Action Hero Hot-Body Yoga

Build a slim, trim body like screen siren Kate Beckinsale with these muscle-sculpting mat moves

Strange as it sounds, Kate Beckinsale prepares for the physically demanding job of playing futuristic fighters and werewolf hunters with a yoga-based routine.

She also practices qigong, a discipline involving controlled breathing and fluid movements that's similar to tai chi. In addition to making her physically strong, yoga and qigong help Kate relax.

Want an action-star body like Kate's? Her instructor, Mandy Ingber, let us in on her body-sculpting moves. Do two or three sets of each four or five days a week.

MOVE 1 Down-Dog Split with Knee Drives
Begin in downward facing dog, then raise your left leg to move into down-dog split (a). Bend your left knee and pull it toward your forehead (b). Straighten the leg back, then bring the knee outside your left elbow. Straighten the leg again, then bring the knee toward your right elbow. Repeat three times. Switch legs and repeat.

MOVE 2- Lunge Switchback
Begin in a lunge with your left foot in front of your right, left knee at a 90-degree angle, and hands on the floor on each side of your left foot (a). Keeping your hands on the floor, shift your weight onto your hands, and in one swift motion, switch the positions of your legs (b). Spring from the right to the left and back again 10 times.

MOVE 3- Crow Pose
Begin in a low squat with your feet together, knees apart. Place your palms on the floor shoulder-width apart, elbows slightly bent; rest knees on the outsides of your triceps (a). Gaze at the floor a foot in front of you, and shift your weight onto your hands. Lift one foot off the floor (b), then the other. Hold for five breaths. Repeat three times.

MOVE 4- Temple Pose to Plie Squat
Begin with your feet about three feet apart, toes turned out about 45 degrees, and hands in prayer position (a). Keeping your back straight, sit your hips down and bend your knees until your thighs are parallel to the floor (b). Hold for eight breaths; squeeze your butt and straighten back up. Repeat eight times.

Last Updated: January 29, 2013
Women's Health Magazine Online

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