Nine yoga moves from celebrity fitness icon Trish Stratus
Roberto Caruso
Meet our expert
Trish Stratus
Former women's
wrestling champion
Trish Stratus turned
to yoga after a back
injury. Now a certified
instructor, she's an
advocate for mixing
the awareness of
yoga with the power
of strength training.
She also recently
starred in the action
thriller Bounty
Hunters.
Trish’s top three
fit rules:
1. Connect poses.
Boost your heart
rate by linking
poses together in
a fluid sequence.
It’s what yogis
call a flow.
2. Use resistance
all the time!
Whether you do
yoga, run or walk,
adding weight leads
to bonus calorie
burning and faster
muscle building.
3. Do it in the a.m.
It’s so easy to brush
off exercise after
work. Stay one step
ahead by starting
every day with
20 minutes
of movement.
Leap of faith
Stand with feet together and hands at the centre
of your chest (prayer). Step or lightly jump one foot
out to the side, so your feet end up about four feet
apart. Lower into a deep lunge, reaching arms out at
shoulder height, palms down (warrior 2). Push off
bent leg to return to standing prayer. Do five to
10 reps. After the last one, hold warrior 2 for five
breaths. Switch sides and repeat.
Perfect your form: In warrior 2, avoid leaning
torso forward over your thigh by keeping spine straight
and shoulders stacked over hips. Make sure front knee
is stacked over ankle and you can see your toes.
Dial it down: Do fewer reps, keeping your hands
on your waist throughout the movement.
Amp it up: Hold warrior 2, and pulse front leg
up and down three to five times. Use FitGloves to add resistance.
Bikram triangle
From warrior 2, flip palms so they face forward. Lean upper body over
bent knee as you windmill your arms until they reach straight up and
down. Look up to the ceiling, while pressing bottom elbow into the side
of the knee. Hold for five breaths. Straighten bent knee as you return
torso to upright with arms parallel to the floor. Switch sides and repeat.
Perfect your form: Keep front leg bent at 90 degrees, knee
stacked over the ankle and thigh parallel to the ground.
Dial it down: Turn your gaze to the ground and rest bottom
elbow on the thigh of your bent leg.
Amp it up: Do three reps on each side or use FitGloves.
Bicep curls and tricep extensions
From Bikram triangle, place top hand
on hip and make a fist with bottom
hand. Lift and lower bottom hand,
bending at the elbow for 10 bicep curls.
Then raise the elbow of your top hand
in the air and lift and lower hand for
10 tricep extensions. Switch legs and
repeat arm movements on other side.
Perfect your form: Keep front
knee bent at 90 degrees, stacked
directly above your ankle. Avoid locking
elbows during curls and extensions.
Dial it down: Perform a modified
warrior 2, by lowering your back knee
to the ground.
Amp it up: Use hand weights or
FitGloves to add resistance to the curls.
Plank dog
From warrior 2, bring arms to the ground and step feet
into plank pose. Hold plank for five breaths. Push hips
back and up into downward dog. Hold downward dog
for five breaths. Return to plank. Repeat back-and-forth
movement from plank to downward dog five times,
holding each one for five breaths.
Perfect your form: When in plank, make sure
your back is flat and shoulders are over your wrists.
Dial it down: Reduce the number of breaths and reps.
Amp it up: Double the reps or hold each part of the move
for 10 breaths.
Chair
From plank, step both feet toward your hands and return
to standing. Place feet hip-width apart, and bring palms
together with your arms straight at shoulder height. Lower
body down into a squat until thighs are parallel to the
ground. Raise hands to ceiling, and look up. Hold for
five breaths.
Perfect your form: When squatting, make sure your knees
are stacked directly above your ankles, so you can see your
toes. Draw core toward spine and keep spine long, tilting your
tailbone toward the ground.
Dial it down: Do the move keeping your
palms together at your chest in prayer.
Amp it up: Add five squats, keeping your
arms over your head.
Flamingo preacher curls
From standing, shift weight to one leg and
slightly bend knee. While balancing on that
leg, bend opposite knee and bring ankle to
rest on top of bent knee. Sink hips down and
extend arms over crossed leg with elbows
against the shin. Make fists and curl hands
toward shoulders for 10 bicep curls. Repeat
on opposite leg.
Perfect your form: Make sure your
back is long and eyes face forward.
Dial it down: Keep both feet on the
ground and with bent knees, perform curls
with arms extended by placing elbows in
front of your knees.
Amp it up: Before you begin curls,
hold flamingo pose with palms together
at your chest in prayer for five breaths.
Tabletop hamstring curls
From standing, bring your hands and knees to the ground (tabletop). Extend
one leg out behind you, then bend knee and flex foot at the ankle. Curl leg in
toward buttocks and out. Do this five to 10 times. Repeat with the other leg.
Perfect your form: Make sure shoulders are over wrists. When
curling leg, stop at 90 degrees and keep foot flexed. Back should stay fl at.
Dial it down: Perform fewer reps.
Amp it up: When you bend knee to 90 degrees, add a donkey kick
by pressing foot straight up and squeezing the glutes.
Superwoman
From tabletop, lie down on the ground with
arms extended in front of you and tops of
your feet flat on the ground. Simultaneously
lift legs, arms and upper torso off the ground
as high as you can. Hold for five breaths.
Perfect your form: Keep the emphasis
on length, not height.
Dial it down: Separate the movements for
arms and legs. Lift upper torso off the ground
while keeping legs on the ground. For legs,
press forehead into the ground and tighten
buttocks; keeping feet and legs together, lift
them off the ground.
Amp it up: While arms and legs are raised,
flutter them as if you are swimming. Use
FitGloves or wrist weights to add a challenge to arms.
Bridge
From superwoman, turn onto your back and place feet flat on the
ground, with your knees bent. Place arms along sides of body with palms
on the ground. With hips lifted, clasp hands underneath your back and
roll onto your shoulders. Straighten arms, pressing them down into the
ground to lift your hips higher. Hold for five breaths.
Perfect your form: Keep feet parallel and hip-width apart,
and avoid rolling knees in toward each other.
Dial it down: With hips lifted, slide a yoga block under your
back directly under the sacrum and let sacrum rest on the block.
Amp it up: Try full bridge pose by bringing palms beside your
ears, fingers pointing toward shoulders. Press palms into the
ground and straighten arms until head is lifted off the floor .
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