The Body You Want, The Poses You Need
Fitness Goal: ENDURANCE

By Nicole Kwan

20 ways to boost your power, strength, energy, and endurance

You're busy. We get it. But you still want every benefit possible from the time you spend in practice—power, strength, energy, and endurance—without spending hours on the mat. To help, we've asked four top yoga experts to choose their favorite poses to create the ultimate yoga workout. It’s a virtual yoga buffet where you can fill up on all your favorites in one stop, and still have a little time to tackle the rest of your life.
 
In this series, we've pulled over 20 poses from ashtanga (better than a Hollywood weight trainer), vinyasa (the Ironman of yoga), kundalini (could be called ginseng yoga), and power yoga (equal to power lifting), pick the ones you need for your workout goals, and get started on the body you want.

FITNESS GOAL: Endurance

STYLE: Vinyasa (“flow”) teaches the body to inhale or exhale with every asana in order to increase your heart rate. To master flow you must master relaxation and breath.
EXPERT: “The tighter you are, the more you use up your energy, leading to fatigue,” says Jonny Kest. Founder of the Midwest Yoga Conference series, Kest’s vinyasa classes are famous for choreography that demands physical and emotional stamina.

Practice these poses 10-20 times. Exhale on downward movements and inhale on upward, or hold each pose for three breaths. This challenging sequence of back bending, abdominal strengthening, and core awakening will stoke your endurance.

Camel (Ustrasana)

Kneel on the floor with knees together. Bring palms to lower back. Exhale, lift chest, and go back into a backbend. Try to bring one hand at a time to feet.

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