Yoga guide
The lower body is where yoga's strength evidence is strongest. In trials, mostly in older adults, yoga improved leg strength, standing up from a chair, balance and lower-body flexibility, and in people with knee osteoarthritis it built leg strength nearly as much as a physiotherapist's strengthening programme. Standing poses are body-weight strength holds; lunges, folds and hip openers stretch.
Yoga is a moderate load, though: it hasn't been shown to build muscle or bone, and for the most strength you'll need load you can keep increasing. This guide covers what yoga can and can't build for your hips, legs and feet, which poses work which muscles, your knees, balance and flexibility, and a week built from our classes. Legs of every shape do the same jobs, and nothing here promises a particular one.
In older adults, yoga improved leg strength against no exercise (7 trials, 485 people) and against other exercise such as walking (3 trials, 225 people). A review of 33 trials rated the gain moderate certainty against no exercise. The newest review found it borderline once it allowed for small studies that may be missing.
In 117 adults with knee osteoarthritis, 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, standing up from a chair improved about equally with yoga and with stretching and band classes.
Chair pose, the warriors and crescent lunge load the front of the thighs; only one-leg poses load the side of the hip; half moon and warrior III work the big buttock muscle hardest; no pose loads the muscle at the front of the shin.
In people over 60, yoga improved balance and getting about by small to medium amounts, though it hasn't been shown to prevent falls on its own. Lower-body flexibility improved more than with no exercise, and sit-and-reach rose by 6 to 7 cm in 12 weeks in middle-aged adults.
In older adults, thigh muscle activity in chair pose and crescent lunge was a third to a half of what walking produced. Progressive resistance training builds strength more, yoga hasn't been shown to build muscle, and it didn't change bone density in trials.
The back leg in warrior II takes a large sideways load on the knee; a wide squat (goddess) and an upright lunge take the least. The knee or lower leg is the part most often injured in yoga, so keep stances short and knees over your toes.
The front of the thigh (quadriceps) straightens the knee. The back of the thigh (hamstrings) bends it and, with the big buttock muscle, straightens the hip. The side of the hip keeps your pelvis level on one leg, the inner thighs draw your legs together, the hip flexors lift the thigh, the calves push you up on your toes, and the muscle at the front of the shin lifts your foot.
Standing poses are body-weight strength holds, one-leg poses add balance, and lunges, folds and hip openers stretch. The NHS counts yoga as strengthening when you work until you need a short rest, and the UK guidelines ask for the upper and lower body.
Standing poses use only your body weight, and in older adults the thigh muscles worked at a fraction of walking's level. Yoga has no jumping, which bones need: the UK guidelines add impact activities for bone.
Against no exercise, yoga improved leg strength by a small to moderate amount (Hedges' g 0.45, 7 trials, 485 people), and against other exercise such as walking, chair aerobics or tai chi by a similar amount (g 0.49, 3 trials, 225 people). A weaker single-author review found 0.55. A review of 33 trials in people 65 and over rated the gain in leg strength and endurance moderate certainty against education or no exercise, and said yoga may not beat other exercise.
A 2026 review of 21 studies (1,471 older adults) found the leg strength gain borderline once it allowed for small studies that may be missing. We could read only its summary, which doesn't list the trials it pooled, so it may include a falls trial our guides leave out; we give only its overall result. In older women only, 2 of 5 small trials found a gain in standing up from a chair.
In 117 adults averaging 62, in a single-centre trial with blinded assessors, leg strength rose by 17.8 kg after 12 weeks of yoga and 21.2 kg with physiotherapist-led strengthening, and by 22.0 against 23.4 kg at 24 weeks. Chair stands improved about equally. The trial was built to test pain, so equal strength isn't proven: the gap could be as large as 9.8 kg in favour of strengthening. Side effects possibly linked to the programme were more common with yoga (15.5% against 6.8%), and none was serious.
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In 118 inactive adults averaging 62, 8 weeks of hatha yoga 3 times a week matched stretching and band-strengthening classes for chair stands (about 12 to 14 in 30 seconds). Thai yoga added about 3 chair stands against telephone advice in 39 older adults. Tai chi built more knee strength than Iyengar yoga in 48 older adults, while yoga built more balance. A 32-week programme raised chair stands and heel raises, with no comparison group.
