Improving stamina is key to improving performance. Stamina is required for yoga postures, to run a marathon, or simply improving energy levels to have better, more productive days. Building up one’s endurance levels allows one to persevere and perform better. This applies to activities that are fast like sprinting or swimming a lap, as well as activities sustained for more than 20 minutes (like yoga). The greater the endurance for both types of exercises, the better one is able to sustain for a prolonged period of time. Improving your stamina can make your cardiovascular and respiratory systems more efficient and decrease both your resting heart rate and stress levels; it can also increase your metabolism, help you maintain a healthy posture, reduce fatigue, and prevent injuries and back problems.

Think about it. Even to practice Hatha yoga, where one holds a posture for a few long breaths, a lot of strength and stamina is required. If one’s stamina is low, then within a breaths itself practitioners start feeling breathless and exhausted.

The good news is yoga itself can help you improve endurance and stamina.

How does yoga improve stamina

Yoga increases stamina on multiple levels, that is, physical, physiological, and psychological. For example, one of the keys to stamina is to better utilize oxygen intake. The body relies on oxygen for producing energy while exercising, and so a person with good stamina has a greater capacity to deliver oxygen to the working muscles that make use of this oxygen. This is one of the main reasons why an unfit person feels fatigued much earlier than someone in better shape, and it is also why an athlete can sometimes outrun competition of equal talent.

Many would say yoga practice, especially breathwork, allows one to use oxygen more efficiently and ultimately improve performance. After regular practice, you can utilize oxygen better and deliver it to the required cells.

Another important aspect is the improved functioning of the respiratory system. If your own system stops you from taking a breath, then oxygen will be less. Through breathwork, you can create more space. It will lengthen the body through deep inhalations and exhalations, making more room for better breathing. Mindful breathing allows you to breathe better, improving the quality of breath. Learning to manipulate and control the breath also allows one to practice the same control during physical activities.

Stamina and endurance also improve when muscles get stronger and more supple. It then gets easier to perform the activity without relying on the body’s reserve resources, delaying fatigue. Yoga also helps restore and relax, preserving energy after a workout or physical activity. It allows one to be still and brings the body, muscles, organs and systems back to a balanced and normal state of being.

Yoga postures to improve stamina

Upward facing dog

‍This posture opens up the chest and rib cage, and improves lung capacity. It also stretches and strengthens muscles of the arms and back.

How to do upward facing dog:

Lie flat on your stomach. Bend your elbows and bring your hands next to your chest so your forearms are perpendicular to the floor. Draw your shoulder blades together.
Press the inner edges of your hands into the floor and slightly backwards as if you were trying to pull your lower spine out of your pelvis. Start to lift your torso off the floor, keeping your legs straight and strong.
Inhale and lift your torso further while raising your hips and thighs off the floor. Tilt your head back slightly, but not so far that you compress the back of your neck. Keep your arms straight and legs strong, pressing through the tops of your feet.
Stay here for a few deep breaths.

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Camel pose

‍This asana also works on improving respiratory functions, strengthens the back and lengthens the abdominal organs.

How to do camel pose:

Kneel on the mat and place your hands on the hips.
Your knees should be in line with the shoulders and the sole of your feet should be facing the ceiling. Keep the knees hip width apart.
As you inhale, gently lengthen the spine and bring the pelvis in line with the thighs.
Now slowly, arch your back and bend backwards. Now place the right hand on the right heel and as you exhale, drop your head back, circle the left hand from forward, up and back to the left heel.
Gently drop your neck. Do not strain it. You can also keep it in a neutral position.
Your toes can either be tucked or softened based on your flexibility.
Stay here for a few deep, slow breaths.

Triangle pose

‍A wonderful posture to strengthen the legs, knees, ankles, arms, and chest. It also stretches and opens the hips, groins, hamstrings,calves, shoulders, chest, and spine. It is also known to increase mental and physical balance.

How to do triangle pose:

Exhale and take the Right leg in between the palms, turn the left toes out to 90 degrees
Keeping the right palm on the ground or coming on the fingertips - slightly behind the right heel
Inhale, extend the left arm up towards the sky, rotating the hip, abdomen and chest to the left side;
Straighten the front knee, pushing the hips back, maintaining a lateral stretch on the left side of the body.
Find your balance looking down, and then look up towards the left fingertips.
Exhale, look Down and bring the left hand down on the floor. Inhale, take the right leg back, coming into downward-facing dog.

Boat pose

One of the best postures to improve core strength, the boat pose stabilizes and strengthens the core and abdominal organs.

How to do boat pose:

Lie down on your mat. Inhale, and as you exhale lift your upper body and your legs up.
Bring the legs straight up to a 45-degree angle. The torso will tend to fall back, but do not let the spine collapse. Keep your back straight.
Stretch the arms in a straight line with your shoulders.
Your body will be in a ‘V’ shape.
Stay here for 5-10 breaths or as long as comfortable. Keep taking slow, deep breaths and engage your core.

Standing forward fold

‍This posture helps stretch all the muscles of the back of the body, tone the abdominal organs and also helps make the spine supple.

How to do standing forward fold:

As you inhale, lift the arms upwards towards the sky/ceiling. As the biceps touch the ear, start bending back and keep the position of the head and arms intact. Stretch from the sides and the abdomen.
Now, exhale and pull the stomach in. Start bending forward from the hip and try to bring the chest closer to the thighs.
Place the hands next to your feet, or on the ground in front of you, keeping the elbows slightly bent. Inhale and look ahead.
Exhale and bring the face closer to the knees. Relax the head and neck, and hold the posture for a few breaths.
As you exhale, release the palms. Inhale, bend the knees gently and lift up, taking hands up overhead.
Exhale and bring the hands down.

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Breathing and cleansing practices to improve stamina

Frontal lobe cleansing

Known as Kapal Bhati, this practice invigorates the entire brain and awakens the dormant centers which are responsible for subtle perception. Kapalbhati expels more carbon dioxide and other waste gasses from the cells and lungs than normal breathing, thereby increasing oxygen supply to the brain and organs. It’s a very powerful practice to detoxify the body, remove blockages in the nadis (energy channels) and improve energy in the mind and body. It also removes lethargy, laziness and invigorates the mind. There are different ways to do Kapal Bhati and this must be learnt from a teacher.

Stimulate the digestive fire

‍Known as Agni Sar (Agni means fire and Sar is ‘essence’), this practice stimulates and activates the digestive fire. It involves moving the ‘fire’ in the body. On a physical level, the practice involves conscious movement of the abdominal muscles and organs, and this creates internal heat. The practice is very useful as a preparation for other practices like Kapalbhati and Bhastrika pranayama.

Alternate Nostril Breathing

Known as Nadi Shodhana, this practice translates to purifying the nadis. A few minutes of this practice cleanses the system, purifies the energy channels and balances the body. It makes the mind and body calm and peaceful. Practicing this with locks or ‘Bandhas’, and retention helps one control and manipulate the breath. It allows one to practice longer inhales and exhales.

Oceans Breath

‍Known as Ujjayi Pranayama, this breathing technique calms the body and mind, while releasing toxins and impurities. Practicing with retention is helpful in learning to control the breath.

Yoga itself is a powerful tool to improve the way your body utilizes stamina. Better strength will help you practice more challenging postures (like inversions, arm balances, etc.) with ease and grace. To experience sustained and regular progress, practice with a seasoned teacher.