Most of the articles on yoga for weight loss are superficial. They contain several exercises that have been spied on somewhere and general wordings that have no value. As a result, no matter how much you study in these lessons, the stomach and sides stay with you. In fact, you can lose weight very quickly with yoga if you know how. Therefore, I am going to tell you about a really quick way that I accidentally discovered during my yoga classes.
To be honest, I have never doubted that yoga helps lose belly weight. It has always been obvious to me that a flat stomach is an added benefit of regular yoga practice. I've seen how people who constantly take yoga classes transform and get lean and fit. But all of this is done gradually. If you want to get the result as quickly as possible, read the article to the end. After knowing the simplest yoga exercises for weight loss at home, I will tell you about three secret yoga exercises that will allow you to shed fat from the abdomen literally an inch a day.
Yoga for Weight Loss for Beginners at Home
At home it is very easy to do asanas - static yoga poses. To do this, just lay out the mat in the morning and do a few simple exercises. Do this yoga complex for weight loss at home every morning. It only takes 15 minutes. The complex includes all types of asanas: standing poses, turns, twists. Each asana affects certain areas of the body, improving blood circulation and metabolism, normalizing hormonal levels, and gently massaging internal organs. Through these influences, this yoga complex triggers the process of weight loss. Static asanas are more related to the direction of hatha yoga; kundalini yoga has also been proven for weight loss.
Why is it recommended to train in the morning? Because usually at this time our stomachs are empty and about 8 hours have passed since the last meal. This is an important nuance. One of the yoga masters I studied with said: The effectiveness of an asana depends on the emptiness of the stomach. And, of course, before you embark on this simple yoga to lose weight, drink a glass of water and empty your bowels.
- Stand with your feet about the width of your feet, inhale and raise your arms above your head, palms facing inward.
- Exhale and bend your knees, dropping to the floor, as if you were sitting in a chair.
- Your torso will naturally tilt slightly forward. Try to straighten your shoulders, pull your shoulder blades back and lower your shoulders away from your ears. Breathe deeply, take 5 deep breaths and exhalations.
- Get into the same chair position, but instead of extending your arms above your head, lower them to chest level by bending your legs.
- Then bring your palms together as in prayer and turn your upper body to the right so that your left elbow is resting gently on your right thigh.
- Keep your abs strong and inhale and exhale deeply. Hold the pose for five breaths in and out. As you inhale, straighten your knees to return to the starting position, then repeat the exercise on the other side.
- Get on all fours, knees shoulder-width apart, palms directly under your shoulders.
- Spread your fingers apart and place your weight on your hands.
- As you exhale, lift your knees off the floor and straighten your legs, lifting your pelvis.
- Push the floor with your hands and feet, pushing your pelvis upward and stretching your back, as if you are pulling the mat in different directions with your palms and feet. Relax your neck and hang your head loosely.
- Stay in this position, taking 5 deep breaths and exhales.
- Starting position - face down dog. As you inhale, straighten your left leg and lift it as high as possible.
- As you exhale, slowly bend your leg, bring your left knee to your chin. While you are doing this, try to pull in your stomach, pulling your belly button towards your spine.
- On the next breath, straighten up and lift your leg again. Repeat 5 times for one leg and 5 times for the other.
- Starting position - dog face down. Bring your right leg forward between your arms so that you are in a low lunge, like a runner before you start.
- Rotate the left heel slightly outward so that the toes of the left foot are facing the right heel.
- Lift your torso while stretching your arms upwards. Straighten your shoulders and arch your back slightly, pushing your chest outward.
- Breathe deeply, take 5 deep breaths in this position. Then repeat the exercise on the other side.
- Starting Position - Warrior Pose 1. Straighten your right leg and transfer all of your body weight to it.
- Lift your left leg off the floor and extend it back, leaning forward so your body looks like a T. Your entire body is parallel to the floor. The crown and arms are pulled forward and the toes of the left foot are pulled back. If you have trouble maintaining your balance, you can help yourself by leaning on a chair first.
