A five-thousand-year-old transcription by the Indus Valley Civilization onto fragile palm leaves has paved the way for innovative weight-loss therapy. Yoga has been mentioned in India’s collection of Sanskrit Vedic hymns, the Rigveda.
Researchers have traced yoga back over a thousand years, and its rich history is divided into periods of innovation, practice, and development.
Yoga was refined and developed by Rishis and Brahmins who documented their training in the Upanishads. This practice was then developed over several years into what is now practiced as Yoga.
The discipline is based on 5 basic principles:
- Exercise
- Diet
- Breathing
- Relaxation
- Meditation
Contents
Are yoga poses good for weight loss?
The development of yoga has benefited many people to lose weight in a healthy way. Yoga for weight loss is a debatable topic. Many people believe that yoga alone does not promote weight loss.
Yoga, when combined with a healthy diet, has been shown to be beneficial in helping to lose weight while keeping your mind and body healthy.
Yoga increases your mindfulness and your relationship with your body. You will start looking for healthy foods instead of gorging yourself on foods that can increase your fat accumulation.
Losing weight has two important aspects, healthy eating and exercise. Yoga poses for weight loss require these aspects.
Yoga is not just about a few poses that make you stronger. It has more benefits to offer, such as:
- Increased flexibility
- Improved breathing
- Improved energy and vitality
- Balanced metabolism
- Improved sports health
- Increased muscle tone
- Improved cardio health
- Weightloss
- Stress management
Stress can have a devastating effect on your body and mind. It can manifest as pain, anxiety, insomnia and inability to concentrate. Most of the time, stress is the main cause of weight gain. Yoga can help you cope with stress.
The physical benefits of yoga, combined with stress management, help a person lose weight and maintain good physical and mental health.
Yoga Asanas Poses for Weight Loss
Yoga does not always result in immediate weight loss because these poses are simple. These yoga poses mainly focus on strengthening body flexibility, improving concentration, and building your muscle tone. Once your body gets used to these asanas, you will start practicing yoga asanas for weight loss.
Some of the yoga asanas and yoga tips for weight loss are given below.
1. Chaturanga Dandasana – Plank Pose
Chaturanga dandasana is the best way to strengthen your core. As simple as it sounds, its benefits are immense.
It is only when you are in the pose that you begin to feel its intensity on your abdominal muscles.
2. Virabhadrasana – Warrior Pose
Toning your thighs and shoulders, as well as improving your concentration just got more accessible and interesting with the Warrior II pose. The longer you hold this pose, the better results you get. With just a few minutes of Virabhadrasana, you will get tighter quads.
The Warrior III pose is designed to improve your balance while toning your back, legs, and arms. It also helps tone your stomach and give you a flat stomach if you contract your abdominal muscles while you hold the position.
3. Trikonasana – Triangular Pose
Trikonasana helps improve digestion as well as reduce fat deposited in the belly and waist. It stimulates and improves blood circulation throughout the body. The sideways motion of this asana helps you burn more fat from the waist and build more muscle in the thighs and hamstrings.
Although this pose does not shake your muscles like the others, it gives you the advantage of the other asanas. It also improves balance and concentration.
4. Adho Mukha Svanasana – Downward Facing Dog Pose
Adho Mukha Svanasana tones your whole body with a little extra attention to specific muscles.
It helps strengthen your arms, thighs, hamstrings and back. Holding this pose and focusing on your breath engages your muscles and tones them, while improving your concentration and blood circulation.
5. Sarvangasana – Shoulder Stand Pose
Sarvangasana has multiple benefits, from increasing your strength to improving digestion. But it is known to boost metabolism and balance thyroid levels.
Sarvangasana or the shoulder stand strengthens the upper body, abdominal muscles and legs, improves the respiratory system and improves sleep.
6. Sethu Bandha Sarvangasana – Bridge Pose
Another asana with multiple benefits is the Sethu Bandha Sarvangasana or Bridge pose. It is excellent for the glutes, the thyroid as well as weight loss.
The bridge pose improves muscle tone, digestion, regulates hormones, and improves thyroid levels. It also strengthens your back muscles and reduces back pain.
7. Parivrtta Utkatasana – Twisting Chair Pose
The Parivrtta Utkatasana is also called the Yoga version of the squat. But you should know that it is a little more intense and tones the abdominal muscles, works the quadriceps and the glutes.
The asana also improves the lymphatic system and the digestive system. It’s a great way to lose weight.
8. Dhanurasana – Bow Pose
Looking for the best way to lose that belly fat? Dhanurasana helps massage the abdominal organs, improve digestion and strengthen the thighs, chest and back. It stretches your whole body, strengthens and tones your muscles with better blood circulation.
9. Surya Namaskara – Sun Salutation Pose
The Surya Namaskara or Sun Salutation does more than warm up the muscles and get the blood flowing. It stretches and tones most major muscles, trims the waist, tones the arms, stimulates the digestive system and balances the metabolism.
Surya Namaskar is a complete package of good health and the best way to lose weight.
Interested in boosting your immune system by practicing yoga? Click here to download the app and join the live sessions for FREE!
Power Yoga Poses for Weight Loss
There is always a debate about whether yoga is ideal for weight loss. Yoga tones your body and helps you lose that extra fat. But the story is different for Power Yoga. It is a vigorous form of yoga that rejuvenates your mind and body.
