Yoga Lunges For All Levels (And Their Benefits)

/

Lunges are among my poses as both a student and a teacher. They can sound intimidating, especially when you picture the lunges you see being done with weights at a gym, or to exhaustion in workout videos. But as a yoga pose, there are so many variations of the lunges that there are options for almost everyone. Plus, by varying just one piece of the lunge, you can adjust which muscles engage the most, which areas of the body you benefit.  By their nature, lunges are going to involve the quads (fronts of the thighs), hamstrings (backs of the thighs) glute muscles (butt), hip extensors, hip flexors, and core. But as you vary the pose, you’ll feel it more in certain areas than others, and you’ll be able to choose the version of the pose that works best in your body at that moment. 

Runner’s Lunge

There is probably another name for this pose, but this is what I call it. It may also be called a low lunge, though I use that name for a different version, as you’ll see below. I consider the Runner’s lunge the “classic” form of lunge in yoga, in that it’s part of the Step Back Flow which is frequently done in the beginning of vinyasa classes and you can transition to just about any other lunge version from here. The clues below for runners lunge can be used for basically all lunges (Exception: where a twist is involved, hips won’t be square to the front). 

  • Press down through the front foot, and out through the back heel. 

  • The front knee should be directly over the ankle. Make sure the knee is not going past the front toes. 

  • Hips are square to the front of the mat. 

  • Chest is open and shoulders are away from the ears - think pulling the shoulder blades together.

  • Navel in and up, low ribs in. 

  • Even though they’re in totally different directions, think about the inner thighs pulling toward the midline of the body, toward each other. 

Low Lunge

The low lunge is similar to the Runner’s lunge, except the back knee is on the ground. If you’re concerned about pain in the knees, I suggest doubling up the mat, or placing a blanket under the knee. 

  • Toes of the back foot can be tucked (like in the Runner’s Lunge) or untucked. Unless otherwise instructed, it’s whatever feels best to you. 

  • If toes are untucked, make sure the back foot is straight (not turning in or out). 

  • It’s easy for the front knee to move past the front toes in this pose. Scootch the front foot forward if you notice this happening. 

  • While all lunges are good for stretching out the fronts of the hips, I find low lunge to be especially helpful here. 

  • Low Lunge Variation: Using the core, press down through the front foot, raise the arms up so the biceps are by the ears. 

Twisted Lunge

Twists are good for the digestive system and twists in a lunge are great for warming up the spine. The Twisted Lunge can be done from a Runner’s Lunge or Low Lunge. I’m demonstrating Runner’s Lunge here. Cues are written from the Right Foot Forward perspective. If you’re on the left side, just reverse them. 

  • From your Right side lunge, plant the left hand into the ground. 

  • Bring the right hand to the heart, and then reach it toward the sky (twisting your chest toward the right leg). 

  • Press out through the back heel. (Note: if you're in a low lunge and toes are untucked, this doesn’t apply). 

  • Keep the chest open, shoulder blades pulling together on the spine. 

Twisted Low Lunge With Bind

I love this variation because it opens up the chest, has the twist for the spine (and digestion), and really gets into the quad of the back leg. If you reach back and can’t get the leg, that’s fine - it’s all yoga!  Just the motion of reaching back and bending the knee offers a good stretch. 

  • Start in a low lunge, and move into a twisted low lunge (as described above). 

  • Begin to reach the lifted arm back in the direction of the back foot, opening up the shoulder and the chest. 

  • Bend the back knee. If it works for you and feels ok, reach for the back foot. If you get a hold of the foot, begin to pull the foot toward the body. If you don’t reach it, that’s ok too! 


High Lunge/Crescent Lunge/Lunging Warrior

Three names, same pose. In addition to the fronts and backs of the legs, you may also feel this pose in the core, as well as the calf of the back foot. 

  • Lower body is like Runner’s lunge; upper body is like Warrior I.

  • Shoulders and hips square to the front of the mat. 

  • Shoulder blades pulling together on the spine. 

  • Navel in and up, low ribs in. 

  • Sink the hips down just slightly so that you “settle into” this lunge. 

  • If you notice the torso leaning forward, pull the belly and low ribs back front leg, to center the spine. 

  • Ground down through the front foot, and out through the back foot. 

  • Arms are active, reaching for the sky. If your shoulders creep towards your ears, I find it helps to widen the arms into a little more of a V.