Yoga guide
Yoga works your thighs from every side: chair pose, the warriors and lunges are strength holds for the front, warrior III and bridges work the back, and wide poses and squeezes work the inside, while lunges, folds and wide stretches add flexibility. In trials, mostly of older adults, yoga improved leg strength and flexibility a little, about as much as light strengthening classes. What it can't do is take fat off your thighs: no exercise burns fat from the part it works, and yoga hasn't been shown to change body size on its own.
This guide covers the muscles on each side of your thigh, which poses work them and how hard, what the trials show for strength and flexibility, why thigh fat is stored where it is and why that isn't a health problem, how to strengthen your inner thighs, the classes to follow and the warning signs. Thighs come in every shape and size, and nothing here promises a particular one.
The quads at the front straighten the knee; the hamstrings at the back bend it and help straighten the hip; the adductors on the inside draw the legs together. The outside of the thigh is mostly the side-hip muscles. Yoga's standing poses work the front of the thigh most.
In one lab study of 11 instructors, chair pose and the front leg of warrior II worked the outer quad at about 47% of its maximum, and warrior III worked the hamstrings at up to 37%. That sits between ordinary rehab exercises (under 35%) and heavy weights (67% to 79%), though muscle activity in one session isn't a proven guide to how much a muscle will grow. In older adults, thigh muscle activity in standing poses was only 33% to 49% of its peak during walking.
Against no exercise, the gain in leg strength was small to moderate (7 trials, 485 people); the newest review, which we could read only as an abstract, found it borderline once it allowed for small studies that may be missing. In 117 adults with knee arthritis, leg strength rose 17.8 kg with yoga and 21.2 kg with physiotherapist-led strengthening, a difference that could be chance.
No trial has compared yoga with weight training for thigh size. Strength rises most with heavier loads, and progressive resistance training had a large effect on strength in older adults across 73 trials. Any strength work counts towards the guideline of at least 2 days a week.
Across 13 studies (1,158 people), training one limb didn't take fat off it. When adults trained one leg for 12 weeks, fat fell in the arms and trunk but not in either leg. And across 30 trials, yoga didn't change weight, body fat or waist size.
In twins, about 80% of the differences in lower-body fat were down to genes, and larger hips and thighs went with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes in studies that followed people over time. Those are associations, not proof, and no reason to want bigger or smaller thighs. This page promises no shape: the aim is stronger, more flexible thighs.
Four muscles that straighten the knee and control it as it bends under your weight, on stairs, squats and standing up. One of them, the rectus femoris, also lifts the thigh, so it overlaps with the hip flexors. Our yoga for the quads guide covers them in depth.
They bend the knee and, with the big buttock muscle, straighten the hip, as in standing up from a fold or pushing off when you walk. Our yoga for hamstrings guide covers them in depth.
A medical anatomy summary: "The medial thigh muscles mainly allow for adduction of the leg." That means drawing the leg in towards the other one. It adds: "Weak adductor muscles can create knee instability and increase the risk of an adductor strain."
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The outside of the thigh is mostly the side-hip muscles running into the iliotibial band, a long band of tough tissue. They keep your pelvis level when you stand on one leg; our yoga for glutes guide covers them.
Fat under the skin of the hips, buttocks and thighs is a long-term energy store. A review of the biology: "Women, compared to men, have higher percent body fat and deposit it in a different pattern, with relatively more adipose tissue in the hips and thighs." The pattern appears at puberty and shifts towards the middle after the menopause. In Danish twins, genes explained about 80% of the differences in lower-body fat.
Height, the width of your pelvis, the angle of your thigh bones, muscle and fat all change how thighs look, as our Pilates for hip dips guide explains. None of it is a measure of fitness, and nothing on this page promises a particular shape of leg or a thigh gap.
Legs that are painful, tender or heavy, bruise easily and are out of proportion with the rest of you can be lipoedema, a long-term condition that needs a GP's diagnosis. The warning signs below have the site's line, and our yoga for lipoedema guide covers yoga with it.