In women aged 35 to 50, 8 months of Ashtanga raised the leg press by 11.4% while it fell by 6.5% in the comparison group, in a trial where 41% of the yoga group dropped out. Eight weeks of hot yoga raised a deadlift test by 13% against a 4% fall. Once-weekly sun salutations raised thigh strength about as much as stabilisation training in young women, and young cricketers gained leg strength and jump height about equally with yoga and conditioning.
High-speed yoga built for power matched machine power training for leg press strength and power in about 41 people with Parkinson's, in one small trial. That isn't a usual class, and two small groups doing equally well doesn't prove they're the same.
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Progressive resistance training raised older adults' strength by a large amount (73 trials, 3,059 people), more than yoga's small to moderate effect, though that comparison is across different trials (our reading). Our searches found no trial comparing yoga with heavy, progressive leg training in healthy adults.
These are small lab studies. They show how hard a pose works a muscle or a joint, not how much it will grow.
In 20 older adults, chair pose, the front leg in warriors I and II and both legs in crescent lunge loaded the front of the thigh. Crescent lunge, chair pose, warrior II and a one-leg balance made the largest demands, on average 42% more than walking's peak; yet the thigh muscle worked at only a third to a half of walking's level.
In 31 young adults, half moon worked the big buttock muscle at about 63% of its maximum, warrior III 46%, tree 13% to 29% and warrior II 12% to 13%; the side-hip muscle reached about 42% in half moon and warrior III. Only one-leg poses loaded the side of the hip in older adults, and chair pose and warrior I drew the most buttock activity of 11 poses in another study.
Every standing pose worked the calves, but at 5% to 44% of walking's level in the most demanding poses, and no pose loaded the muscle at the front of the shin. Calf and toe raises fill the gap.
Small studies found some poses worked the trunk and hips a little differently in women and men. No trial shows different strength gains from yoga by sex.
Work until you need a short rest, the NHS test for strength. Then bend a little deeper, hold longer, lift a heel or a leg, or move slowly in and out of a pose (our suggestions).
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In people over 60, yoga improved balance by a small amount (g 0.40, 6 trials) and physical mobility by a medium one (g 0.50, 3 trials). Against other exercise, the balance gain wasn't clear. In one small trial, Iyengar yoga built more balance than tai chi.
Whether yoga's balance gains prevent falls hasn't been shown, and a review in older women found no definite effect on falls. Our yoga for balance guide covers what falls guidance recommends.
In older adults, yoga improved lower-body flexibility more than no exercise (g 0.50) and a little more than other exercise (g 0.28). In 173 middle-aged adults, sit-and-reach rose by 6 to 7 cm in 12 weeks; hot yoga raised hamstring and lower-back flexibility against no exercise; and college athletes improved their sit-and-reach in 10 weeks against a team that didn't do yoga, in a study that wasn't randomised.
Hold 30 to 60 seconds to a clear pull, not pain; the American College of Sports Medicine suggests about 60 seconds in all per stretch on at least 2 days a week to keep range. Once you're happy with your range, 2 or 3 days a week kept it in a trial. Our yoga for flexibility guide has the detail.
A 3-month yoga-based programme didn't change muscle mass in 75 adults, and mind-body exercise (mostly tai chi) didn't add muscle mass in older adults with frailty. Our searches found no trial that scanned leg muscle after yoga in healthy adults.
In 6 studies of women aged 45 to 78, yoga didn't change bone density. In a network analysis after the menopause, mind-body exercise combined with resistance training ranked best for bone. The UK guidelines add impact and resistance exercise for bone.
Strength grows most with heavier loads and muscle with about 10 or more hard sets a week; light loads build muscle only when each set comes close to failure. For bigger or much stronger legs, add squats, lunges or step-ups with weights (our reading, as our yoga for legs guide says).
Across 69 trials in older adults, resistance training ranked best for frailty and mind-body exercise came close.
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In older adults, the back leg in warrior II took a sideways load on the knee 267% of walking's peak, the largest of 7 standing poses. In young women, the wide squat (goddess) and the upright lunge put the least sideways load on the inside of the knee, and a one-leg balance the most.
