 3

Side of the hipEmerging evidence

Only one-leg standing poses loaded the side of the hip in older adults. In tree, the load was a little above walking's, with or without a hand on the wall.

Sources 2, 13

Back of the thighsEmerging evidence

Of 7 standing poses tested in older adults, side stretch (pyramid) loaded the hamstrings most.

Source 1

Calves and shinsEmerging evidence

Every standing pose worked the calves, but less than walking did, and no pose loaded the muscle at the front of the shin, so our routine adds calf raises and toe raises.

Sources 1, 2

How to make poses harder

The NHS test for strength work is working "to the point where you may need a short rest before repeating the activity". Bend a little deeper, hold longer, lift a heel or a leg, or move slowly in and out of a pose (our suggestions).

Source 17

Two trials, similar resultsEmerging evidence

In knee osteoarthritis and in inactive older adults, yoga built leg strength about as much as strengthening programmes did. In 31 women with knee osteoarthritis, machine-based leg training built more hamstring strength than a knee-friendly yoga programme, though both eased pain about equally.

Sources 7, 8, 18

No trial against heavy liftingMixed evidence

We found no trial comparing yoga with progressive weight training in healthy younger adults, and no trial measuring muscle growth from yoga; a yoga-based programme lowered body fat without changing muscle mass. Muscle grows with resistance you can keep increasing, so for bigger or much stronger legs, add squats, lunges or step-ups with weights. Our yoga for strength guide covers how to combine them.

Sources 9, 10

Which poses load the knee leastEmerging evidence

In healthy young women, the wide squat (goddess) and the upright lunge (warrior) put the least sideways load on the inside of the knee, and a one-leg balance the most.

Source 12

The back leg in warrior IIEmerging evidence

In older adults, the back leg in warrior II took by far the largest sideways load on the knee of 7 standing poses, 267% more than walking. Shorten the stance and keep your front knee over your ankle if your knees complain.

Source 1

A wall doesn't protect the knee in treeEmerging evidence

In one lab study of 20 older adults, each pose held for one breath, the sideways knee load in tree was the same with or without a hand on the wall, 8% to 20% above walking's. Putting the lifted foot's toes on the floor lowered it.

Source 13

Knee-friendly programmes helped arthritisEmerging evidence

Yoga programmes built from poses with low knee loads eased pain and improved knee strength in women with knee osteoarthritis: 38 women who finished a study with no comparison group, and 31 in a small trial. In 59 people, yoga exercises with a changed walking pattern reduced the sideways knee load when walking.

Sources 19, 18, 20

Knee injuries happenEmerging evidence

The US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) says the knee or lower leg is the part most often injured in yoga, though serious injuries are rare, and people who practise yoga had more meniscus (knee cartilage) injuries than people who didn't, an association rather than proof. In the knee arthritis trial, side effects possibly caused by the programme, such as more knee pain, were more common with yoga (15.5% against 6.8%), and none was serious.

Sources 21, 22, 7

Our practical rules

Short stances, knees in line with your second toe, shallow bends at first, never a foot pressed into the side of the knee, and leave out hero pose, lotus and deep squats while a knee is sore (our editorial suggestions). Our yoga for knee pain guide has more.

HipsMixed evidence

After keyhole surgery for hip impingement, 93% of 42 yoga practitioners returned to yoga, after about 5 months on average, in a study looking back at their records. After a hip replacement, check deep bending and crossed-leg poses, such as figure four and pigeon, with your surgical team first, as our hip replacement guide advises.

Source 23

Sitting makes calves fuller and stifferEmerging evidence

After 2 hours of sitting, 40 middle-aged adults had fuller, stiffer calves and more leg discomfort, and 3 minutes of raising the legs lowered the stiffness.

Source 24

Raising your legs helps a littleEmerging evidence

In 9 young women, 15 minutes lying down with the legs raised or supported shrank calf circumference by 3 to 5 mm, least with the legs up a wall. The NHS suggests raising swollen legs on a chair or pillows when you can, and gentle exercise such as walking.

