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Yoga Poses for Strength

Build strength through yoga poses that ask your muscles to support, stabilise and control your body. Browse poses for the core, legs, arms and upper body, and choose variations that suit your current level of practice.

Person practising Standing Split from the side with one foot grounded and the other leg lifted high behind.

Standing Split

Urdhva Prasarita Eka Padasana

Standing Split is a one-legged forward fold that asks for balance, hamstring length and clear work through the standing hip. It does not need to become a full split shape to be useful.

Person practising Sugarcane Pose with one hand on the floor, standing on one leg and holding the lifted foot behind.

Sugarcane Pose

Ardha Chandra Chapasana

Sugarcane Pose builds on Half Moon by adding a bend in the lifted leg and a reach for the foot. It asks for balance, hip stability and a controlled backbend, so it works best when you enter it patiently rather than trying to grab the foot quickly.

Person balancing on one leg in Standing Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose with the other leg lifted forward.

Standing Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose

Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana

Standing Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose is a one-leg balance that combines steady standing, hip flexion and hamstring length. The shape does not need a straight lifted leg to be useful. For many people, the clearest version is with the knee bent and the spine upright.

Practitioner in Side Lunge Pose with one knee bent, the other leg extended, and hands supported in front.

Side Lunge Pose

Skandasana

Side Lunge Pose is a wide-legged lateral squat that works into the hips, inner thighs and ankles while asking the bent leg to carry some clear strength. It is often more manageable when you treat it as a moderate side shift rather than trying to drop to the floor.

Side view of Shoulder Stand with the body lifted vertically on the shoulders and hands supporting the back.

Shoulder Stand

Salamba Sarvangasana

Shoulder Stand is a supported inversion where the body lifts vertically from the shoulders rather than balancing on the head or neck. It asks for organised upper back support, steady core work and enough shoulder mobility to keep the throat and neck spacious.

Front view of Side Crow Pose with both knees resting on one upper arm and both feet lifted from the floor.

Side Crow Pose

Parsva Bakasana

Side Crow is a compact arm balance with a twist. It asks for wrist loading, a rounded upper back, clear core support and a forward shift of weight more than a big jump upward.

Person practising Side Plank with one hand on the floor, body turned sideways and top arm reaching upward.

Side Plank

Vasisthasana

Side Plank is a one-arm balancing pose that builds shoulder stability, side-body strength and clear whole-body organisation. It asks you to support yourself with one hand and one foot while keeping the chest open and the hips lifted.

Front view of Sage Koundinya Pose with the body balanced on bent arms and both legs extended to the side.

Sage Koundinya Pose

Eka Pada Koundinyasana I

Sage Koundinya Pose is a twisting arm balance that grows out of a deep lunge and rotation through the trunk. It asks for shoulder stability, wrist tolerance, core support and enough hip mobility to place the outer thigh high on the upper arm before you shift forward.

Practitioner balancing in Scale Pose with legs tucked and hands pressing into the floor

Scale Pose

Tolasana

Scale Pose is a compact seated arm balance that asks for strong pressing through the hands, a rounded lift through the trunk and enough hip mobility to keep the legs tucked in. It is usually approached from Lotus Pose, though not every body will find that version comfortable or appropriate.

Side view of Scorpion Pose with forearms on the mat, knees bent and feet curving toward the head.

Scorpion Pose

Vrschikasana

Scorpion Pose is a demanding inversion and backbend that asks for strong shoulder support, clear balance and careful control through the spine. It is usually learned after steady work in forearm balance or handstand variations, often with a wall.