5 Best Yoga Poses for Leg Cramps

Leg cramps can be caused by a variety of factors, ranging from injury to other medical disorders. They're often the result of muscles that have gotten weak due to lack of exercise.

If you suffer from leg cramps and are used to taking over-the-counter pain medication, think again. These painkillers can have severe long term side effects. Yoga, meanwhile, is a natural, accessible and safe treatment for various chronic pains, including leg cramps.

There are many yoga asanas that can alleviate leg discomfort, and below, we will discuss some of them. Meanwhile, do check out these yoga poses for tired and overworked legs that can also help destress your legs.

Best Yoga Poses For Leg Cramps To Try

Check out the following five yoga poses to help relieve leg cramps:

1) Adho Mukho Svanasana

This is one of the best yoga poses to stretch the entire posterior. It lengthens the spine, strengthens the shoulder and arms, and stretches the hamstrings and calves nicely. This pose can relieve muscle tension from the legs and help prevent leg cramps.

Instructions:

Get down on all fours. Make a table by forming the top with your back and the legs with your hands and feet.
As you exhale, raise your hips; straighten your knees and elbows, and position your body in an inverted 'V' shape.
Space your hands shoulder-width apart, with your feet parallel to each other and hip-width apart. Keep your toes pointing forward.
Put your hands down firmly on the ground. Expand through the shoulder blades. Keep your neck long by touching the inner arms to your ears.
Hold the downward dog position while inhaling deeply. Take a look at your navel.
Exhale. Return to the table stance by bending your knees. Relax.

2) Utkatasana

Utkatasana serves to strengthen the entire lower body. It works out the spine, hips, and chest muscles and helps strengthen the lower back and torso. It also tones the thigh, ankle, leg, and knee muscles and can help reduce leg cramps.

Instructions:

With your feet slightly apart, assume a straight stance.
With the palms of your hands facing outward, extend your arms forward. Keep your elbows straight.
With your knees bent, gently push your pelvis down as if you were sitting on a chair.
Be at ease, or at least make an effort to. Make sure your hands are parallel to the ground.
Slowly sag down into the chair, but ensure that your knees don't extend past your toes.
To release from the pose, rise up normally.

3) Anantasana

The hamstrings, inner thighs, and calves are stretched in this position. All sorts of asanas that involve leg raises improve blood circulation, which strengthens the nervous and muscular systems. This pose can help relieve leg cramps too.

Instructions:

Begin in the crocodile pose.
Take a deep breath; pivot to the left. Bend your left arm, and support yourself on your left elbow.
Support yourself by resting your head on your left palm. Lying on the left side of the back and hips, fully extend both legs.
From your elbow to the heels, try to keep your body still in a straight line without rolling forward or backward.
Take a deep breath in; stretch your right arm and leg up, and get hold of your right toe with your right fingers.
As much as you can while you're in this position, straighten your right leg towards the ceiling.
As you inhale, relax your hold on your toes, and as you exhale, extend your leg to keep your body balanced. Hold the final position for six breaths or so.
With a deep breath, lower the knee-bent leg and hand. Return to makarasana to rest.
Repeat the technique while turning to the opposite side.

4) Seated Butterfly Pose

A fabulous stretch for the inner thighs, groins, and knees, it helps improve hip and groin flexibility. The seated butterfly pose is an excellent exercise for reducing leg cramps and fatigue caused by prolonged standing and walking.

Instructions:

Sit with your back straight and legs straight out in front of you.
Bend your knees, and bring your feet toward the pelvic region. The bottom of your feet should be in contact. Make an effort to bring the heels as close as possible to your genitalia.
Inhale a big breath. Begin fluttering both legs up and down as if they were butterfly wings. Start slowly, and increase your speed progressively. Maintain normal breathing throughout.
Exhale as you release the pose softly. Stretch your legs out in front of you, and unwind.

5) Malasana

It's an excellent pose for opening up the hips, and stretching the inner thighs and calf muscles. It can help provide relief from leg cramps.

Check out these other yoga exercises to ease tight hips and sore muscles.

Instructions:

Start by squatting with your heels on the ground.
Position your thighs so that they're slightly broader than your midsection.
Exhale and lean forward. The torso should be between your legs.
Position your palms in the anjali mudra.
Pressing your elbows towards the inner thighs can assist you in extending the front part of the body.

Takeaway

Yoga improves the flexibility and strength of the knees, ankles, and thighs by elongating the leg muscles. Additionally, yoga improves blood circulation in the legs.

Enhanced blood circulation delivers new, oxygenated blood to various parts of the legs, enhancing the health of the tendons, ligaments, bones, joints, and muscles. Doing yoga regularly can help prevent and reduce occurrence of leg cramps.