Sources 25, 26

Moving keeps fluid movingEmerging evidence

Lymph has no central pump and moves when the muscles around it work, which is why exercise matters, the NHS says, and leg lymph vessels pumped faster when people stood up. Walking and calf raises keep fluid moving: our calf pump routine and varicose veins guide have more.

Sources 27, 28

When swelling needs a check

One swollen, painful leg, or swelling with breathlessness, needs urgent help, not a pose: see the warning signs.

Sources 26, 29

Stretching before bed may help a littleEmerging evidence

In 80 adults over 55, stretching the calves and hamstrings every night before sleep for 6 weeks cut night cramps by about 1 a night and made them less painful; a Cochrane review rated this evidence low certainty. Calf stretching alone may make little or no difference to how often cramps come: advice to do calf stretches didn't reduce them in 191 people who had been taking quinine.

Sources 30, 31, 32

The NHS calf stretchStrong evidence

The NHS says regular calf stretching "may help to reduce cramps but may not completely stop them from happening". Its stretch is done facing a wall, leaning in until you feel your calves stretch, held for 2 or 3 seconds and repeated for 5 minutes, 3 times a day, the last time just before bed. Our leg cramps guide has more.

Source 33

What the trials used

Programmes that raised leg strength ran classes 2 or 3 times a week, for 8 weeks to 8 months.

Sources 7, 8, 14

How hard

Hold standing poses until your legs need a short rest: that's the NHS's test for a strength session.

Source 17

Our editorial starting point

Our 25-minute routine 2 or 3 times a week, on days that aren't back to back. Make it harder over the weeks by bending deeper, holding longer, lifting a heel or a leg, or slowing your transitions; for more, add squats, lunges or step-ups with weights.

For flexibility

Hold each stretch for 30 to 60 seconds on most days, as our yoga for flexibility guide suggests. For the most gain, stretching researchers suggest 2 to 3 sets a day of 30 to 120 seconds for each muscle.

Source 34

With knee pain

Leave out hero pose, lotus, half frog and deep squats while a knee is sore, swap pigeon for reclined figure four, and keep stances short and bends shallow.

Sources 12, 7

After a hip replacement

Deep hip bending and crossed legs (figure four, pigeon, standing figure four) only with your surgical team's agreement, as the moves' pages say.

After a knee replacement

Follow your surgical team's plan, and leave out kneeling poses for now: the NHS says "do not kneel on your new knee until your doctor says you can". Our knee replacement guide has more.

Source 35

Glaucoma, or high blood pressure that isn't under control

Keep head-down poses such as standing splits, wide-legged folds and downward dog brief, or use head-up versions: eye pressure rose within a minute of going into head-down poses in a lab study.

Source 36

Very flexible joints

Keep a slight bend in straight-leg poses. The NHS advice is "do not overextend your joints just because you can".

Source 37

Pregnancy

In later pregnancy, the NHS advises against lying flat on your back for more than a few minutes, so do bridges propped up or swap them for side-lying work, and skip one-leg and wide poses if you have pelvic girdle pain.

Source 38

Ankle weights

Not tested in yoga. For more load, use squats, lunges and step-ups with dumbbells (our suggestion).

Call 999 or go to A&E

Call 999, and don't drive yourself to A&E, for:

• Leg pain or swelling with breathlessness or chest pain, or swollen legs with a tight, heavy or painful chest or coughing up blood: it can be a blood clot that has reached the lungs.
• Severe hip pain after a fall or injury, you can't walk or put weight on your leg, or you have tingling or loss of feeling in your hip or leg after an injury.
• After an injury, you heard a crack, your leg has changed shape or points at an odd angle, or it's numb, tingling, cold or a different colour.