- Stay in this position for five breaths, then repeat on the other side.
- Lie on your stomach, feet together, forehead resting on the mat, arms extended forward, palms down.
- Squeezing your stomach and buttocks, lift your legs and arms straight. Keep your legs, arms, and upper body from the belly button off the floor, resting only on your hips and lower abdomen.
- Take a deep breath, take five deep breaths, and breathe out.
- Lie on your stomach with your forehead on the mat, and stretch your arms out to your sides, palms up. As you exhale, bend your knees, pulling your heels as close to your butt as possible. Grab your ankles with your hands and part your hips shoulder-width apart.
- As you inhale, lift your upper body and thighs off the floor and hold the heels behind your buttocks. Make sure you relax your lower back by spreading your shoulder blades down and back. Only the lower abdomen and hip joints are in contact with the ground.
- Take 5 deep breaths in this position, then return to the starting position.
- Get on all fours with your legs slightly apart, your arms directly under your shoulders.
- Tighten your abs and keep your back straight, lift your right leg and left arm at the same time, straightening them as much as possible. Hold this body position for 5 deep breaths and exhalations.
- Then repeat the same with the left leg and right arm.
- This is the same exercise as the previous one, except that we are here on a plank, not on all fours.
- Begin by standing on a plank with your arms straight.
- Next, keeping your back straight, lift your left leg and right arm, stretching them as much as possible. Hold this asana for 5 deep breaths and exhales.
- Then repeat in the opposite direction.
Yoga for weight loss
Do you want your yoga classes for weight loss to work really well? So that literally every morning you feel like you are getting easier? So do not be lazy after completing the asana complex to practice breathing exercises (pranayamas) and meditation. Meditation + pranayama + asanas - this is yoga's magic recipe for weight loss. Start each morning with yoga, including all three components of your class, and it won't take long to see the results.
Meditation to burn fat
Yoga restores hormonal balance in the body by calming the mind and achieving inner harmony. But that's not the only reason yoga helps with weight loss. Let's take a look at the exercises that make up a typical yoga class in a studio or fitness club.
Usually a yoga lesson begins with meditation. In almost all classes you will first be asked to sit quietly for 10 minutes and be aware of what is going on inside and out.
Numerous studies confirm that a single regular meditation practice already has a positive effect on health, hormones and leads to a normalization of weight. Additionally, meditation develops awareness, which leads to better eating behavior and a more mindful approach to eating. This is also important.
Pranayama
The second thing you will do in yoga is pranayama, which is breathing exercises.
Some pranayamas are designed to train a very important muscle in our body - the diaphragm.
A constant sedentary lifestyle leads to the fact that the diaphragm simply stops working at full power and becomes weak and tight. And most Western training systems pay little attention to this muscle. But not yoga.
In yoga, great importance is attached to correct breathing and the development of diaphragmatic breathing. That is why you will be doing a lot of pranayamas and allowing your diaphragm to work hard and expand to full force.
The movement of the diaphragm during breathing is very beneficial for the whole body.
- First of all, each expansion and contraction of the diaphragm performs a light massage of internal organs - heart, liver, pancreas, gallbladder. This leads to their purification and stimulates their work.
- Second, the diaphragm directly affects the process of digestion, affecting the stomach, so, of course, we do not forget to actively move it.
- And thirdly, with a full and deep exhalation, the diaphragm, rising high, affects the area of the solar plexus, where tens of thousands of nerve endings are intertwined, this leads to stimulation of the parasympathetic nervous system, responsible for restand recovery of the body.
The parasympathetic nervous system is often suppressed as a result of the constant pursuit of goals of modern man. Constant tension, stress and nervous activity block the body's healing and recovery processes. And yoga masters, well aware of this, have developed breathing exercises that balance two opposing nervous systems - the parasympathetic and the sympathetic. It helps in weight loss much more than constant diet and exercise.
