There is such a thing as a “yoga booty,” and this beginner yoga workout will help you build a tight, lifted, sculpted rear. Yoga does more than calm the mind—when you sequence poses well you can burn calories and tone muscles. Regular practice also improves quality of life, lowers stress and resting heart rate, reduces blood pressure and anxiety, eases low-back pain, helps with insomnia and depression, and increases overall strength and flexibility.
All you need is a mat, a quiet space, and comfortable clothes. These beginner-friendly poses focus on activating the glutes and core to shape your physique.
Standing Forward Fold
Stand with feet hip-width apart. Inhale as you lift your hands overhead; exhale and hinge at the hips to fold forward, keeping knees soft and spine long. Let your head hang and reach toward the floor. This movement engages the glutes and lower back and gives a good stretch. Hold at the bottom, then inhale to rise back up.
Chair Pose
From standing, feet hip-width, arms relaxed, inhale and lift your arms overhead. Exhale and sit your hips back as if lowering into a chair, aiming to get your thighs near parallel to the floor. Keep about 80% of your weight in your heels so you can wiggle your toes. Breathe deeply, press your shoulder blades down, reach through the fingertips, and hold for five to ten breaths.
Downward-Facing Dog
Start on hands and knees with wrists under shoulders and knees under hips. Spread your fingers and press evenly through the knuckles. Inhale, tuck the toes, then exhale and lift your hips up and back into an inverted V. Work toward a straight line from heels to tailbone and wrists to tailbone. Keep the neck relaxed, gaze toward the belly, press your heels down, and draw the shoulder blades away from the ears. Breathe for three to five breaths, then release.
Warrior I
Warrior poses are excellent for the glutes; Warrior I is especially beginner-friendly and can relieve sciatica symptoms. From standing, step your feet about 3.5–4 feet apart and lift your arms parallel to the floor. Turn your front foot out 90 degrees and the back foot slightly inward, aligning the heels. Square your torso toward the front leg and bend the front knee until the thigh is parallel to the floor. Raise your arms overhead with palms facing each other, expand through the ribcage, and hold for five to ten breaths.
Reverse Plank (Upward Plank)
Sit with legs extended, palms on the mat behind your hips, fingers spread and pointing toward your body. Inhale, then exhale and press through your palms and heels to lift your hips, creating a straight line from heels to shoulders. Keep the neck neutral and gaze up, drop the shoulders away from the ears, and pull your navel toward your spine to stabilize. Hold for about 30 seconds (five breaths), then release. To reset, sit tall and fold forward to stretch before repeating.
Bridge Pose
Lie on your back with knees bent, feet hip-distance and close to the glutes. Arms rest alongside the body with palms pressing into the mat. Inhale, then exhale and lift your hips by pressing through your shoulders and feet to form a straight line through the torso. Squeeze the glutes to lift higher if comfortable. Breathe and hold for five or more breaths, then slowly lower.
The most important step is simply showing up. Commit to the practice, give your best effort, and you’ll see progress. You deserve it.