In 20 older adults, the knee load in tree was the same with or without a hand on the wall.
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US health advice is that the knee or lower leg is the part most often injured in yoga, though serious injuries are rare. People who practise yoga had more knee cartilage (meniscus) injuries than people who didn't, an association rather than proof.
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.
Before a class, tell the teacher about hip arthritis, pain on the side of the hip, impingement or a replacement, and which approach your surgeon used. NCCIH (the US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health) advises people with health conditions, including hip injuries, to talk with their health care provider and the yoga teacher about their needs.
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Most used 2 or 3 sessions a week for 8 to 24 weeks; the Ashtanga trial ran twice a week for 8 months.
Over 65, the NHS asks for activities that improve strength, balance and flexibility on at least 2 days a week, and the World Health Organization for balance and strength training on 3 or more days.
Two lower-body sessions a week, worked until you need a short rest, a balance pose in every session, stretches on most days if flexibility is your goal, and load you can keep increasing if you want more strength.
Chair pose 3 holds of 20 to 30 seconds, high lunge 5 breaths each side, warrior II 5 breaths each side twice and goddess 12 slow pulses (our yoga for legs class); warrior I 5 breaths each side (our yoga for hip flexors class); sit to stand 8 to 10 slow stands (our yoga for balance class). Keep stances short with sore knees.
3D demoChair pose (Utkatasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoHigh lunge (crescent lunge, Ashta Chandrasana)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demoWarrior I (Virabhadrasana I)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demoWarrior II (Virabhadrasana II)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demoGoddess pose (Utkata Konasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoSit to stand from a chairBeginner · A bench or boxWarrior III and half moon 3 to 5 breaths each side, with a wall or a block, single-leg bridges 8 to 10 each side and locust 3 holds of 3 breaths (our yoga for legs class); side plank 2 holds of 15 to 30 seconds each side, knees down for a lighter version (our yoga for glutes class).
Mountain pose: "Stand for 5 to 10 slow breaths, 2 or 3 times. Once you feel steady, add a round with your eyes closed, within reach of a wall (our editorial starting point)." (the move page's dose). Tree 3 to 5 breaths each side, twice, fingertips on the wall, and standing hand-to-big-toe 3 breaths each side, holding the knee (our yoga for balance class).
Calf raises 2 sets of 10 to 15 and toe raises 10 to 15, back against a wall (our yoga for legs class); downward dog 3 holds of 5 breaths, heels heavy (our yoga for arms class).
Low lunge 45 seconds each side, pyramid 30 seconds each side and reclined figure four 45 seconds each side (our yoga for legs class); strap hamstring stretch 45 seconds each side (our hamstring flexibility routine); bound angle 60 seconds (our yoga for tight hips class); hip circles 3 slow circles each way with each leg and a deep squat hold 60 seconds, holding a door frame (our yoga for mobility class).
3D demoLow lunge (Anjaneyasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoPyramid pose (Parsvottanasana)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demoSupine hamstring stretch with a strapBeginner · No equipment
3D demoReclined figure four (eye of the needle, Sucirandhrasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoBound angle pose (Baddha Konasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoStanding hip CARsBeginner · A wall
3D demoDeep squat holdIntermediate · No equipmentStay shallow in chair pose, ease the depth in warrior II and never press your foot into the side of your standing knee in tree, as the moves' pages say. Leave out hero pose, lotus and deep squats while a knee is sore (our suggestion).
After a hip replacement, ask your clinician before wide, turned-out positions such as goddess, and clear deep hip bending with the leg crossed, as in figure four, with your surgeon, as the moves' pages say. Our hip and knee replacement guides have classes.
Leave warrior III alone until it settles, as its page says.
Practise tree and half moon near a wall or counter, as their pages say, and see our yoga for balance guide.
Our editorial plan, built on the NHS and UK activity guidelines and the trials above, which mostly ran 2 or 3 sessions a week for 8 to 24 weeks. It's a starting point, not a prescription.
See the movement on the 3D figure: Chair pose (Utkatasana)
Start with the yoga for legs class: strength, balance and stretch for the whole lower body in 25 minutes. The glutes, balance and mobility classes go deeper on one ability each; the strength yoga class works the whole body; the home and low-impact leg workouts add load you can keep increasing.
