All you need are these five exercises to build full-body strength and stability, says a certified yoga and Pilates teacher

Spend any time in a yoga or Pilates class and your body will thank you. Both are mindful movement practices that connect breath with body, but each offers something unique.

Yoga draws on thousands of years of wisdom to improve body and mind, while Pilates is a more modern system targeting deep stabilizing muscles, often overlooked in traditional strength training.

But what if you could unite the best of both worlds? Former professional dancer Tina Traina has done exactly that. She created SPIRIT, a yoga-Pilates fusion class at David Lloyd Clubs, to build strength, alignment, mobility and flexibility.

Traina says everyone's training should strike a balance between building strength and flexibility.

“If I constantly train my chest and never stretch, it will start to get tight and lead to poor posture,” says Traina.

But you can’t ignore strength work either. “There needs to be enough strength in the body to support good posture,” she says.

You might think you don’t have time to train both, but Traina specializes in maximizing your returns on the time you have to exercise.

These five bang-for-your-buck moves from her SPIRIT class strengthen your core and legs, support your training if you’re a runner, help improve full-body mobility, and help offset the strains and aches caused by a sedentary lifestyle.

Five yoga and Pilates exercises for strength and stability

1. Bridge

Reps: 10-12

• Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor hip-width apart and arms by your sides.
• Press your lower back into the floor to activate your deep core.
• Lift your hips until your body is in a straight line from shoulders to knees.
• Tense your glutes, then slowly lower your hips to the floor.

Traina says: “The bridge position focuses on articulating your spine. It stretches the front of your body, especially the hip flexors and thighs.

“It also strengthens the back of the body, especially the glutes, hamstrings and lower back to help support good posture.

“You’ll find this exercise in both yoga and Pilates."

2. Cat-cow

Time: 30-40sec

• Start on your hands and knees with your wrists under your shoulders and your knees under your hips, with a neutral spine.
• Inhale as you slowly arch your back, letting your belly drop toward the floor, and lifting your chest and chin.
• Exhale as you round your spine, pushing your palms into the floor, drawing your belly button in, and tucking your tailbone and your chin toward your chest.
• Continue moving slowly in time with your breath.

Traina says: “This simple and often overlooked exercise trains you to articulate all the vertebrae in your spine, and as with yoga and Pilates, it teaches you that every move is controlled by your breath.

“Think: inhale as you arch and extend and exhale as you round and flex. This drill is great for promoting good breath control which is very important for runners.”

3. Side-lying leg lift

Reps: 15-20

• Lie on your side, supporting your head with one hand and the other hand on the floor in front of you to help with balance.
• Make sure your ankles, knees and hips are stacked one on top of the other.
• Lift your top leg slowly, then lower it with control.
• To make this exercise harder, lift your top leg, then lift the bottom leg to meet it, then slowly lower both to the start position. Because it’s a harder progression, reduce the number of reps to 5-10.

Traina says: “If you struggle with weak or unstable knees, this move will help strengthen the thigh and glute muscles while still promoting good posture and a strong core.

“It’s quite an unstable position, so use your other hand for support and focus on super slow movements. It really helps strengthen the muscles.”

4. Pigeon

Time: 30-40sec each side

• On your hands and knees, bring your right knee to your right wrist, and your right foot toward your left wrist, as close as is comfortable.
• Extend your left leg back, lowering your hips toward the floor as far as is comfortable.
• Keep your upper body upright or for a deeper stretch, fold forward over your shin.
• Inhale and exhale slowly, allowing tension to release with each breath.
• Hold for time, then repeat on the other side.

Traina says: “This classic yoga pose is essential for tight hips and backs.

“To advance it further, you can keep your body upright and bring your back heel off the floor to stretch the front of your thigh.

“An easier alternative is child's pose, where you kneel and sit back onto your heels with arms stretched in front of you can ease any tightness in your lower back.”

5. Tree

Time: 10-20sec each side

• Stand with your feet together and engage your leg muscles.
• Lift one foot off the floor and place it on the inner thigh, calf or ankle of your standing leg.
• Bring your hands together in front of your chest, and if you’re able to keep your balance, extend your hands overhead.
• Engage your core, upper back and breath to hold this position.
• Hold for time, then switch sides.

Traina says: “Balancing on one leg strengthens your leg muscles for activities like running, while also training core stability for improved posture.

“Done right, it also encourages you to open your chest and squeeze your back muscles so that you're at once strengthening and stretching your body.”