The benefits of a yoga practice go far beyond the physical. However, consider it a cherry on top that when you practice consistently, you end up toning your soul’s vehicle — AKA your bod and your booty.
This article shares the five most important yoga poses for shaping and strengthening your booty.
Beyond aesthetics, a strong booty is also often a well-functioning booty — one that kicks on to do its job in all the right moments. For that reason, strong (and incidentally beautiful) glutes keep your hips and back happy too.
Let’s get on to the goods, shall we?
5 Yoga Poses for a Strong & Beautiful Booty
1. Bridge Pose / Setu Bandhasana
The classic glute bridge delivers just the right amount of hip extension and gluteal engagement to tone and strengthen your bum.
There are as many variations as there are yogis, and they all benefit different parts of the glutes.
For this version, focus on:
- Keeping energy between your knees. Imagine a softball between ’em
- Squeezing the seat to lift it higher. You won’t always have to squeeze when you do this pose, but if you want to target the glutes specifically, it helps a lot.
- Grounding through the heels to connect your legs and glutes. Notice what it feels like to activate the whole back chain.
Need some hip flexor love? Read THIS to discover how to stretch your stubborn hips.
2. Locust Pose / Salabhasana
The whole rear chain is activated in locust, making this yoga pose an excellent one for toning the glutes.
Once again, there are many variations that can deliver the gluteal engagement you’re looking for — so no need to stress about which version is the “best” (there’s no such thing).
As long as you are lifting your legs against gravity, you are contracting the booty muscles.
To focus on:
- Notice and embrace how the hamstrings and glutes work together in this pose.
- See if you can lift the legs a little bit higher (ideally without bending the knees)
- Experiment with taking the legs wider and narrower. Every variation will target new fibers in your glutes, which is GREAT for both function and beauty.
3. Wheel Pose / Urdhva Dhanurasana
If there were one pose that had the power to counter nearly all of the hazards of modern living (sitting, driving, texting), then wheel pose has to be it.
It’s an incredible stretch for the entire front body, and it’s remarkably effective for strengthening for the back body. What’s more, it builds booty strength in quite a deep range of motion.
All of this amounts to a happily mobile whole body. Yippee.
To focus on:
- Imagine STANDING in your legs. You want a lot of force downward through the feet so that you can lift your hips sky high.
- Notice what happens if you widen your legs. Notice what happens when you narrow them. Make a practice of spending time in both versions!
- Consider your first wheel a warm-up. This pose is tough for almost everyone! Execute it at least 3 times if you can, and notice how the 3rd one feels in comparison to the 1st.
4. Warrior 3 / Virabhadrasana 3
Warrior 3 tones the rear end of the top leg, but it tones the outer booty on the bottom leg too by engaging the gluteus medius muscle on the side of the hip.
In fact, all standing balances have the power to strengthen and shape your side booty. In my view, the biggest advantage of this is healthy hips and a lower back that doesn’t tend to give out.
Let’s take a look at the top leg though. By resisting gravity and creating a slight extension in the hip (think about the front of the hip lengthening), you’re kicking on the glute maximus.
If you want to emphasize the booty benefits:
- Be sure your hips are roughly even. If you allow the hip of your floating leg to roll upward too much (which is basically everyone’s tendency!), then you’ll lose the glute engagement and put the burden on your back.
- Consider pulsing the leg upward 10-20 times. You can always touch a wall for balance.
- Put an ankle weight on!
5. Camel Pose / Ustrasana
Camel pose might be one of the most underrated yoga poses — especially when it comes to building a very strong and functional back body.
When you bring attention to the bum in this pose, you not only take your backbend deeper — you also ensure that your glutes do a great job of supporting your weight throughout the day.
Yes, this could mean an enviable derrière… but it also means that you get to feel really good in daily life. Woohoo!
To emphasize the booty lifting power:
- Think about literally squeezing your butt. You don’t always have to do camel this way, but it can help kick your strengthening into high gear.
- Send your hips forward. Again, this doesn’t always have to be your emphasis (I love focusing on lifting the heart, for instance), but this will help you engage the glutes in their primary action of extending the hips.
- Try tucking your toes to hyper-tune your awareness of the whole rear chain.
There you have it!
5 yoga poses to help you strengthen and tone the booty.
The beauty piece is only a side effect of a regular yoga practice, which builds you a functional body, balanced mind, and expansive spirit.
If you’re looking for great online yoga classes that sometimes happen to lift your booty, I invite you take a free trial on my membership site. You can check it out here.
Thank you for reading!
In peace,
Leigha Butler
Leigha Butler is a long-time YouTuber, yogi, momma, vegan, and lover of wellness. She brings her former life as an Environmental Lit teacher to bear on her writings — with the goal of uplifting people and planet.
Find her yoga classes on YouTube or take a free trial on her membership site.