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Front: in 11 instructors, the outer quad worked at 47.2% of its maximum in chair pose and 47.7% in the front leg of warrior II, and the inner quad at 50.4% in the back leg of warrior I. Back: warrior III worked the hamstrings hardest of five poses (28.5% to 37.2%), while in chair pose and the warriors they worked at about 10% to 20%. Inside: in older adults, warrior II loaded the hip adductors at about 4 times walking, but the muscles' own activity wasn't recorded.
In a sun salutation, the thigh and buttock muscles worked hardest in the low lunge (about 35% and 39%), and more while moving between poses than while holding them. Standing versions of poses worked the thighs harder than chair-seated versions, and one-leg balances work the ankle more than the thigh.
Hold these figures loosely: the instructor figures come from one lab study of 11 people, with wide differences between them, and every study here measured a single session, not training over weeks.
In 13 untrained men, ordinary rehab exercises stayed under 35% of maximum, while leg extensions and hamstring curls reached 67% to 79%. A groin-injury study treats about 80% as the rough cut-off for strength gains in athletes. But a methods review warns that muscle activity measured in one session isn't a validated predictor of muscle growth. So yoga's standing poses are a real but moderate strength stimulus for the front of the thigh, less for the back and inside, and harder to make heavier than weights.
Across 22 randomised trials in people over 60, yoga improved leg strength against no exercise (a small to moderate effect: 7 trials, 485 people) and about as much against walking and other activity (3 trials, 225 people). A review of 12 studies found much the same. The newest review (21 studies, 1,471 older adults), which we could read only as an abstract, found the leg strength gain fell to borderline once it allowed for small studies that may be missing. In older women alone, 2 of 5 trials improved leg strength. Most trials measured chair stands (standing up from a chair again and again), not thigh strength on a machine.
In 118 inactive adults averaging 62, 8 weeks of hatha yoga 3 times a week matched a stretching and strengthening class for chair stands. In 117 adults with knee arthritis, a well-run trial, leg strength rose 17.8 kg with yoga and 21.2 kg with physiotherapist-led strengthening at 12 weeks; the gap of 3.4 kg could be chance, but the trial was designed to measure pain, not strength. In 41 people with Parkinson's, a specially designed fast yoga matched machine power training for leg press strength.
In 21 healthy young adults, 8 weeks of heated yoga raised deadlift strength and hamstring flexibility. That is one small trial, which we read as an abstract.
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We found no trial in healthy adults comparing yoga with progressive weight training for thigh muscle size or leg fat (58 records). The comparison is indirect.
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In older adults, progressive resistance training had a large effect on strength across 73 trials (3,059 people), larger than yoga's, though in different trials. The American College of Sports Medicine's 2026 review of reviews found strength rose most with heavier loads (80% or more of the most you can lift once), a full range of movement, 2 to 3 sets and at least 2 sessions a week, while muscle size grew across a wide range of loads.
The UK Chief Medical Officers: "Adults should do activities to develop or maintain strength in the major muscle groups. This could include resistance exercises. Muscle strengthening activities should be done on at least 2 days a week, but any strengthening activity is better than none." The NHS lists yoga among strengthening activities, done "to the point where you need a short rest before repeating the activity".
Yoga's thigh work counts as strength training, and it suits beginners, older adults and sore knees. For the most strength or muscle, add squats, lunges or step-ups with a load you can keep increasing; our guides to strengthening your quads, hamstrings and adductors give the doses.
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Across 77 studies, regular stretching increased range of movement by a moderate amount compared with not stretching, and how long, how hard or how often people stretched made no clear difference.
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Across 11 trials, strength training improved range of movement about as much as stretching. So lunges, bridges and wide squats add range as well as strength. The trials varied a lot.
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In older adults, yoga improved lower-body flexibility against no exercise and, less, against other exercise. In 40 female students, 16 weeks of home yoga added 3.5 cm on the sit-and-reach and 6 cm on a front-to-back split, which works the hamstrings and hip flexors rather than the inner thighs; the size of the effect reported is too large to be believable.
We found no yoga trial that measured side-split range or inner-thigh flexibility. Our yoga for the splits class has the middle-split work: widen over months, not in one session.