A 25-minute yoga routine for your legs: standing holds for the thighs, one-leg poses for the glutes, bridges, calf and shin raises, then hip and hamstring stretches.
25 minBeginner17 movesStep, wallA 25-minute yoga class for your glutes: bridges and locust, chair pose and lunges, warrior III and half moon, side work, then a short stretch and rest.
25 minBeginner16 movesStep, wallThirty-five minutes of yoga built for strength: long standing holds, slow lowering from plank, single-leg balances and a band row, with harder options.
35 minIntermediate18 movesStep, bandThirty minutes of standing yoga for balance: strong standing poses, one-leg poses at the wall, and side steps, backward steps, reaches and sit-to-stands.
30 minBeginner16 movesWall, bench or boxTwenty minutes of joint circles, a standing flow and end-of-range strength: yoga for range you can reach and control, for desk days, rest days or older joints.
20 minBeginner16 movesStep, wallA hip-opening yoga sequence: low lunge, lizard, goddess, pigeon, bound angle and happy baby.
25 minBeginner10 movesWallA 25-minute yoga class for tight or weak hip flexors: lunges and warriors to stretch the front of the hip, then poses and leg lifts to strengthen it.
25 minBeginner15 movesWall, firm cushionA 30-minute yoga class for people over 50: standing strength, balance at the wall, back strengthening and gentle hips, with no deep forward folds.
30 minBeginner19 movesBench or box, wallA 30-minute chair yoga class for knee arthritis: breathing, seated knee warm-ups and strength, standing poses holding a chair with a small knee bend, and a seated rest.
30 minBeginner17 movesBench or box, something with weightA lower body workout at home: split squats, slider hamstring curls, single-leg bridges, step-ups, band walks and calf raises, with dumbbell options.
30 minIntermediate12 movesWall, stepA gentle leg strength routine with no jumping: sit-to-stands, step-ups, wall sits, bridges and calf raises.
20 minBeginner7 movesBench or box, stepPlans that add load week by week, and one for strength, balance and walking in later life.
A free 30-day squat challenge with a chair track and a single-leg track: 3 short sessions a week, optional practice days and a before-and-after test.
3 training days15 minBeginner4 days a weekAn 8-week glute workout plan: two glute days and two upper-body days a week, with hip thrusts, squats, hinges and side-hip work, plus a home option.
4 training days50 minIntermediate3 days a weekA 12-week exercise plan for over-65s: strength and balance three times a week, short balance sessions and daily walks, based on falls-prevention trials.
3 training days40 minBeginnerThese are the site's lines from our hip, knee, back and yoga guides, word for word, apart from lines marked as our suggestion. This is general information, not a diagnosis. A&E means accident and emergency; in the US, call 911 for 999, and use your doctor's urgent line or urgent care for NHS 111.
Call 999 if:
Ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 if you have severe hip pain that started suddenly but you've not had a fall or injured your hip, your hip is swollen and feels hot, the skin around your hip has changed colour, or you have hip pain, feel generally unwell and have a high temperature (or feel hot, cold or shivery). A hot, swollen hip with a high temperature can be a joint infection.
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Call 999 or go to A&E (accident and emergency) straight away for severe difficulty breathing (gasping, choking or not able to get words out), a chest that feels tight or heavy, pain that spreads to your arms, back, neck and jaw, lips or skin turning very pale, blue or grey, or sudden confusion. If you're more short of breath than usual, or your heart is racing, fluttering or skipping beats, contact NHS 111.
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If you get chest pain or pressure, feel faint or dizzy, are unusually breathless, or your heart races or beats irregularly during exercise, as our plans advise.
A joint pain that is sharp, gets worse during a session, lingers into the next day or changes how you move is a reason to use an easier version, and to see a GP or physiotherapist if it keeps happening (the rule in our plans). Muscle soreness for a day or two after something new is normal. In a hot class, stop if you feel dizzy, sick or unwell; our hot yoga guide lists the signs of heat illness.
You can say no to any hands-on adjustment, and a teacher registered with Yoga Alliance must get your explicit consent each time.
