Tips to tone your shoulders

In yoga, the simple sun salute involves poses that push the upper arms and shoulders, encourage resistance training by moving against gravity. It sets off fat burn by challenging all the muscle groups in the body. For shoulders to be sculpted, this is the most important aspect - muscular challenge and intense work-out. Arm balancers, like the crow pose (kakasana) are the next best bet. They also encourage mental focus and a sense of adventure and joy: both also important emotional supports for sustaining a weight loss programme or tough dieting. Setuasana (Plank pose): Sit on your heels. Place palms flat on the ground, directly under shoulder. Walk the feet back, till they are straight behind. Lift knees off the ground, supporting body on upper arms. The feet should be also rested on the toes, ensuring that the legs remain straight. Look ahead. Hold for a few seconds, breathing normally. Relax back on your knees with an exhalation. Repeat a few times. Later you may do just once, but hold for long, for half a minute or more. Benefits: Tones upper arms, trims fat. Challenges stamina, helps develop mental focus. Works out the whole spine. Trims fat along back of legs and calves. Prishtasana (Lizard pose): Kneel down, place elbows on ground, cup either with opposite hands as shown. Place the back of feet into the floor or place the toes into the floor. Inhale. Exhaling, tilt torso ahead, leaning face over the folded arms. Continue normal breathing. Hold the pose for ten seconds. Repeat thrice. After a few days/weeks of practice you may increase duration in the final pose for greater impact. Benefits: Tones upper back, shoulders, entire arms. Improves breathing, pushes abdomen in, toning the digestive system. It will help you de-stress.