FitnessWorkouts

*Exactly* how often you should do yoga to reap the maximum benefits

How often should you do yoga? Pros share how frequently you should hit the mat for a calmer mind, stronger body, better balance, or more flexibility.

alt
Photo: Getty Images/ Alexandra C. Ribeiro / Aurora Photos
Published May 30, 2019

Written by 

Zoe Weiner

The #YogaEveryDay hashtag has 5.7 million photos attached to it on Instagram. Some of them feature people doing headstands in front of exotic locales (Machu Picchu seems to be a popular choice), while others simply show yogis hanging out in child’s pose in their local studios. The vast collection serves to prove that there are a whole lot of yogis out there getting into their practice on the reg. But whether you subscribe to the “yoga every day” way of life (like one of our writers, who got her vinyasa on every day for an entire year), or hit the mat only as frequently as the mood strikes, how much yoga should you do to be able to reap the benefits?

Well, there isn’t really a one-size-fits-all answer to that question. Really, it depends on what you’re looking to get out of your practice, be it a stronger mind, body, or something else entirely. But according to the pros, there are definitely positives associated with the #yogaeverydamnday (another very popular take on the hashtag with 16.1M ‘grams) movement.

“Daily yoga practice can definitely help your mood,”says Kajuan Douglas, founder of Merge New York, pointing to studies that cite yoga as an aid to coping with anxiety and depression. “Besides becoming stronger and more flexible, you will start to change your outlook on life. Whether you believe it spiritual, mental, or emotional, daily yoga can help instill patterns or routines for self care.” Los Angeles-based yoga teacher Claire Grieve also notes that with a regular yoga practice, “you will likely also find yourself with increased natural energy and vitality, a better mood and the ability to stay calm even while facing the stressors of daily life.”

If you can’t make time to get on the mat every morning, noon, or night—not to fear: Here’s how often you should do yoga to improve every area of your life.

How often should you do yoga for…a calmer mind

“Yoga for a calmer mind can be done daily and as often as you need—don’t subscribe to the one-yoga-class-a-day thought to help your mind,” says Douglas, noting that you don’t necessarily need a full class to feel good. He suggests a simple, three-minute breathing practice of square breathing (sama vritti) or alternate-nostril breathing (nadi shodhana). Grieve is a believer that everyone can benefit from a daily restorative yoga practice, because its relaxing nature helps promote stress relief, anxiety reduction, better sleep, and balanced emotions. She suggests trying child’s pose, pigeon pose yoga, goddess pose, and legs up the wall for the best results on your own.

With all of that in mind, though, the real answer to the question of “how often should you do yoga for a calmer mind” is as often as feels right for you. “Practice any yoga pose that you find to be stress-relieving to help your mind be at ease,” says Douglas. “For some of us, a vigorous handstand practice can help us release anxiety. For others, a simple child’s pose for 10 to 20 breaths may be the right practice for you.”

How often should you do yoga for…better balance

When it comes to balance, the frequency of your yoga practice is only one of the factors that comes into play. “Balancing is a daily practice. It will change depending on how you sleep and what you have done during your day,” says Douglas.

“Mountain pose or tadasana will help you set the foundation of how to feel the floor and your legs. Once you have that, the best balancing poses to test your stability and build your balance is eagle pose. It works the subtle and intricate muscles of your body and the binding of the arms and legs challenge your mind.” Tree pose also offers the same benefits.  So really, integrating yoga into your life in any way can help with balance, as can strengthening your core in other areas of your workout regimen.

How often should you do yoga for…more flexibility

If you want to be able to pretzel yourself into a bird of paradise, drop down into a full split, or even just be able to do twisting yoga poses without discomfort, Douglas suggests three to five classes per week. A few of his favorite flexibility-building moves? Twisted lunges, kneeling crescent lunges, and (of course) practicing your splits will “change your body fast.” Not to mention, butterfly pose is great for opening up your hips and groin.

advertisement

An added bonus with this type of practice, says Grieve, is that it will also likely reduce muscle soreness and improve your posture.

