Practicing yoga enhances physical, spiritual and mental development and you will able to notice changes in yourself in no time. Yoga for weight loss makes you perform the most active positions of stretching to strengthen and tone your muscles. Most of us know how yoga is relaxing but do you know how helpful it s to lose weight? Experts always say that yoga works in various ways to balance weight in the body. Here, we will tell you why you should try yoga to live a fitter life and have a clearer mind.
Table of Contents
Mindfulness and yoga
The spiritual and mental qualities of yoga help to focus on the development of mindfulness. It helps in making you more aware of your overall surroundings. You become more conscious of your body and the food that you consume. Being mindful mean you will be curious about the effects of everything that goes inside your body. In this way, you will be able to choose good food and the ones that are bad for you.
Some study reports say that if you successfully develop mindfulness with the help of yoga practice, you will remain healthier. This is because people who are more aware of their diet will always restrict unhealthy food. They will always choose a healthy and comfortable diet over the rest. Such people usually do not indulge in overeating because they know exactly how much food they require. They are never too full like most of us when we see our favorite dishes.
Another set of experiments came with a more updated report. As per this, If you practice mindfulness yoga, you are more likely to stay away from binge-eating and are more likely to recover from eating disorders. A mindful person is always aware of the benefits of physical activities for fitness. Indeed, yoga for weight loss is not directly related to mindfulness. However, practicing yoga for a prolonged period will help you to shift to a healthier lifestyle. Therefore, losing weight comes along automatically.
We suggest that you do not eat a full meal before a yoga session. You may, however, eat a few healthy snacks like almonds, an apple, and green tea. After your session, you will be hungry but make sure you do not eat anything junk. Go for unprocessed and fresh foods to retain the positive effects of your yoga session. Chewing food properly and eating slowly will help you to overcome overeating.
Better sleep and yoga
You can get better sleep if you practice yoga regularly. You should ideally sleep for 7-9 hours daily. Practicing yoga will help you to fall asleep easily and you can keep any kind of sleep-disorder at bay. Good sleep is always associated with weight loss.
As per a recent study, if you sleep less for about 5 times a week for a month, you are more likely to become fatter. The problem is not exactly how you gain weight, but that you do not lose weight in the form of energy at all. Even if you pull a chain to restrict your diet, sleep-deprivation may still make you fat.
Yoga Nidra or sleep employing yoga is a way of relaxation that you can do while lying down. Practicing this style of yoga will increase mindfulness and help you sleep better. Setting intentions while practicing Yoga Nidra will also help you lose weight.
A recent study shows that people working in a health care institute did yoga for 2 months and became more mindful. They started acting aware and did not act based on their inner experiences.
Initially, the mindfulness quotient was hard to measure. However, with the prolonged practice of this style of yoga, the mindfulness quotient increased. People were able to relax more and sleep better. Experts are still working on the exact relationship between good sleep and weight loss.
How is yoga related to calorie burning?
Yoga is not a traditional aerobic exercise but some forms of yoga are more dynamic than the others. For example, Ashtanga, Power Yoga, Vinyasa and more effective than other forms. Yoga for weight loss has been a magic mantra for a lot of people for many years. You can practice power yoga and vinyasa in any of the yoga studios around you. If you are practicing these forms of yoga, you need to keep moving constantly. This, as a result, helps to burn calories. You can also practice yoga if you want to improve metabolism and muscle strength.
Restorative yoga is not a very physical form of yoga. However, it is known to be one of the best forms of yoga for weight loss. As per research, restorative yoga helps obese women lose abdominal fat. It is a more promising form, especially for people who need rigorous work-out sessions to lose weight.
A 2013 study came out with a report that practicing yoga is a way to improve behavior, mindfulness, getting over stress, burning calories, and weight loss. If you possess the combination of all these qualities, you will become more aware of what you eat. You will also become more careful to not overeat.
When should you practice yoga for weight loss?
You should practice yoga regularly to get the best possible results. The best you can do is to practice yoga at least 3-5 times per week for an hour every time. This will give you solid results in less time. In the days on which you do not do yoga, you should still stay in touch with stretching. These days, you can relax or do some light restorative yoga that doesn’t give you pain but works like therapy.
As a beginner, do not start doing yoga for weight loss rigorously. You should start slow and then escalate. Yoga helps everyone to become more flexible, stronger and immune to all sorts of injuries. If your schedule is too packed, you should at least carve out about 20 minutes for a yoga session. This will energize and rejuvenate you even more. Also, make sure you are resting completely one day a week.