Sources 29, 26, 39, 40

Get help the same day: NHS 111 or an urgent GP appointment

Get advice the same day for:

• Throbbing pain in one leg (rarely both), usually the calf or thigh; swelling in one leg (rarely both); red, blue or darkened skin around the painful area; or swollen veins. It may be a blood clot (deep vein thrombosis, DVT).
• Your knee is very painful, you can't move it or put weight on it, it's badly swollen or has changed shape, or it locks, gives way or clicks painfully. Painless clicking is normal.
• A very high temperature, or feeling hot, cold or shivery, with redness or heat around your knee, or a hip that is swollen and feels hot: these can be signs of a joint infection.
• Severe hip pain that started suddenly without a fall or injury, or the skin around your hip has changed colour.
• Swelling in one ankle, foot or leg that you can't explain, or swelling that is severe, painful or came on very suddenly.

Sources 29, 41, 39, 26

A sudden pain or pop

Stop if you feel a sudden sharp pain, a snap or a pop in a muscle during a pose: it may be a strain. Get help from NHS 111 if it's very painful or getting worse, there's a lot of swelling or bruising, you can't put weight on it or walk more than a few steps, or it feels very stiff. Our hamstring strain guide has more.

Source 40

See a GP or physiotherapist

In many areas you can refer yourself to NHS physiotherapy without seeing a GP.

• Knee pain that hasn't improved within a few weeks of looking after it at home.
• Hip pain that stops normal activities or disturbs your sleep, keeps getting worse or coming back, or hasn't improved after 2 weeks of looking after it at home, or hip stiffness for more than 30 minutes after waking.
• Leg cramps that disturb your sleep, last longer than 10 minutes, or come with numbness or swelling in your legs.
• Both ankles, feet or legs swollen and not better after a few days of looking after them at home, or getting worse.

Sources 41, 39, 33, 26

During yoga

Sharp, catching or giving-way pain, or new swelling, is a reason to stop and get it checked. Come out of a pose at once if your foot or lower leg goes numb or tingles in a kneeling or cross-legged pose, or if you feel a sharp pain inside the knee when twisting or rising from a deep bend (our suggestion, from case reports and injury studies). Burning, tingling or pins and needles down a leg in a stretch is a nerve signal, not a stretch, as the moves' pages say: back off and have it looked at.

Sources 42, 22

"Yoga can't build leg strength"Emerging evidence

In older adults, it improved leg strength against no exercise and against other exercise, and in knee osteoarthritis, leg strength rose about as much as with a strengthening programme (17.8 against 21.2 kg). For more, add load.

Sources 4, 7

"Yoga gives you long, lean legs"Emerging evidence

No pose lengthens a muscle into a new shape, and training one leg for 12 weeks didn't take fat off that leg in a trial. Yoga makes legs stronger, steadier and more flexible; how they look isn't the measure.

Source 11

"Yoga will grow your thighs and glutes"Mixed evidence

We found no trial measuring muscle growth from yoga, and a yoga-based programme didn't change muscle mass. Muscle grows with resistance you can keep increasing, as our yoga for strength guide explains.

Sources 10, 9

"Balance poses build strong thighs"Emerging evidence

Tree pose barely loaded the front of the thigh, about 9% of walking's demand, and the researchers said no version of it was likely to improve thigh strength. Chair pose, lunges and the warriors do that; one-leg poses work the side of the hip and your balance.

Sources 13, 1, 2

"A hand on the wall protects your knee"Emerging evidence

In tree pose, the sideways load on the knee was the same with or without a hand on the wall. Change the pose instead: your foot at your ankle, toes down.

Source 13

"Legs up the wall fixes swollen legs"Emerging evidence

It eases everyday swelling a little, and walking and calf work help too. One swollen, painful leg, or swelling with breathlessness, needs urgent help, not a pose.

Sources 25, 26, 29

"Stretching your calves stops night cramps"Mixed evidence

Calf and hamstring stretching before bed may make night cramps less painful in people over 55, but calf stretching alone may not change how often they come.

Sources 31, 30, 32

"Balance poses prevent injury"Mixed evidence

We found no trial that counted injuries after yoga. Balance training cut sports injuries in trials, and balance exercise cut falls in older adults, so the idea is reasonable, but untested for yoga.

Sources 43, 44