With glaucoma, or high blood pressure that isn't under control, skip headstands, shoulder stands and long head-down holds. With osteoporosis, swap deep forward folds for a flat-back hinge from the hips, and twist smoothly. In pregnancy, our yoga in pregnancy guide covers the changes. NCCIH advises beginners to avoid headstands, shoulder stands, the lotus position and forceful breathing.
See your GP first if you get chest pain, breathlessness or dizziness when you are active, if you have a heart condition and want to exercise harder, or if you have had a fall.
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Our yoga in pregnancy guide covers the changes; keep wide stances and one-leg poses near a wall as your balance changes (our suggestion).
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The NHS advises getting advice from a healthcare professional first if you have a health problem, an injury or symptoms, or have recently had a heart attack or an operation.
If you have a heart, lung or joint condition, are pregnant or have recently been unwell, start gently and read our guide for your condition. Muscle soreness for a day or two after a new exercise is common and fades as you repeat it.
If you have a heart condition, follow your cardiac team's advice on how hard to work, and stop for the warning signs above. People with long-term conditions may wish to ask their specialist before starting. With uncontrolled high blood pressure, avoid straining against a held breath; the high blood pressure guide has more.
In older adults, leg strength improved against no exercise and against other exercise, and in knee osteoarthritis it rose nearly as much as with a strengthening programme, though equal strength isn't proven.
Muscle mass didn't change in a 3-month yoga programme, our searches found no trial comparing yoga with heavy leg training, and thigh activity in standing poses was a third to a half of walking's in older adults.
Across 65 studies, stretching programmes didn't lengthen muscle fibres, our searches found no trial showing yoga builds leg muscle, and no exercise slims one area. Our yoga for legs and yoga for toning guides cover toning.
The knee load was the same with or without the wall in a lab study of 20 older adults.
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Balance improves a little, but falls prevention by yoga on its own hasn't been shown.
Yoga didn't change bone density in 6 studies; the UK guidelines add impact and resistance exercise for bone.
Yes, modestly, especially in older adults and people who weren't exercising: leg strength improved against no exercise and against other exercise in trials. The newest review found the gain smaller once it allowed for small studies that may be missing.
In two trials, yoga came close to strengthening programmes: in knee osteoarthritis, leg strength rose 17.8 kg with yoga and 21.2 kg with physiotherapy exercise, a difference that could be chance. No trial has compared yoga with heavy leg training in healthy adults, so for the most strength or muscle, add squats or step-ups with weight.
Chair pose, warrior I and II and crescent lunge for the front of the thighs; half moon and warrior III for the buttocks; one-leg poses like tree for the side of the hip. Add calf and toe raises, which yoga poses barely work.
Yes: in older adults, more than doing nothing and a little more than other exercise, and in middle-aged adults sit-and-reach improved by 6 to 7 cm in 12 weeks. Hold lunges, pyramid and hip stretches for 30 to 60 seconds to a clear pull.
Yes: in people over 60, yoga improved balance and getting about by small to medium amounts. It hasn't been shown to prevent falls on its own, and our yoga for balance guide has a class.
Not much: a yoga programme didn't change muscle mass, and standing poses are a moderate load. If size is your goal, add load you can keep increasing; stronger legs are worth having at any size.
Not usually, but the knee is the part most often injured in yoga. Short stances, knees over your second toe and a shallow chair pose help; the back leg in warrior II takes the most sideways load. Get advice from NHS 111 if your knee locks, gives way or is badly swollen.
Twice a week as strength work, with a balance pose each time; most trials used 2 or 3 sessions a week for 8 to 24 weeks. Over 65, the NHS asks for strength, balance and flexibility work on at least 2 days a week.
Yes: standing up from a chair improved in older-adult trials. Start with chair yoga or poses holding a counter, and our yoga for legs and chair yoga guides have classes.
It hasn't been shown to: yoga didn't change bone density in trials. For bones, the UK guidelines add impact and resistance exercise.
No exercise takes fat off the part it works; whole-body activity and eating do. Our yoga for weight loss guide covers it, and nothing here promises a particular shape.
Exercise education, not a personal prescription, and clinical review of these guides is pending. If you are pregnant, have a health condition such as glaucoma, high blood pressure or osteoporosis, or have had recent surgery, check with a doctor, midwife or physiotherapist before starting, and stop for sharp or increasing pain. Health disclaimer.
