advise on yoga for beginners

I know yoga is very healthy, but can you actually tone up your muscles from doing yoga? I need to work on my arms, abs, and butt/thighs because even though they are not fat, I feel that they are a bit flabby... I am already doing my daily exercises, so I am curious if adding yoga into my routine will help me tone up. And what kind of yoga should I try???? 

Tone and strengthen, absolutely.  There are lots of different styles of yoga and I would encourage you to try many kinds to see what you like.  Personally I like power yoga or ashtanga, it is a fast-moving flowing style that reminds me a little of dance or gymnastics.  There are other styles (such as Iyengar) that focus more on holding a precise pose for a long period of time.  Stick with hatha yoga; some other styles like Kundalini have their own benefits, but are more meditative and probably won't give you the workout you're looking for.  You'll find a challenge in pretty much any class, at least at first.  Look for an instructor who will push you, not in a bendy way but in a holding the pose way.  Good luck, yoga has been a fantastic discovery for me and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

You might also consider adding Pilates to your work out routine. You'll work your core (abs) a lot, as well as your arms and legs.

I do both yoga and Pilates and also free weights (not every day of course)--I really like shaking up my work out and using my muscles in the different ways each program offers.

Original Post by popochi:

I know yoga is very healthy, but can you actually tone up your muscles from doing yoga? I need to work on my arms, abs, and butt/thighs because even though they are not fat, I feel that they are a bit flabby... 

 I am not saying yoga isn't a great activity because it is, but if your main goal  is muscle and strength, you'll find much better results with weight training.

Absolutely you can tone your body using yoga. "The Crow" alone will build some killer arms!  

Try Marlon Braccia's video Yoga for Feeling Stronger Every Day.  She has some advanced holding poses that really work your arms and legs.  Denise Austin also has some great pilates/yoga videos that are challenging. 

 

 

Thanks everyone for comments! I'll look into different types of yoga, Pilates or the combination of both. Hopefully I can find something that works well for me. I am definitely going to start something from tomorrow so that I can work towards becoming more healthy. It's always very exciting to start something new!