Performing yoga is very vital for developing physically, mentally, and spiritually. It is one of the best ways to lose weight with the help of the active forms of yoga, Yoga brings mindfulness and awareness and helps you gauge what food affects your body and in what way.
Why yoga
A study has suggested that people who have gained mindfulness through yoga could easily resist an urger of unhealthy food and binge eating and you are highly likely to crave healthy food. Yoga also helps you sleep better and quality sleep is associated with consistent weight loss.
Types of yogas to lose weight
The Utkatasana
Utkatasana also known as the chair pose generates enough heat at the site of stretch causing the burn of fat. It makes your quads and glutes stronger and strengthens your core, improves your body posture, helps in digestion, and improves breathing like any other yoga asana.
How to perform the chair pose:
- Step 1: Stand in an upright position with your feet slightly away from each other.
- Step 2: Extend your arms with your palms facing toward the floor and do not bend your elbows.
- Step 3: Bend your knees and push your pelvis backwards and downwards like you are sitting on a chair.
- Step 4: Raise your hands over your head making the finger point at the ceiling.
- Step 5: Extend your spine, look forward and relax.
- Step 6: Inhale and exhale in this position for as long as you can.
The triangle pose or the Trikonasana
It burns the fat in the belly and the waist and enhances blood circulation through the body. The sideways motion of this asana helps burn even more fat in the thighs and hamstrings also relieving backache.
How to perform the Triangle pose:
- Step 1: Stand up straight with both your feet spaced 3 feet apart.
- Step 2: Raise both your hands sideways as you inhale and bring them in line with your shoulders, hands being perfectly parallel to the floor and palm facing the floor.
- Step 3: Bend your body to the right, take your right hand, and tough your right foot.
- Step 4: Lift your left hand and look at the ceiling. Stay in this position for half a minute and return to the starting point and repeat the same on the opposite side.
Virabhadrasana or the warrior pose 2
It enhances your balance, toning your buttocks, thighs, calves, and arms. Holding this position while you contract your abdominal muscles causes fat loss.
How to perform the Warrior pose 2 :
- Step 1: Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your arms on your side.
- Step 2: Exhale and take a step to your left
- Step 3: Turn the toes on your left foot outwards and bend your knee at a right angle.
- Step 4: Turn your right foot inside aligning the heel to the centre of the left foot.
- Step 5: Facing your palms downwards raise both your arms to your shoulder level.
- Step 6: Inhale and exhale in this position, push your pelvis down. Pause for a moment and come back to the starting position.
Perform the same on the other side.
Chaturanga Dandasana or the plank pose
This pose causes rapid fat burn due to its engagement of multiple muscles all at once. It boosts your metabolic rate.
How to perform the plank pose:
- Step 1: Place yourself in the pushup position
- Step 2: Push your body into the air with the help of your arms.
- Step 3: Relax your back and spine
- Step 4: Hold the position for half a minute.
Different types of Planks: Sidearm plank, side arm plank, medicine ball plank, knee plank, or forearm plank.
Sarvangasana or the shoulder stand pose
It boosts metabolism and balances thyroid levels invariably helping you with fat metabolism. Other advantages areas are strengthening of upper body and abdomen.
How to perform the shoulder stand pose
- Step 1: Lay on your back.
- Step 2: Raise your feet vertically upwards facing the roof.
- Step 3: Place your hands below your back for support.
Hold for a minute.
Another easier way to do the shoulder stand is to do it against the wall.
Navasan or the boat pose
It burns fat and tones your abs, helping better functioning of kidneys and pancreas.
How to perform the boat pose:
- Step 1: Sit down on the floor with your knees bent and feet placed on the floor, resting your arms on the side.
- Step 2: Raise your feet off the floor bringing your shin parallel to the floor and resting your body weight on your buttocks.
- Step 3: Lean backwards with an erect spine.
- Step 4: apply pressure on your shoulder muscles and extend your arms in front
- Step 5: Engage your core.
Dhanurasana or the bow pose
It improves digestion and increases blood flow. It burns belly fat.
How to perform the bow pose
- Step 1: Lie on your stomach with your feet wide apart and place your arms by your side.
- Step 2: Arch your knees upwards and recede your heel towards your buttocks.
- Step 3: Hold your ankles.
- Step 4: Lift your chest and legs off the group while you breathe in.
- Step 5: Pull your legs as much as you can tightening your body like a bow.
- Step 6: Pause for a few breaths and go back to the starting position.
Bhujangasana or the cobra pose
It helps burn abdominal fat and strengthens your back and shoulders.
How to perform the cobra pose:
- Step 1: Lay on your stomach keeping your feet close and stretching your hands over your head.
- Step 2: Rest your forehead on the ground and bring both your legs together.
- Step 3: Place your hands underneath your shoulder
- Step 4: Keep your elbow close to your body.
- Step 5: Lift the upper body as you inhale.
Bridge pose
It is a very good pose to burn belly fat as it requires you to hold your abdomen in the air against the force of gravity.
How to perform the bridge pose
- Steps: 1: Lay on your back with curved knees and place your feet on the ground.
- Step 2: Place your legs slightly apart and rest your arms on the side.
- Step 3: Lift your hips.
- Step 4: Press your arms on the ground and lift your chest.
- Step 5: Use your legs and buttocks to lift your hips even higher.
- Step 6: Hold on to this position for 8 – 10 breaths after which you can return to the starting position.
Pawanmuktasana or the Wind pose
It helps you lose that belly fat that you have always desired would be lost. It helps lengthen the spine. A similar pose is the Half wind relieving pose.
How to perform the Wind pose:
- Step 1: Lay on your back, pull both knees towards your chest and inhale.
- Step 2: Wrap your arms around your knees securely.
- Step 3: Press the shoulders and the neck towards the floor.
- Step 4: Breathe and hold the position for 5 to 10 breaths while relaxing your feet and legs.
- Step 5: Exhale and return to the starting position.
Adho Mukha savasana or the downward dog pose
Advised for losing fat in arms. Perform this asana for 5 minutes.
As it is a weight-bearing pose making you lay weight on your arms helping tone your biceps.
- Step 1: Stand on your hands and knees positioning your wrists under your shoulder and your feet under your hips.
- Step 2: Lift your hips and straighten your legs.
- Step 3: Flex your shoulder broadening your collar bone.
- Step 4: Engage your thing muscles helping remove the stress off your arms.
The sun salutation pose
How to perform the sun salutation pose
- Step 1: While standing, start to inhale while raising your hands over your head.
- Step 2: Swan dives into a forward bend while you exhale.
- Step 3: Walk into the plank pose.
- Step 4: Hold the position for some time.
- Step 5: Drop your knees lowering your body to the floor.
- Step 6: Do the downward dog position.
- Step 7: Go back to the starting position.
CONCLUSION
Though yoga is not usually taken into consideration when speaking of burning fat but certain poses go toe to toe with other aerobic exercises as stated above, It has multiple other benefits like tuning your breathing which is very useful in people with breathing problems.
Active forms of yoga help burn calories and help in digestion preventing bloating and it also improves your body’s metabolism. Yoga is one of the main ways to that help build discipline causing a change in your behaviour and causing weight loss.
A moderate session of yoga performed for 20 to 30 minutes daily is sufficient per day to lose fat and the amount of fat lost varies from person to person and also on their yoga routine. Nonetheless, yoga being an Indian form of exercise should be performed as it has multiple other benefits to it