Yoga exercises to Lose Weight | Weight loss yoga

Yoga for Weight Loss

While it is very easy to put on weight, losing it can be an uphill task. The battle is as much mental as it is physical; this is where most people fall short. If you’ve been battling your weight, you may want to give yoga a shot. It isn’t strenuous nor is it dreary. Yoga engages the mind and the body, keeping you focused on the task at hand.

Yoga is a therapeutic discipline. It corrects the root of the problem not just the symptom. If you are putting on excess weight, yoga first enquires into the reasons. While the exercises help you shed the pounds and tone up, yoga also addresses all the other factors that may cause weight gain: digestive function, thyroid function, poor posture, and stress. Through yoga’s breathing and meditation techniques, you also strengthen your mind and resolve and reduce stress and anxiety.

Yoga and Weight Loss

Try some of the following postures to shed a few pounds: Yoga poses for weight loss

Sun Salutations – This is a cycle of twelve yoga postures, practiced in a continuous flow. Try performing as many cycles as you can (ten cycles a day is known to have positive results). These twelve postures combine to tone and stretch various muscles in the body, giving your body everything it needs. They target excess and eliminate excess fat and give you a slender, lean look. It is best to practice the sun salutations early in the morning.

Cobra – The pose requires you to lie on your belly. Keep your feet extended and together. Use your palms to life the upper body off the floor, tilting the head as far back as possible. Maintain the pose. This pose stimulates the adrenal glands, decreases stress and fatigue, improves digestive functions and tones the entire upper body.

Dog Pose – Both the downward and upward facing dog poses are excellent for losing weight around the problem areas – hips and thighs. These postures open and tone the shoulders and upper arms; they stretch the hamstring and the leg muscles; they also tone the hips and the thighs, and boost the body’s digestive function and decrease stress.

Fish Pose – As you lie on the floor, rest your body on your elbows and arch the back. Tilt your head so that it touches the floor. This posture stretches and tones the neck, abdomen and the hips. It improves body posture. Tones and strengthens the arms. It also stimulates the thyroid gland, boosting the body’s metabolism rate.

Bridge Pose – Lie on your back with your knees bent. Keeping your feet and palms on the floor lift your hip up as high as possible. Hold the pose. The bridge pose comes with a number of benefits. It stimulates the thyroid and abdominal organs, it stretches and tones the whole body, strengthens the shoulders, arms, hamstring and back region. It also opens the ribcage and boosts circulation.

Pranayama – Yoga emphasizes on deep breathing. Not only does proper breathing nourish the body by boosting oxygen supply, it also works the muscles in the chest and abdomen. Furthermore this is the simplest way to beat stress and anxiety, a major cause of weight gain.

If you practice yoga regularly, you’ll see the changes in no time. You body will be leaner, well toned, and more flexible.