A 2022 review of 13 controlled studies (1,158 people) compared a trained limb with an untrained one: "Localized muscle training had no effect on localized adipose tissue depots, i.e., there was no spot reduction, regardless of the characteristics of the population and of the exercise program." Eight of the 13 studies measured the leg. The journal isn't in the main medical index and some samples overlap, but every thigh trial below agrees.
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In 11 young adults who did 960 to 1,200 light leg presses with one leg 3 times a week for 12 weeks, fat fell 10.2% in the arms and 6.9% in the trunk, but not in the trained leg. In 8 young women, 12 weeks of one-leg cycling left the fat in both thighs the same on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. In 10 women, the fat layer over a trained thigh got thinner only because the muscle underneath grew. When 104 adults trained one arm, MRI scans found fat loss all over, not just where they trained.
We found no exercise trial of inner-thigh or toning moves that measured thigh fat; the studies that did measure it were of cosmetic devices and surgery.
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A trial in 16 men found more fat loss around the middle when tummy exercises were added to running, and its authors say "it is unclear if the findings translate to women". Nothing like it has been shown for thighs.
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Across 30 trials (2,173 people): "No effects on weight, body mass index, body fat percentage or waist circumference were found." A 2023 review in people with obesity called the evidence inconclusive, and in 23 stressed adults 8 weeks of yoga or Pilates changed flexibility and balance, not body composition. No yoga study has measured leg fat on a body scan; the two reports of smaller thighs after yoga had no proper control group, and one gives measurements that can't be right.
Losing fat from the whole body, by moving more and eating a little less. The American College of Sports Medicine: "Evidence does not support that any one single mode of physical activity is superior to other modes for the prevention of weight gain or weight loss". Our how to lose thigh fat and yoga for weight loss guides have the plan.
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In 45 women training for 5 months, fat came mostly off the trunk, so the legs' share of body fat rose from 39.7% to 41.6%. A trial in men suggests fat in the upper body is used for fuel more readily than fat lower down. People differ, and nobody can promise when, or whether, thighs will change.
Reviews of population studies link more fat on the hips and thighs with healthier blood fats and blood sugar. In 1,357 Dutch adults aged 50 to 75, larger thighs went with lower odds of type 2 diabetes in women, after allowing for waist size; in men the link wasn't clear. In Danish adults, thighs under about 60 cm went with more heart disease and earlier death, perhaps from too little muscle. These are associations, not proof, and no reason to want bigger or smaller thighs.
The NHS lists signs such as spending a lot of time worrying about your weight and body shape, exercising too much, and having very strict habits or routines around food. If that sounds like you, see a GP as soon as you can. You can also talk in confidence to the eating disorder charity Beat: 0808 801 0677 (England), 0808 801 0432 (Scotland), 0808 801 0433 (Wales) or 0808 801 0434 (Northern Ireland), 3pm to 8pm, Monday to Friday.
In a survey of 2,287 young adults, women who did yoga or Pilates had disordered eating as often as those who didn't, and men who did them reported more extreme weight-control behaviours (18.6% against 6.8%). Set goals for strength, control and how you feel, not calories burned.
The Copenhagen adduction exercise, a side plank with the top leg on a bench, done 3 times a week before the season and once a week during it, lowered the risk of reporting groin problems by 41% in 652 male footballers. In 24 young footballers, 8 weeks raised eccentric (lengthening) inner-thigh strength by 35.7%. A squeeze between the knees gave high inner-thigh muscle activity in footballers. These trials were in sporty men; the moves build strength, not slimmer thighs.
Warrior II loads the hip adductors at about 4 times walking, though that is a joint load, not measured muscle work, and goddess pose and wide squats work them too. No yoga trial has measured inner-thigh strength.
A cushion squeeze lying down and a side-lying lift are gentle starts, and the knee side plank leads towards the Copenhagen plank, which is for once a 30-second side plank feels steady, as our how to lose thigh fat guide advises (our suggestion for the order). After a groin strain, use our yoga for groin strain guide's staged plan instead.
