No equipment needed to tone your lower body

You don’t have to use a gym’s exercise machines to strengthen your legs and firm up your buttocks. Here is a classic yoga pose that targets your lower body muscles efficiently and effectively. To protect your knees, keep your weight on your heels.

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1 Stand with your feet together or hip-width apart. Place your hands on the front of your thighs and bend your knees toward a 90-degree angle. Keep your weight on your heels and point your tailbone down toward the floor. Lift your chest and lengthen your back. Stay in this position for three breaths.

2 On an exhalation, bend your knees more deeply while keeping your heels on the floor. Inhale and raise your arms overhead, hands shoulder-width apart with your palms facing inward. Draw your shoulder blades down your back as you reach up with your arms. Try to create more space between the tops of your shoulders and your ears. Hold for three breaths, then return to the standing position by pushing into your heels and straightening your knees. Release your arms down alongside your body.

-- Karen Voight