“I find that most people experience tightness in their hips and hamstrings—these are also the areas that, if tight, can sometimes cause chronic pain, so they are very important to keep loose,” she says, calling on reclined hand to big toes, thread the needle, pigeon, forward fold, seated twist, and half moon twist as a few of her go-tos for stretching out these areas.

How often should you do yoga for…stronger muscles

If you want to use your yoga practice to get stronger, it’s more about the type of class you’re taking than how frequently you’re hitting the mat. “Focus more on strength-based classes like power vinyasa or power yoga,” says Douglas, noting that classes focused on physicality will “transform your body.” He suggests taking these classes three times a week, and being sure to give your body the appropriate amount of rest time in between to let it recover from the vigorous practices.

If you want to try a strength-building yoga practice sans studio, Grieves suggests holding each of these challenging full-body poses for one to two minutes each for maximum benefit: warrior 2, warrior 3, boat pose, chaturanga, plank pose, and chair pose.

No matter how frequently you’re letting your inner yogi out to play, trying doing it in a yoga jumpsuit. And these poses will help with posture after a long day slumped over your desk. 

Sign Up for Our Daily Newsletter

Get all the latest in wellness, trends, food, fitness, beauty, and more delivered right to your inbox.

FitnessWorkouts

6 Lateral Exercises You Need to be Doing ASAP for Longevity

Time to train smarter.

Cropped image of woman doing lunge yoga pose
Stocksy / Photo Credit By Studio Firma
Published Feb 21, 2025

Written by 

Jaime Osnato

Want to stay strong, steady, and mobile for life? It’s time to stop thinking only about forward and backward movements and start training side to side. 

advertisement

Lateral exercises boost your ability to move and stabilize in the frontal plane—a genuine game-changer for longevity. Developing this kind of strength helps prevent falls, improves balance, and keeps your joints healthy as you age (more on this later). 

Whether you’re climbing stairs, getting in and out of a car, or just want to feel more confident in your body, adding lateral exercises to your routine can keep you moving with ease for years to come. Here’s your bulletproof guide.

How lateral exercises boost strength

Lateral strength is your ability to move side to side—think stepping sideways, lifting your arms, side-bending at the waist, or balancing on one leg, says certified strength coach Maggie Fazeli Fard. 

These movements, known as frontal-plane motions, rely on small but crucial muscles like the gluteus medius (outer hip), adductors (inner thighs), and quadratus lumborum (a lower-back muscle that helps lift your hips).

Neglecting these muscles can lead to poor balance, lower-back pain, and even knee issues, says Fard.

Why does lateral strength matter for longevity?

Incorporating more lateral exercises into your routine isn’t just about moving better—it’s about aging better. Stronger lateral muscles improve balance, coordination, and lower-body stability, helping you stay active and independent as you age, says Fard.

Want to carry groceries, chase grandkids, or swing a golf club with ease? Here’s why lateral strength matters:

  • Balance: Falls are the leading cause of injury and death in seniors, with 1 in 4 older adults taking a spill every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Strong lateral muscles help keep you steady.
  • Lower-body mobility: Weak lateral muscles lead to stiff joints and poor mobility. Since most workouts focus on forward-backward movement (like running and lunging), skipping lateral work can leave you prone to injuries, says Fard.
advertisement

6 Best Lateral Exercises

Lateral strength is essential for balance, mobility, and injury prevention. But Fard says it’s best to think of these lateral exercises as accessory moves—not the core of your routine. 

Sprinkle these moves into your workouts a few times a week (they’re great for warm-ups, pairing with bigger lifts, or conditioning workouts), and you’ll move stronger, smoother, and pain-free in no time.

1. Figure Eights

This low-impact move improves balance, coordination, and control—a perfect warm-up or daily brain-body booster, Fard says.

How to do it:

  1. 1.
    Stand on your right foot, lifting your left knee to hip height.
  2. 2.
    Extend your right arm forward.
  3. 3.
    Gently move your left foot and right hand in small figure eight patterns (think: a sideways “8”) concurrently. 
  4. 4.
    Do 20 reps, then switch sides.

