Meeting the Muscle Belly: Quadriceps
By: Kylie Roswell
The four muscles that make up the front of thigh:
1. vastus lateralis on the outside of the thigh
2. vastus medialis on the inside
3. vastus intermedius in the center (underneath the rectus femoris)
4. rectus femoris goes down center of thigh (only one that crosses both the hip joint and knee)
- To fully stretch the rectus femoris, you must include hip extension (opening across the front of the hip) as well as knee flexion (bending the knee).
Yoga asana to stretch the rectus femoris:
Supta Virasana - Reclining Hero Pose (or half with one leg bent at a time!)
Yoga poses that stretch the quads:
Crescent Lunge (Anjaneyasana)
King dancer (natarajasana)
Camel (Ustrasana)
Bow (Dhanurasana)
Sugarcane pose (Ardha Chandrasana Chapasana)
Kylie Roswell
Kylie Roswell is an energetic Vinyasa & Iyengar teacher spreading joy through yoga. Teaching from her heart-center, she connects the origins of love and spontaneous flow to refined dedication to a structured practice. Kylie is known to weave intentional Mantra music with her well-traveled ukulele, who has guest starred in yoga classes in India, Bali, and beyond.