Slow breathing 1 minute, standing, in for about 4 and out for about 6; sun salutation A 2 slow rounds, stepping back rather than jumping (our yoga for legs class). The low lunge is where the thighs work hardest in a sun salutation.
Chair pose 3 holds of 20 to 30 seconds, resting between; warrior II 5 breaths each side, twice; high lunge 5 breaths each side (our yoga for legs class). Warrior I 3 to 5 breaths each side (our yoga for legs guide's editorial starting point). Wall sit, optional, 30 seconds at a depth you could hold for 45, breathing normally (our knee strengthening workout). Sit to stand 8 to 10 slow stands (our yoga for arthritis class).
3D demoChair pose (Utkatasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoWarrior II (Virabhadrasana II)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demoHigh lunge (crescent lunge, Ashta Chandrasana)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demoWarrior I (Virabhadrasana I)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demoWall sitBeginner · A wall
3D demoSit to stand from a chairBeginner · A bench or boxWarrior III 3 to 5 breaths each side, hands on a wall at hip height to start; single-leg glute bridge 8 to 10 each side, foot close to your bottom; locust 3 holds of 3 breaths (our yoga for legs class). Glute bridge 10 slow lifts, squeezing a cushion between your knees to add the inner thighs (our yoga for groin strain class).
Goddess pose 12 slow pulses, knees over your toes (our yoga for legs class). Lying adductor ball squeeze 6 holds of 5 to 10 seconds (our yoga for groin strain class and inner thigh workout). Side-lying inner thigh lift: "10 to 12 each side. A suggested starting point. No trial has tested this move on its own." (the move page's dose). Knee side plank 2 holds of 15 to 20 seconds each side (our yoga for groin strain class). Copenhagen plank, optional, once a 30-second side plank feels steady: 3 to 15 reps each side, top knee on a bench first (our inner thigh workout); its page says to "start with 3 to 5 slow reps a side and build up over the weeks".
3D demoGoddess pose (Utkata Konasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoLying adductor ball squeezeBeginner · Other / check instructions
3D demoSide-lying inner thigh lift (Pilates side kick series)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoKnee side plankBeginner · No equipment
3D demoCopenhagen plankAdvanced · A bench or boxTree pose 2 holds of 20 to 30 seconds each side, the lifted foot at your ankle or calf, never pressed into the knee (our yoga for groin strain class). Half moon 3 to 5 breaths each side, bottom hand on a block (our yoga for legs class). Standing wall-press hip abduction: "3 to 5 holds of 5 to 15 seconds each side, twice a day: the standing hold in the LEAP trial programme." (the move page's dose).
Low lunge 45 seconds each side, back knee padded; pyramid pose 30 seconds each side, hands on blocks (our yoga for legs class). Standing and side-lying quad stretches: "Hold 20 to 30 seconds, 2 to 4 times each side (our editorial starting point)." (from the move page's dose). Hamstring stretch with a strap 45 seconds each side, stopping at a mild pull; bound angle 60 seconds, without pushing your knees down (our yoga for the splits class). Wide-legged forward fold 3 to 5 breaths, hands on blocks or a chair (our editorial starting point). Gate pose: "Hold 30 to 60 seconds, about 5 to 10 slow breaths, each side, 2 rounds (our editorial starting point)." (from the move page's dose).
3D demoLow lunge (Anjaneyasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoStanding quad stretchBeginner · A wall
3D demoSide-lying quad stretchBeginner · No equipment
3D demoPyramid pose (Parsvottanasana)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demoSupine hamstring stretch with a strapBeginner · No equipment
3D demoBound angle pose (Baddha Konasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoWide-legged standing forward fold (Prasarita Padottanasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoGate pose (Parighasana)Beginner · No equipmentReclining bound angle: "Rest 2 to 5 minutes with a support under each thigh (our editorial starting point)." (from the move page's dose). Corpse pose 2 to 3 minutes (our yoga for legs class).
Pulses, inner-thigh circles or butterfly flapping done to burn thigh fat don't do it. Do inner-thigh work for strength, at the doses above.