2. Side-Traveling Ape

This primal “animal flow” exercise engages “your lateral system from head to toe,” says Fard. Do it in warm-ups or pair it with heavy lower-body lifts.

How to do it:

  1. 1.
    Stand with your feet hip-width apart, knees bent.
  2. 2.
    Keeping your back flat, lean forward to place your hands on the floor shoulder-width apart, with your left hand directly in front of your right foot.
  3. 3.
    Press your hands into the floor and hop your feet to the right, landing softly with feet hip-width apart.
  4. 4.
    Bring your hands to the starting position and repeat for six steps, then switch directions.
  5. 5.
    Perform three sets.

3. Side Plank March

advertisement

This move strengthens your hips, inner thighs, lower back, and shoulders while improving overall balance and full-body lateral stability, says Fard.

How to do it:

  1. 1.
    Lie on your left side with your feet right foot directly in front of your left and your left elbow under your left shoulder, forearm along the floor.
  2. 2.
    Press through your left forearm and lift your body so that you're balancing on your left forearm.
  3. 3.
    Keeping your hips lifted, bend your right knee toward your chest, then return to start. Bend your left knee toward your chest; return to start.
  4. 4.
    Continue “marching” for 8 total reps, then switch sides and repeat.

4. Banded Lateral Walks

This exercise strengthens the small stabilizing muscles around the hips (which are key for lateral strength), says Fard. Control is key here—no bouncing. 

How to do it:

  1. 1.
    Place a resistance band around your ankles.
  2. 2.
    Stand with your feet hip-width apart and clasp your hands in front of your chest.
  3. 3.
    Bend your knees slightly, and step to the left. 
  4. 4.
    Bring your right foot back to hip-width slowly, resisting the band's pull.
  5. 5.
    Repeat on the right side (returning to start); continue alternating for 10 reps per side.

5. Lateral Lunge

Stronger hips, knees, back? This move can help you achieve all three, targeting the outer hips and inner thighs for improved hip stability and lower-body control, says Fard. (Make it harder by holding a pair of dumbbells.) 

How to do it:

  1. 1.
    Stand with your feet at hip-width distance, toes facing forward. Clasp your hands in front of your chest. 
  2. 2.
    Shift your weight to the right and step to your right with your right foot.
  3. 3.
    With a flat back, bend your right knee and shift your hips back, keeping your left leg straight.
  4. 4.
    Keep your toes pointed forward on both feet.
  5. 5.
    Press into your right heel to return to standing.
  6. 6.
    Complete 8–10 reps, then switch sides and repeat. Do 2–3 total sets.

6. Lateral Step-up

advertisement

This lateral step-up variation strengthens the outer hips, inner thighs, and lower back, making it a great prehab move for injury prevention, says Fard.

How to do it:

  1. 1.
    You’ll need a bench or box to complete this exercise.
  2. 2.
    Stand next to your bench and place your left foot on the bench, so that your left knee is bent round 90 degrees.
  3. 3.
    Keeping your torso upright, press your weight into your left foot and push through your quads and glutes to straighten your left leg and stand on top of the bench. 
  4. 4.
    Reverse the move, lowering your right foot to the floor with control. Step your left foot down to the floor next to your right. 
  5. 5.
    Complete 8–10 reps, then switch sides and repeat. Do 2–3 total sets.

Sign Up for Our Daily Newsletter

Get all the latest in wellness, trends, food, fitness, beauty, and more delivered right to your inbox.

FitnessWorkouts

Doing This Type of Breathing as Part of Your Pilates Practice Can Help Strengthen Your Pelvic Floor

Here's how hypopressive breathing, a deep breathing exercise, can help you with your Pilates practice and other forms of movement.

alt
Photo: Stocksy/Atolas
Published Jan 29, 2025

Written by 

Kelsey Kloss

If you’re obsessed with all things Pilates, you already know about the best athleisure, accessories, and self-care moments to incorporate into your practice. However, you may be less familiar with a type of breathwork that can improve your practice — and help you feel more grounded.

