Hasn’t yoga been popularized a great deal presently? Mostly, in western culture, people think of yoga as mere postures and poses. But is it what yoga actually means? There are indeed various yoga poses for weight loss and other health benefits, but that cannot be called yoga. It is only one part of what it truly holds.
Yoga signifies union, the union of you as an individual with the whole of everything that surrounds you. It is indeed a technology for self-transformation, to change the fundamentals of who you are, and to know the greater purpose of life as a human being.
The modern world knows Patanjali as the Father of yoga. Still, it has been said that yoga originated thousands of years ago before Patanjali put it in the form of text. It was first mentioned in the sacred texts of Rig Veda, one of the earliest among all the Vedas.
More details on the real meaning of yoga
The human body is not supposed to be heavy. Heaviness indicates sluggish behavior and creates dullness in oneself. A healthy body shows greater vitality, energy, and sensitiveness that would open up a spiritual dimension in oneself.
The Indus valley civilization discovered a revolutionary technique of weight loss on brittle palm leaves, which remains valid in a five-thousand-year-old transcription.
To begin with transformation, we need to establish our body and mind first. In this blog, we will cover 7 Yoga poses for weight loss that you need to follow in order to lose that extra pounds.
Is it Possible To Lose Weight With Yoga?
Yoga is a method to harmonize your body, mind, and spirit so that your perception of reality reaches its absolute potential. Hence, increasing your body’s vitality and flexibility becomes tremendously essential.
The practice of yoga poses is not only to enhance your physical life but also to improve the awareness of yourself and your surroundings. It allows you to create the best version of yourself.
Yoga comes with numerous health benefits, from strengthening your bones to improving sleep quality. It also helps you lose that additional pounds on your weight loss journey. (1)
Proper implementation of yoga is a total lifestyle change. Losing weight is just one of the benefits. If done right, yoga can increase your physical activity and decrease stress and emotional weighting, which are considered the major factors for weight management.
Several aspects come into play in weight loss through yoga practices, like how much energy you are spending during your yoga sessions, reducing back and joint pain, improving mood and safety, and heightening mindfulness. Daily practice of poses helps you feel more connected to your body and ensure that your eating habits are always healthy.
As mentioned earlier, yoga alone doesn’t encourage weight loss. Along with it, you need to follow a specific diet suitable for your health. When you combine these two essential factors, you will be able to manage your weight significantly. The state of mindfulness will help you realize what to eat and what not to eat.
You will naturally be more drawn to a healthy diet than junk food once you start implementing this, which is one of yoga’s true wonders.
7 Yoga Asanas For Weight Loss:
Let’s put this straight, doing yoga poses won’t promote any weight loss immediately. These poses will help build your body’s flexibility and strength, boost concentration, and encourage overall peace. When your body gets used to these poses, you can begin to practice for weight loss:
Some of the best and most effective yoga poses to lose weight are as follows:
1) Chaturanga Dandasana (Plank Pose)
The Chaturanga Dandasana pose is similar to both the exercises, “plank” and “push-up.” You will be using your arms the same way you head towards the ground while doing push-ups and holding that position.
This simple-looking pose offers immense benefits to health. Getting into that pose engages your core if you do it the right way, resulting in a strong core and good digestion.
It also uses your muscles in the wrist, back, arms and glutes. It is indeed a great way to work out your whole body and help you achieve a good posture.
2) Trikonasana (Triangle Pose):
It is a standing pose/asana regarded as an exercise in modern-day yoga. It primarily focuses on strengthening and lengthening the hamstrings and groin. This pose also improves digestive function and regulates blood circulation in the entire body.
It activates your core muscles and burns fat stored in the belly and waist. This pose’s most important thing is that it improves metabolism by stimulating the digestive organs, making it a highly powerful asana to aid in weight loss.
Note: It is recommended not to perform this pose if you suffer from any back conditions.