Deep kneeling quad stretches that need healthy knees; our yoga for the quads guide covers them and their cautions. You don't need them for the thighs (our suggestion).
The wide-angle seated forward fold's page says: "Groin strains happen when people force the legs wider than they are ready for. Widen over months, not in one session." Our yoga for the splits class has the steps.
No benefit for the thighs, and a risk to the knees; our yoga for legs guide's knee rules leave them out while a knee is sore.
Goblet squats and split squats aren't yoga, but they are the best next step for more thigh strength; our how to strengthen your quads and how to lose thigh fat guides give the doses.
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The dose is our yoga for groin strain class's (6 holds of 5 to 10 seconds); a squeeze between the knees gave high inner-thigh muscle activity in footballers (Krommes 2017). How often, and stopping for sharp groin pain, are our suggestions.
See the movement on the 3D figure: Lying adductor ball squeeze
No single yoga class works all three sides of the thigh. Our yoga for legs class has the front and back holds; add the inner thigh workout or the yoga for the splits class for the insides. After a strain, use the groin strain or hamstring injury classes; the plus-size, lipoedema and chair classes are gentler starts.
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, 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, bandA 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, wallA 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 towards the front and middle splits: a warm-up, hip flexor and hamstring stretches, standing strength in long positions, then the inner thighs.
30 minBeginner19 movesWallA 25-minute inner thigh workout at home: sumo squats with a dumbbell or kettlebell, Cossack squats, ball squeezes and Copenhagen planks, with bridges and hip mobility.
25 minIntermediate10 movesDumbbell, kettlebellA 20-minute Pilates class for your inner thighs: squeezes with a ring, ball or cushion, side-lying lifts, standing work and a short stretch, with a harder option.
20 minBeginner13 movesOther / check instructions, bench or boxA 12-minute routine to loosen tight hamstrings with strap stretches, PNF, folds and hinges.
12 minBeginner7 movesNo equipmentA gentle leg strength routine with no jumping: sit-to-stands, step-ups, wall sits, bridges and calf raises.
20 minBeginner7 movesBench or box, stepA 25-minute yoga class after a groin strain: squeezes, bridges and side planks, then short-stance standing poses and side steps, with no wide-legged stretches.
25 minBeginner15 movesOther / check instructions, wallA 25-minute yoga class for the weeks after a hamstring strain: hamstrings working, not stretching, trunk and balance, and two lengthening moves from the trials.
25 minBeginner16 movesWall, dumbbellA 30-minute yoga class for plus-size and bigger bodies: seated, then standing with a chair and wall, then an optional mat block, with a chair-only option.
30 minBeginner21 movesBench or box, stepA low-impact 25-minute yoga class for lipoedema (lipedema): sitting calf work, standing strength at a chair, padded floor work and a rest with your legs raised.
25 minBeginner17 movesBench or box, wallA free 20-minute chair yoga class for older adults: slow breathing, gentle seated stretches and twists, standing poses holding the chair, and a calm finish.
20 minBeginner18 movesBench or box, something with weightA 25-minute gentle yoga class for complete beginners and over-50s: slow breathing, a warm-up, supported standing poses, floor poses and a closing rest.
25 minBeginner14 movesNo equipmentA plan that builds leg strength week by week, and two for whole-body activity if losing fat is your aim.
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 minBeginner6 days a weekA free 8-week walking plan for beginners: build to 150 minutes of brisk walking a week, with intervals, hills and two short strength sessions.
6 training days40 minBeginner5 days a weekA 12-week workout plan for weight loss: three strength days, two cardio days and daily steps, building to 200 minutes a week, with honest results.
3 training days45 minBeginnerChair pose's page says: "Stay shallow with knee pain or recent knee surgery." Goddess pose's page says: "Keep it shallow with groin strain or knee pain." Leave out hero pose and half frog while a knee is sore, as our yoga for legs guide says.
The Copenhagen plank's page says: "Avoid during acute groin pain." Warrior III's says: "Leave it alone while a hamstring or low back injury is settling." Pyramid pose's says: "A common spot for irritation of the hamstring tendon near the sitting bone. Keep it gentle if you feel a sharp pull right there." Our yoga for groin strain and hamstring injury classes are staged for recovery.