It’s more like cardiovascular training. Power Yoga helps promote weight loss and maintain a healthy body and a stress-free life. It also improves stamina, flexibility and mental focus.
Power Yoga is a modern form of Yoga that has its roots in Ashtanga Yoga. Asanas create internal heat and increase your stamina, making you strong, flexible and stress-free. This is a form of muscle-strengthening exercise that works your whole body.
Power Yoga poses give you the benefits of yoga and more, including:
- Helps burn calories, a bit more than yoga for beginners
- It boosts your metabolism
- It improves your general well-being
- Useful for building strength, endurance, flexibility and toning your body.
- It helps to increase your concentration
- It helps you relax as tension and stress are greatly reduced.
The most reliable form of Power Yoga begins with Surya Namaskara or Sun Salutation. You can perform Surya Namaskara as a warm-up before starting your Power Yoga workout, or Surya Namaskara by itself can be done as Power Yoga.
Surya Namaskara has immense benefits as it focuses on all the core muscles in your body.
The best Power Yoga poses for weight loss are:
- Pawanmuktasana or the Wind Release Pose helps you eliminate those extra fats from the stomach and stomach area.
- Trikonasana or the Intense Side Stretch pose helps reduce fat from the sides. It increases your heart rate and burns calories.
- Dhanurasana or the bow pose helps you remove excess fat from the arms and legs. It is very useful for toning your body.
- Garudasana or the Eagle Pose is a perfect weight loss choice for those who want slimmer thighs, legs, arms, and hands.
- Eka Pada Adho Mukha Svanasana or One-Legged Downward Facing Dog – when combined with the breath helps you tone your arms, hands, legs, thighs and abdominal muscles.
- Bhujangasana or the Cobra pose is a great choice if you want to solidify your buttocks and tone your abdominal muscles.
- Navasana or the boat pose is the simplest Power Yoga pose for weight loss. It concentrates all the major muscles in your body.
- The Savasana or Corpse pose is the most important pose to complete your Power Yoga workout. Savasana helps your muscles relax and prevents muscle damage.
There are several other Power Yoga asanas that are very important for weight loss such as Uttanpadasana or Elevated Feet Pose, Veerbhadrasana, Warrior Pose, Ardha Chandrasana or Half Moon Pose, Paschimottasana or the seated forward bend, among others. Power Yoga is considered an appropriate intervention to lose weight and prevent obesity.
Summary
Yoga, an Indian form of mind and body rejuvenation, has significant benefits for everyone from obese people who want to lose weight to people who want to relax.
It’s an age-old treatment for a well-toned, healthy body and a stress-free mind. Yoga not only helps with weight loss, but also promotes balanced physical and mental well-being.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q. How much weight can you lose doing yoga?
The amount of weight one loses doing yoga varies from person to person and depends on a number of factors, including their flexibility.
Q. Can you lose belly fat with yoga?
Yes, you can lose belly fat with the help of yoga. Basic stretches and different asanas (like Surya Namaskar) can help you lose belly fat. That said, it is by no means recommended to aim for spot reduction.
Q. Which is better for losing weight – yoga or the gym?
Both yoga and fitness have their own benefits. Yoga involves more stretching and relaxation, while physical fitness deals with the contraction of muscles. There’s no way to tell which one works better than the other for weight loss. It depends on the morphology of each one and their choices.
Q. Is power yoga effective for weight loss?
Yes, it is effective for weight loss. However, Hatha yoga is recommended because it is better in the long run. People with health issues should not prefer to do power yoga unless under supervision
Q. Can you lose weight doing yoga?
A. Yes, there are several intense asanas that will help you lose weight. The plank pose, warrior pose, and downward dog pose are very effective.
Q. Will 20 minutes of yoga help with weight loss?
A. Yes, a 20 minute yoga session will help you lose weight. For best results, include a low-calorie diet in your daily routine.
Q. When is the best time to do yoga?
A. Yoga is a workout that can be done at any time of the day. People do it in the morning to start the day energized or even in the evening to relax the mind and body.
Q. How many calories does yoga burn in 30 minutes?
A. Calorie burning in yoga depends on how well you perform the poses and how long you hold them. Usually it is suggested not to focus on calorie burning in yoga as it works more holistically. However, if followed, a 30-minute power yoga session can burn approx. 100-115 calories.
Q. Is 25 minutes of yoga a day enough?
A. Yes, a 25 day yoga session is ideal for improving and energizing your body and mind. An intense 25-minute yoga session can also help you lose weight.
Q. Is yoga better than the gym?
A. Although both are equally effective, yoga and the gym are quite different in nature. Yoga strengthens your body and mind simultaneously. The gym is more about making exercise part of your lifestyle. Also, it’s a matter of preference.
Q. How can I lose weight doing yoga in 10 days?
A. Weight loss is a gradual process. Although it differs from person to person, one can eventually see inch loss within 10 days. Surya Namaskar, Pranayama and Bridge asanas can help tone the body and help you lose weight if practiced regularly.
Q. Which yoga is best for losing weight in 7 days?
A. Concentrated breathing, Pranayama, Surya Namaskars and various Asanas, when practiced regularly for 7 days with proper alignment, can help to see the difference between mind and body.
