6 Simple Yoga Poses For Weight Loss -7pranayama

The conundrum of health issues is a primary concern. It is important to change personal habits and gain healthy traits which include dedication, discipline, and commitment to achieve a balanced lifestyle and weight loss. Losing weight is quite a tedious task and requires an immense focus on diets and workouts, but often people lose hope because of disinterest in a strict workout regime and balanced food intake.

The unbalanced diet, lack of exercise and health issue form a vicious circle and often result in weight gain. To break this chain of event people intermittently go through various weight loss program, but generally, it entails efforts to break the pattern to lose weight. To achieve the goal of decreasing body weight, inculcating better health practices and exercise into the lifestyle become a must otherwise it can lead to a state of depression and cause a negative mindset which may discourage a person to never push himself to achieve weight loss and lead a healthy life.

Yoga And Weight Loss

Yoga is the culmination of various physical and mental exercises which deals with constant work to gain the balance of mind, body, and soul. Few poses in Yoga are better in different aspects than others and introducing these poses into your daily exercise routine may help you gain better results in a short span of time.

Yoga offers numerous physical and mental health benefits, including increased flexibility, strength, and stress reduction, its role in weight loss is more indirect.

While some styles of yoga can be physically demanding and burn calories, most forms of yoga are not as intense as traditional cardio exercise such as running or cycling.

Yoga helps build lean muscle, which can increase your metabolism over time. It can aid weight loss by helping you burn more calories even when you are at rest.

By becoming more aware of your body and its needs through the practice of yoga, you may find yourself making healthier food choices, which can contribute to weight loss.

Weight loss poses to do at home

Here are a few yoga poses that you can incorporate into a short session at home when you’re pressed for time.

Surya Namaskar or Sun Salutation

It consists of a compilation of 12 yoga poses in a consistent sequence. Surya Namaskar Yoga practice offers the best results in achieving flexibility of the body and strengthening of the muscles, not to forget weight loss. It is well-known as the king of the asanas.

Bring your palms together in front of your chest in a prayer position.
Raise your arms overhead, lengthening your spine.
Exhale as you hinge at your hips and fold forward, bringing your hands towards the floor or your shins.
Step your right foot back into a lunge, lowering your right knee towards the floor.
Step your left foot back to meet the right, coming into a high plank position.
Lower your body down in a straight line, bending your elbows close to your sides.
Straighten your arms and lift your chest forward and up.
Lift your hips up and back, coming into an inverted V shape.
Step your right foot forward between your hands, returning to the lunge position.
Step your left foot forward to meet the right, folding forward from the hips.
Raise your arms overhead, lengthening your spine.
Bring your palms together in front of your chest, returning to the prayer position.

Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)

Adho Mukha Svanasana stretches and strengthens the thighs, hips, spine, and chest. It improves digestion and stimulates abdominal organs, aiding in weight management. Regular practice of Adho Mukha Svanasana helps in reducing belly fat and toning the waistline.

Start on your hands and knees, with your wrists under your shoulders and your knees under your hips.
Lift your hips up and back, straightening your arms and legs to form an inverted V shape.
Press your heels toward the floor and lengthen your spine.
Hold the position for 30 seconds to 1 minute, breathing deeply.
Downward facing dog stretches the entire body, strengthens the arms and shoulders, and improves circulation and digestion.

Warrior Pose (Virabhadrasana II)

This pose helps in achieving the strengthening of hamstrings, legs, ankles, and thighs as body weight is duly transferred to the thighs with continuous bending forward. Regularly practicing this pose stimulates the abdominal region and helps to build body stamina. Virabhadrasana helps in improving metabolism which leads to loss of body weight.

From Downward Facing Dog, step your right foot forward between your hands.
Rotate your left heel down to the floor, keeping it at a 45-degree angle.
Inhale as you lift your torso upright, reaching your arms overhead.
Square your hips towards the front of the mat and bend your right knee to stack it over your ankle.
Hold for 30 seconds to 1 minute, feeling strength and stability in your legs and opening through your chest.

Marjariasana (Cat Pose)

It is a simple pose that is best suited for improving the digestive system of the body. Marjariasana inculcates simple exercises that assist in weight loss.

Start on your hands and knees in a tabletop position.
Inhale as you arch your back, lifting your chest and tailbone towards the ceiling, and allowing your belly to sink towards the floor.
Lift your head and gaze forward, creating a gentle curve in your spine.
Exhale as you round your back, tucking your chin towards your chest and pressing firmly into your hands and knees.
Repeat this flow.

Bow Pose (Dhanurasana)

It enables stretching of the abdominal region while practicing this pose. This stretch helps in losing excess fat in the abdominal region. It burns this excess fat around arms and legs muscles too. Practicing Bow pose in continuity helps in losing belly fat.

Lie on your stomach with your arms by your sides and bend your knees and reach your hands back to grasp your ankles or feet.
Inhale as you lift your chest and thighs off the mat, pulling your feet away from your body.
Hold the pose for 15-30 seconds, breathing deeply.
Exhale as you release the pose and lower your chest and thighs back to the mat.

Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana)

Cobra Pose strengthens the spine, glutes, and shoulders while stretching the chest and abdomen. It stimulates the digestive organs, improves metabolism, and helps in reducing excess fat around the abdomen. Cobra Pose also helps in relieving stress and fatigue, promoting overall well-being.

Lie on your stomach with your legs extended.
Place your hands under your shoulders, with your elbows close to your body.
Inhale as you press into your hands and lift your chest off the mat, keeping your elbows slightly bent.
Draw your shoulder blades down and back, opening your chest and lifting your gaze.
Hold the pose for 15-30 seconds, breathing deeply.

Side Bends

Working on the stomach region is essential to losing weight. After a certain age, the fat starts accumulating in this region and popularly known “love handles” can be reduced by this pose. It burns a chunk of calories, but it is also instrumental in losing inches.

Sit on the floor with your legs extended and your spine tall.
Extend your right leg out to the side and bend your left knee, bringing the sole of your left foot to the inside of your right thigh.
Inhale as you reach your right arm overhead, lengthening through the side body.
Exhale as you gently lean to the left, bringing your right hand towards your left foot or shin.
Hold the stretch for 15-30 seconds, breathing deeply.

The miraculous result of these Yoga poses can be felt in a few days, and you will lose weight with the disciplined practicing of these poses. However, good eating habits and leading a healthy lifestyle also bears huge significance in achieving weight loss.

Conclusion

Above poses, when practiced regularly along with a balanced diet and other forms of exercise, can support weight loss efforts and improve overall health and well-being.