Goddess pose's page says: "Ask your clinician before wide turned out positions if you have had a hip replacement." Our yoga after a hip replacement guide covers the rest.
The wall sit's page says: "With glaucoma, keep holds short and keep breathing: eye pressure rises while a leg hold lasts." Keep head-down holds in pyramid pose and the wide-legged fold brief, as their pages say.
Pyramid pose's page says: "With osteoporosis, avoid deep or repeated rounding of the spine: fold from the hips with a long back, or leave it out."
Warrior II's page says: "With pelvic girdle pain in pregnancy, skip it or keep the stance narrow." Bound angle's says: "With pelvic girdle pain in pregnancy, skip it or keep the knees higher and closer together." The glute bridge's says: "In pregnancy, after the first trimester, keep time flat on your back to a few minutes: prop your upper body up, or use a side-lying or all-fours version."
The sit to stand's page says: "With a high body weight, use a sturdy chair rated for your weight, ideally with arms and a higher seat, and push on the arms or your thighs to start." Our yoga for plus-size bodies class starts from a chair.
Keep stretches mild and in the middle of your range, and favour the strengthening moves: the NHS says not to overextend your joints just because you can.
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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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These are the site's lines from our quad strain, yoga for legs, groin strain and other guides, word for word. 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.
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Leg pain or swelling with breathlessness or chest pain: call 999 or go to A&E, and do not drive yourself. It can be a blood clot that has reached the lungs.
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Call 999 or go to A&E now if you have a femoral hernia (a small lump at the top of your thigh, in your groin) and very bad tummy pain, you feel sick or you're being sick, you cannot fart or poo, you have a high temperature or you feel hot, cold or shivery, or you've suddenly become confused. Do not drive to A&E. With any other hernia and pain in or around it, a bloated tummy, feeling or being sick, vomiting blood or vomit that looks like coffee grounds, constipation, a high temperature or feeling hot, cold or shivery, or sudden confusion, get help from NHS 111.
Same day (NHS 111): the thigh is very painful or the pain is getting worse, there's a lot of swelling or bruising or it's getting worse, you can't put any weight on the leg or walk more than a few steps, it feels very stiff, or you have a very high temperature or feel hot, cold or shivery.
Get help from NHS 111 if you think you've injured your hamstring and it's very painful, or the pain is getting worse; there's a large amount of swelling or bruising, or the swelling or bruising is getting worse; it hurts to walk or stand using the injured leg; your leg feels very stiff or is difficult to move; it's not feeling any better after treating it yourself; or you have a very high temperature or you feel very hot, but also cold and shivery, which could be signs of an infection.
Same day: a pop just above the kneecap, then you can't straighten your knee or lift the straight leg, or there's a dent above the kneecap. This can be a quadriceps tendon tear, which almost always needs surgery and does better if it's repaired soon. Our torn kneecap tendons guide covers that injury.
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.
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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).
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A lump in the groin, upper thigh or tummy, especially one that appears when you cough or strain and goes when you lie down: see a GP, as it may be a true hernia. A femoral hernia (a small lump at the top of the thigh, mainly in women over 50, though it can happen to anyone) needs treating in hospital.
The NHS lists spending a lot of time worrying about your weight and body shape, eating very little food, exercising too much, and having very strict routines around food among the signs of an eating disorder, and says to see a GP as soon as you can. Worrying a lot about one area of your body can be body dysmorphic disorder. Beat's helpline in England is 0808 801 0677, and our eating disorders guide has the other numbers.
Call 999 if:
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.
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.
Breathe out through every effort, especially with high blood pressure, heart disease, glaucoma or diabetic eye disease, a hernia, or in pregnancy (our guide to getting stronger). With glaucoma or uncontrolled high blood pressure, skip headstands, shoulder stands and other full inversions, and keep other head-down poses brief or supported.
The NHS: "Avoid strenuous exercise such as running for up to 8 weeks, as there's a risk of further damage." Its hamstring page adds: stop any sport or exercise "if you start to feel pain in your hamstrings".