Probably the most famous pranayama for weight loss is called uddiyana bandha. Many people today know this exercise as a "vacuum". So this "modern" void is an integral part of the yoga system, which has been around for several thousand years.
3 easy steps for fast results
For those who have read the article to the end, have conscientiously performed all the asanas, breathing exercises and meditation, I am going to tell you about an interesting case from my yoga practice. I will share my personal experience.
The first secret
The practice of asanas in yoga is only considered as a preparatory step for pranayama - breathing exercises. And pranayama, in turn, is used to prepare for meditation - to purify the mind and focus. Therefore, at a certain point in my practice, I started practicing by holding my breath. My goal was to learn to hold my breath for as long as possible. Literally right after starting such a workout, I suddenly noticed that every morning I feel lightness in my body and stomach. And the fat on the abdomen and sides has significantly decreased. This unusual effect piqued my interest. I started to search the internet for information and realized that I was not the only one facing a similar experience. In addition, there are complete systems for effective weight loss based on the retention of breath. So you can put this method into circulation.
I had to deal with delays on the freediver training table, these are people who dive into the sea without scuba gear.
Here is my training chart:
- Delay 1 minute - Rest 1h30
- Deadline 1h30 - Rest 1h30
- Delay 1h30 - Rest 1h30
- Time 1: 35 - Rest 1: 30
- Delay 1: 40
This table relates to respiratory retention during inhalation.
Resting between sets I also took short 20-30 second breaks on a full exhale.
Second secret
This secret has a lot to do with breathing as well. I am not a doctor and have no idea how this effect is medically explained, this is just my personal observation. So, I noticed that belly fat does not accumulate if you try to do full exhales while breathing during the day. It sounds easy, but if you observe yourself you may find that at the end of each exhale there is still air in your lungs to exhale. This is especially true when you are seated. It will be difficult for you to breathe out completely if your back and lower back are rounded. Most likely, the effect of this method of breathing is due to the fact that the muscles of the press, lower back and diaphragm are used for full exhalation. Thus, they are kept in good condition.
In short, the second secret of yoga to lose weight is this: during the day, try to exhale 2 times longer than inhaling and you will be happy.
Third secret
The third secret also follows from the second. And, perhaps, this is the most important rule for losing weight with the help of yoga: to tidy up the muscles of the lower back. Working with the muscles of the lower back, stretching and strengthening them - this is exactly what very effectively removes fat from the abdomen and sides. A sedentary lifestyle literally kills the lower back, which must constantly be in a stretched position. Flabby muscles that have lost their elasticity are not able to support the body weight, an imbalance occurs, which leads to the accumulation of fat. There is a yoga exercise that can help you lose weight quickly and effectively. Do it just 5 minutes a day and the result will be.
- Roll a blanket or towel into a roll.
- Lie on the floor and place a rolled up blanket under your lower back.
- Extend your arms behind your head and connect your little fingers.
- Extend your legs and bring your thumbs together.
- Lie down in this position for 5 minutes.
This exercise returns the pelvis, lower back and abdominals to their natural state. As a result, belly fat becomes unnecessary and disappears quickly.
Losing weight with yoga - the basics
The most important principle of yoga for weight loss is constant practice. I recommend exercising 6 times a week, at least an hour a day.
If this seems like a tough routine, start with short workouts, but every day this approach will help you build a habit. And when yoga becomes familiar, you will naturally start to lengthen the session length to stay on the mat a little longer.
The second principle is to do what you really love. Try to find fun, pleasurable sensations in yoga. The main task is to connect yoga classes with feelings of joy.
The third principle - don't just think about losing weight. Remember that the practice of yoga is very beneficial for the body, as well as the mind, psyche and state of mind. Losing weight is just a nice bonus, and you will understand this very quickly if you practice yoga regularly for at least 2-3 months.