Experts in This Article

Anouska Shenn

certified Pilates instructor and founder of The Office Yoga Company

Blair Mauri

a pelvic floor therapist and owner of Blair Mauri Pelvic Health

advertisement

Enter hypopressive breathing, a deep breathing exercise that involves emptying your lungs completely. It’s similar to the uddiyana bandha in yoga (or an “abdominal lock”).

“It involves breathing in a way that creates a vacuum-like effect in your thoracic, abdominal, and pelvic cavities by decreasing the pressure, causing a lift and toning of the pelvic floor,” says Anouska Shenn, a certified Pilates instructor and founder of The Office Yoga Company.

But before we get into how to do it, let us clear up one thing: Don’t try any breath-holding exercises during your practice, since Pilates focuses on breathing through movements.

That said, practicing hypopressive breathing before, after, or separate from your Pilates workouts can help support your practice in a number of ways.

What is hypopressive breathing?

Hypopressive breathing is a technique that involves completely emptying your lungs and holding that breath to create a vacuum. It serves as a core exercise that can benefit your pelvic floor health.

Think of it this way: Your abdomen is a closed pressure system. That means that when the pressure changes—like with a cough, deep breath, or force like a lift—your abdominal structures need to be able to manage that pressure properly. That’s where pelvic floor exercises, like hypopressive breathing, come in.

“When we’re not managing that pressure properly, gravity takes it and sends it down into the pelvic floor,” says Blair Mauri, MS, OTR/L, a pelvic floor therapist and owner of Blair Mauri Pelvic Health. “Repeated downward pressure not only weakens the pelvic floor, but can also cause it to become extremely tense.”

That tension may lead to symptoms such as incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, painful sex, low back pain, or chronic constipation. “Hypopressive breathing is an excellent way to optimize pelvic floor function, as it provides a natural lift to these tissues without increasing the tension,” says Mauri.

Improving your pelvic floor function can relieve pelvic pain or low back pain, improve your oxygen and energy levels, promote digestion, and support your movement throughout your Pilates practice.

In fact, an eight-week program of hypopressive exercises improved pelvic floor muscle strength and urinary incontinence symptoms in women ages 18 to 60 with pelvic floor dysfunction and urinary incontinence symptoms, per a 2022 study1 in Neurourology and Urodynamics.

advertisement

Plus, hypopressive breathing can work your lungs in a way that benefits your Pilates practice. “Optimizing your rib mobility is also important for diaphragm function and getting the most out of your breaths,” adds Mauri.

How do you do it?

First, take a few deep breaths and see where you notice that pressure (in this case, your breath):

  • Is it focused in your chest or belly?
  • Are your ribs moving apart as you breathe in?

You should feel some mobility in all of these areas, not just one. “Rib mobility is especially important for proper hypopressive technique, so you may need to start here,” says Mauri. “Take some time to retrain your breathing so that everything expands on the inhale and comes back together on the exhale.”

Once you’ve honed in on that, you can move on to your hypopressive breathing exercises, following Mauri’s instructions:

  1. 1.
    Gently exhale as if you are fogging a window. Don’t send any pressure or force down into your lower belly or pelvic floor.
  2. 2.
    After you exhale, hold your nose and close your mouth and “pretend” to inhale without actually taking in any air. Think about widening those ribs, which will make your stomach begin to look concave.
  3. 3.
    Hold this for 3-5 seconds and then inhale.

How does it benefit your Pilates practice?

This breathing technique shines as an add-on to your Pilates practice. You don’t want to hold your breath during Pilates moves (after all, Pilates is all about coordinating movement with breath), but hypopressive breathing exercises can serve as bumpers for an effective workout.

advertisement

“Hypopressive breathing is designed to stand alone, but you can use it as part of your warm-up or to close your Pilates practice,” Shenn says.

Pelvic floor strengthening is already often a key element of Pilates. In fact, a 12-week Pilates program focused on pelvic floor strengthening significantly improved stress urinary incontinence symptoms in women ages 45 to 70, with the results lasting even six months after the program, per a small 2020 study2 in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.