Stretch to a clear pull in the muscle, never a pain in the knee or a pinch at the front of the hip (our suggestion). The strap hamstring stretch's page says: "Burning, tingling or pins and needles down the leg is a nerve signal, not a stretch; back off and have it looked at."
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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.
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.
Training one limb didn't take fat off it across 13 studies, one-leg training took fat off the arms and trunk instead, and yoga didn't change weight, body fat or waist size across 30 trials. No yoga study has measured thigh fat on a scan. Yoga makes thighs stronger and more flexible; how they look isn't the measure.
We found no trial of inner-thigh or toning exercise that measured thigh fat, and the pooled evidence shows no spot reduction in any limb. Inner-thigh work builds strength, and that is reason enough to do it.
We found no study of it. Butterfly, or bound angle, is a stretch for the inner thighs and hips, and stretching doesn't burn fat from where you stretch.
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Fat comes off the whole body, slowly, and thigh fat may change later than fat around the middle. Quick changes on the scales are mostly water. Our how to lose thigh fat guide has a realistic pace.
More fat on the hips and thighs goes with healthier blood fats and blood sugar and a lower diabetes risk, and very small thighs with more heart disease, in studies that followed people over time. Where you store fat is mostly inherited.
Muscle grows slowly and you control the dose. Yoga's thigh load is moderate, and no trial has measured thigh muscle growth from yoga.
Yoga improved leg strength in older adults against no exercise and about as much as other exercise, and nearly matched physiotherapy strengthening in one knee arthritis trial. For the most strength, add load.
It isn't a health measure: whether you have one depends mostly on the width of your pelvis and the angle of your thigh bones, as our Pilates for hip dips guide explains. If chasing one is affecting how you eat or exercise, the support lines in the warning signs are for you.
Yes, for strength, flexibility and balance. Chair pose, the warriors and lunges work the front of the thigh at a moderate level, warrior III and bridges the back, and wide poses and squeezes the inside. In trials of older adults, yoga improved leg strength and lower-body flexibility a little.
Not from your thighs alone: training one leg didn't take fat off it in trials, and yoga on its own didn't change weight or body fat across 30 trials. Your thighs change, if they do, with the rest of you, through overall activity and eating. Our how to lose thigh fat guide covers that.
For the front, chair pose, warrior II and high lunge; for the back, warrior III and bridges; for the inside, goddess pose, a cushion squeeze between the knees and a side-lying lift; for the side of the hip, tree and half moon. Our yoga for legs class puts most of them together, and the stretches above cover each side.
No study shows it: we found no trial of inner-thigh or toning exercise that measured thigh fat, and spot reduction hasn't been seen in any limb. Inner-thigh exercises do make those muscles stronger, which helps steady the hips and knees.
Yoga builds strength in the thigh muscles, but how your thighs look depends on muscle, fat, bone and genes. We won't promise a look; stronger, more flexible thighs are a good result in themselves.
It builds strength, about as well as light strengthening classes in older adults, but the load is moderate and hard to increase. For more muscle, add squats, lunges or step-ups with weights you can keep increasing.
Not for the most strength or muscle: no trial has compared them for thigh size, and heavier loads that increase over time build the most strength. Yoga came close to a physiotherapy strengthening programme in one knee arthritis trial, so it's a good choice for sore knees or a gentler start.
Mostly genes and sex hormones: in twins, about 80% of the differences in lower-body fat were inherited, and women carry relatively more fat on the hips and thighs from puberty. It's normal, and in studies it goes with a lower diabetes risk than fat around the waist.
Bound angle, wide-legged forward folds and gate pose stretch the inner thighs. Let your knees fall open rather than pushing them, and widen over months, not in one session. Strength work through a full range adds flexibility too.
Two or three times a week, holding strength poses until your legs need a short rest, which is the NHS test for strength work. Stretch on most days if you like.
Usually, with short stances, knees in line with your toes and shallow bends at first. Leave out deep kneeling poses while a knee is sore, and see the warning signs for a pop, swelling or a knee that locks or gives way.
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.