3) Sethu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge pose):
The bridge pose offers multiple benefits, such as counteracting the effects of prolonged sitting by relieving low back pain and improving abnormal curvature of the spine.
It also stretches the abdominal muscles by engaging the core, which will help with digestion, thereby promoting weight loss.
4) Dhanurasana (Bow pose)
If you are looking for the most effective and challenging pose to help weight loss, this asana will undoubtedly do the trick. It is the best way to lose belly fat. Bow pose massages the abdominal region, thereby improving the functions of various organs to help refine the digestion process.
The best part about this pose is it stretches your entire body from head to toe. It tones your abdominal muscles and strengthens your back, thighs, and ankles. One of the reasons why this pose is quite distinct is because it opens up your chest for better breathing and alleviates any kind of neck strain.
5) Navasana (Boat Pose)
A boat pose is a seated posture where you extend your legs and arms to make yourself look an upside-down “A.” This pose targets your core and hamstrings by strengthening them through proper balance, coordination, and core engagement.
Along with activating your core muscles, the diaphragm’s elevation during that pose helps to breathe more freely, energizing the internal organs. By doing this, the liver and stomach will both be at ease, aiding digestion.
This pose also strengthens the core and hamstrings by engaging hip flexors and adductor muscles.
6) Adho Mukha Svanasana – Downward Dog pose
Adho Mukha Svanasana, or Downward Facing Dog, is one of yoga’s most famous poses. It is the foundational posture for many yogis and yoga practitioners because it does both things, stretching as well as strengthening. The whole body gets a workout with some extra focus on specific muscles.
It aids in strengthening your arms, back, thighs, and hamstring muscles. Since every muscle is toned and engaged, it promotes good blood circulation.
7) Parivrtta Utkatasana – Twisted Chair pose
This pose is a detoxifying posture where you have to hold your center in a chair position. It is a challenging posture that requires quite a deal of lower body strength. It mainly focuses on improving spinal flexibility by strengthening the mid and low back.
This pose is also called the yoga’s version of the squat. It helps in weight loss by toning the abdominal muscles and detoxifying them. Additionally, it also promotes balance and increases endurance simultaneously.
Power Yoga Poses For Weight Loss
In addition to the poses mentioned above, there are various power yoga asanas to help you on your weight loss journey. Some of them are:
1) One-legged Downward-Facing Dog Pose:
This is a beginner-level power yoga pose for weight loss. Like the standard downward-facing dog pose, it stretches and strengthens the muscles in your back, leg, thigh, hamstrings, and hip flexors.
2) Bhujangasana (Cobra pose):
This is a great power yoga pose to nourish your buttocks and shape your abdominal muscles. It also promotes fat loss and strengthens the muscles in your chest, back and arms simultaneously.
3) Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation):
This yoga practice consists of a flow sequence of twelve beautifully connected asanas. Regular practicing this pose will add flexibility and strength to your body, making it one of the best yoga routines to lose weight in 15 days. (2)
4) Warrior Twist Pose:
Warrior Twist is another powerful yoga pose for weight loss. Not only does it burn fat, but it also strengthens your hip, groin, hamstrings, quadriceps, and various muscles in your ribs.
5) Ardha Chandrasana Yoga or Half-Moon Pose:
This medium-level yoga pose promotes weight loss at home. It stretches your hamstrings by opening up your hips and strengthens your entire spine from the upper back to the legs.
Summary:
Yoga, an ancient form of combining your body and mind, has numerous benefits for everyone, including people looking to lose weight or those who want to relax or discover their innate abilities.
People suffering from chronic illnesses can do yoga, too, as it can positively impact their health. Many people have said how yoga has transformed their life by bringing good physical and mental health, joy, and peace.
Disclaimer:
The article is for informational purposes only, and it doesn’t serve as a medical replacement. Ensure that you consult a professional before starting anything new unless you are fit. This website is not responsible for any effects that it may have on your body.