You can combine yoga with other physical activities such as walking, swimming, cycling, and other activities. Record your weight, if you want to, at the same time every day. Do not do it right after a hot yoga class. In that case, you will not be able to get a clear picture as you tend to lose water weight after a hot yoga session anyway.
Yoga Asanas for weight loss
You should start exercising with a positive mind and a goal to lose weight. It is better not to take part in yoga sessions just because someone tells you to. It should be your personal choice. You will not be able to lose weight if you force yourself to do it. Yoga for weight loss mainly aims to increase the fitness of the mind and body. It helps you to overcome your lazy lifestyle. You must understand your body and ignore everything that stops you from staying fit.
1. Chaturanga Dandasana or Low Plank
If you translate the name of this pose, it comes to the four-limbed staff pose. In this pose, you will have to balance your body exactly parallel to the ground. You have to balance yourself with your toes and palms. It is similar to a push-up position.
You will develop strong core muscles and abs if you practice this yoga pose regularly. This will also help you to lose weight as a result. When you balance yourself on your palm, there is a pressure on your arms. It works to create toned arms.
. Warrior III or Virabhadrasana C
This pose is an important part of a session of yoga for weight loss. For this, you will have to stand straight and balance yourself on one leg. You have to stretch your body and keep your back flat. You can test your concentration power if you practice this yoga pose. Virabhadrasana helps to improve your strength and overall body balance.
As per Hindu mythology, Virabhadra was a fierce warrior who was born from dreadlocks of Lord Shiva. That is how it got the name and also know the benefits reflect. The other two preparatory poses that help to tone up your body, especially the butt. Yoga means activating the mind, the elevating the soul and sweating out of the extra fat in your body.
3. Shoulder stand or the Sarvangasana
This is a pose that forms a part of the Hatha Yoga style. It is a kind of advanced yoga with multiple benefits. In this, you have to lift your body with your arms and hold it up as long as you can. Make sure you do not twist your neck while you practice this. You have to balance all your body weight on your shoulders. This, in turn, helps to cut off those extra flaps from your abdomen as well as your neck.
Performing Sarvangasana regularly helps to improve digestion and reduces problems such as thyroid and anemia. It helps in proper blood circulation and hence improves metabolism. Doing the shoulder stand is extremely helpful for any kind of respiratory disorder.
. Half boat or Ardha Navasana
This works as a magical tummy reduction exercise. Adho Mukha Svanasana and Uttanasana are its preparatory yoga poses. Imagine that you are in an extremely compact boat and you have to pose like that. It strains the tummy and thus increases the metabolism rate of your body. Tummy fat converts into muscles to develop into abs
Most young people perform this pose as it helps in toning the body. You should practice yoga regularly to revitalize your system. It also helps to cut down unwanted fat from your legs, belly, arms, and buttocks. You can also strengthen your abdominal muscles, hip flexors, and vertebral column. Ardha Navasana also helps to improve digestion and remove stress.
5. Side plank or Vasisthasana
When you want to lose weight, nothing can be more helpful than planks. Apart from the low plank, this is another position that helps your body balance. It also makes your wrists stronger. This asana stresses on a few specific pressure points of the body to make you flexible. You should perform this to get awesome abs. Just burn out all the extra fat, processed and junk food that you had at that party the night before. This is not an advanced pose so anyone can perform it with ease.
. Lunges or Anjaneasana
This pose is also known as the ‘crescent moon pose’. You have to stand and bend continuously to perform this pose. It helps to open up the lungs, chest, and shoulders. It helps to rejuvenate your body and tone it up at the same time. You must take extra care of your body especially when you are aging. This yoga pose helps to keep you fit as you grow older. This pose is like the trigger pose to keep your knees fit.
In this, you have to put forward one leg and bend on it with your hands in a worship pose. Now get up, pause for a few seconds and repeat it with your other leg. As per Hindu mythology, Anjaneya was the name of Lord Hanumana. This yoga pose symbolizes the spiritual significance of Lord Hanumana.
7. Bridge or Setu Bandha Sarvangasana
To perform this pose, you need to lie on the ground and face the sky. Keep your legs parallel to each other and lift your body. Your palms have to touch the ground and your hands have to stay fixed on the ground. This relaxes your legs when you get extremely tired. It also helps cure the symptoms of menopause, asthma, sinusitis and more.
Final thoughts
Other than these poses, several other yoga poses can work like magic for weight loss. What matters the most is your dedication and how correctly you perform the activities. Try to take out at least some time for yourself every day. Along with that maintain a proper diet and a healthy lifestyle to stay fit always. It is time you start doing yoga and find all its benefits including weight loss.