“Hypopressive breathing complements a Pilates routine, as it also retrains and strengthens the deep core along with your pelvic floor,” says Mauri.

A strong and coordinated deep core and pelvic floor gives you more stability as you move your body throughout your Pilates practice—and throughout the rest of your day.

“Our pelvic floor muscles work together with our deep core muscles to stabilize the spine—supporting our posture and providing a solid foundation for all of our movements,” says Shenn.

Tips to get started

As you integrate hypopressive breathing into your Pilates routine, Shenn recommends keeping these tips in mind:

  • Start with 1-3 sets of 3 repetitions, resting between sets.
  • If you’re a beginner, practice your breathing lying down or seated, before progressing to more challenging positions like side-lying or quadruped (a four-point kneeling position).
  • Do your hypopressive breathwork on an empty stomach (it’s recommended to not eat at least two hours beforehand, since this type of breathing involves suctioning the abdomen inward and upward).
  • Avoid wearing clothes that are too tight—including collars, waistbands, and belts—as they can impede your breath.

Very little research has been done on the effect of breathwork on babies in the womb, so avoid hypopressive breathing if you’re pregnant.

advertisement

One more thing to note: Certain preexisting health conditions like high blood pressure can also be contraindications for breathwork, so always check with your doctor first and consider working with a trained provider to make sure your form is correct.

  1. Molina-Torres G, Moreno-Muñoz M, Rebullido TR, Castellote-Caballero Y, Bergamin M, Gobbo S, Hita-Contreras F, Cruz-Diaz D. The effects of an 8-week hypopressive exercise training program on urinary incontinence and pelvic floor muscle activation: A randomized controlled trial. Neurourol Urodyn. 2023 Feb;42(2):500-509. doi: 10.1002/nau.25110. Epub 2022 Dec 8. PMID: 36482844; PMCID: PMC10107869.

    ↩︎

  2. Hein JT, Rieck TM, Dunfee HA, Johnson DP, Ferguson JA, Rhodes DJ. Effect of a 12-Week Pilates Pelvic Floor-Strengthening Program on Short-Term Measures of Stress Urinary Incontinence in Women: A Pilot Study. J Altern Complement Med. 2020 Feb;26(2):158-161. doi: 10.1089/acm.2019.0330. Epub 2020 Jan 9. PMID: 31916840; PMCID: PMC7044776.

    ↩︎

Sign Up for Our Daily Newsletter

Get all the latest in wellness, trends, food, fitness, beauty, and more delivered right to your inbox.

All Stories

Fitness
Workouts

6 Lateral Exercises You Need to be Doing ASAP for Longevity

Time to train smarter.

by Jaime Osnato
on Feb 21
Cropped image of woman doing lunge yoga pose
Health

Fact or Fiction: Are Wireless Headphones Actually Bad For Your Brain?

Our experts share whether these handy devices are friends...or foes.

by Jaime Osnato
on Feb 20
young woman in orange sweater listening to music on wireless headphones over a mobile app while sitting on a comfortable green sofa
Health

8 Life Hacks You *Need* to Use to Build a Consistent (and Realistic) Morning Routine

Trust us, this works even if you're not a morning person.

by Rebecca Strong
on Feb 20
Cheerful woman enjoying morning coffee in bed while reading a book and using a mint green blanket
bySumo Citrus

The Making of an Internet-Famous Fruit: How Sumo Citrus Has Captured Hearts, Tastebuds, and a Devoted Following

by Maeve McCormick
on Feb 20
photo of growers transporting many sumo citrus for review
Food
Cooking
Recipes

5 Tips for Creating the Perfect Brunch When You Have Food Allergies

Plus, an exclusive recipe from Chef Ashley Lonsdale, the chef-in-residence at ButcherBox.

by Kelsey Kloss
on Feb 20
a chickpea pancake in a black cast iron pan on a wood cutting board surrounded by salad plates and smoked salmon