Most articles on yoga for weight loss are superficial. They contain some locally-targeted exercises and general formulations that do not carry value. As a result, no matter how much you learn in this lesson, your stomach and sides stay with you. In fact, you can lose weight fast with yoga if you know how. So, I will tell you about a quick way that I actually accidentally encountered during my yoga class.
Honestly, I never doubted if yoga helped reduce belly fat. It is clear to me that a flat stomach is an added benefit of regular yoga practice. I have seen how people who regularly take yoga classes change and become slim and fit. But this all happened gradually. If you want to get the results as soon as possible, read the article to the end. Once you know the easiest yoga exercises to lose weight at home, I will tell you about three secret yoga exercises that will allow you to remove fat from the abdomen literally one centimeter a day.
Yoga for weight loss for beginners at home
At home it is very easy to do asana - static yoga posture. To do this, it is enough to spread the carpet in the morning and do some simple exercises. Do this yoga complex to lose weight at home every morning. It only takes 15 minutes. The complex includes all types of asana: standing poses, bends, twists. Each asana affects certain parts of the body, improves blood circulation and metabolism, normalizes hormone levels, and the gentle massage of internal organs occurs. Through this influence, this yoga complex triggers the process of weight loss. Static asana is more related to hasa yoga direction; Kundalini yoga also proves to be good for weight loss.
Why is it recommended to practice in the morning? Because usually at this time our stomach is empty and about 8 hours have passed since the last meal. This is an important nuance. One of the Yoga Masters from which I learned said: the effectiveness of asana depends on the emptiness of the stomach. And, of course, before starting this simple yoga to lose weight, drink a glass of water and empty your bowels.
- Stand upright with feet as wide as your feet, inhale and raise your hands above your head with your palms facing inwards.
- Inhale and bend your knees, fall to the floor, as if sitting in a chair.
- Your body is naturally tilted slightly forward. Try to straighten the shoulders, pull the shoulder blades backwards, and lower the shoulders from the ears. Take a deep breath, take a deep breath and take a deep breath.
- Stand in the same chair position, but instead of extending the arms to the head, lower them to chest level as you bend the legs.
- Then join both your palms as in prayer and turn your upper body to the right until your left elbow rests slowly on your right thigh.
- Keep your stomach strong and keep breathing deeply. Hold the pose for five breaths in and out. As you inhale, straighten your knees to return to the starting position, and then repeat the exercise on the other side.
- Quickly shoulder-width apart, palms just below your shoulders.
- Spread your fingers wide and place the weight in your hands.
- As you exhale, lift your knees off the floor and straighten your legs, raising your pelvis.
- Push off the floor with your hands and feet, pushing your pelvis up and stretching your back, as if you were pulling a mat in a different direction with your palms and feet. Rest your neck and hang your head loosely.
- Remain in this position, inhale and exhale deeply.
- Starting position - dog facing down. As you inhale, straighten your left leg and lift as high as you can.
- As you exhale, slowly bend your legs, bringing your left knee to your chin. As you do this, try sucking on your stomach, pulling the navel toward your spine.
- On the next breath, straighten and lift your legs again. Repeat 5 times for one leg and 5 times for the other.
- Starting position - dog facing down. Bring the right foot forward between the arms until you are in a low position, like a runner before starting.
- Rotate the left heel slightly outwards until the left toe is facing the right heel.
- Raise your body while stretching your arms up. Straighten your shoulders and bend your back slightly, pushing your chest up.
- Take a deep breath, in this position, take a deep breath and inhale. Then repeat the exercise on the other side.
- Starting position - warrior poses 1. Straighten your right leg and move your entire weight there.
- Lift your left leg off the floor and extend it backwards, leaning forward until your body looks like T. Your whole body is parallel to the ground. The crown and sleeves are pulled forward, and the left toe is pulled back. If you find it difficult to maintain balance, at first you may be able to help yourself by leaning on a chair.
- Remain in this position for five breaths and then repeat on the other side.
- Lying on your stomach with your feet together, your forehead leaning against the mat, your arms extended forward, palms down.
- Squeeze your stomach and back, lift your legs and arms straight up. Keep the legs, arms, and upper body away from the navel on the ground, only leaning on the hips and lower abdomen.
- Take a deep breath, take a deep breath and exhale.
- Lie on your stomach with your forehead on the mat, and stretch your arms out to your sides, palms up. While exhaling, bend your knees, pull the heel as close as possible to your back. Hold your ankles with your hands and place your hips shoulder-width apart.
- As you inhale, lift your upper body and thighs off the floor and reach with your heels back from your back. Be sure to relax the lower back by spreading the shoulder blades down and back. Only the lower joints of the abdomen and hips are in contact with the floor.
- Take a deep breath in this position, and then return to the starting position.
- Wake up with your feet slightly apart, arms just below your shoulders.
- Tighten your abdomen and straighten your back, lift your right leg and left arm at the same time, straighten them as much as possible. Maintain this body position for 5 deep breaths and inhale.
- Then repeat the same thing with the left foot and right arm.
- This is the same exercise as the previous one, with the difference that here we are on the board, not on all fours.
- Start by standing on the board with your hands straight.
- Then, straighten your back, lift your left leg and right arm, stretch it as far as possible. Hold this asana for 5 deep breaths.
- Then repeat in the opposite direction.
Yoga for weight loss
Do you want your weight loss yoga class to work well? So every morning you feel that you are getting easier? So do not be lazy after completing the asana complex to do breathing exercises (pranayamas) and meditation. Meditation + pranayama + asanas - this is a magic yoga recipe for weight loss. Start each morning with yoga, including all three components of your lesson and the results will be soon.
Fat Burning Meditation
Yoga restores the hormonal balance in the body by calming the mind and achieving inner harmony. But this is not the only reason why yoga helps you lose weight. Let’s take a look at exercises consisting of special yoga classes in a studio or fitness club.
Usually yoga lessons start with meditation. In almost any class, you will first be told to sit still for 10 minutes and be aware of what is going on inside and out.
Thus, many studies confirm that only one regular meditation exercise has a positive effect on health, hormones and leads to weight normalization. In addition, meditation raises awareness, which leads to better eating behaviors and a more sensitive eating approach. This is also important.
Pranayama
The second thing you will do in yoga is pranayama, which is breathing exercises.
Some pranayama are designed to train one very important muscle in our body - the diaphragm.
A constant non-stop lifestyle leads to the fact that the diaphragm stops functioning at full strength and becomes weak and tight. And most Western training systems pay little attention to these muscles. But not yoga.
In yoga, it is very important to give proper breathing and the development of diaphragmatic breathing. That is why you will do a lot of pranayamas and let your diaphragm work hard and grow vigorously.
The movement of the diaphragm during breathing is very beneficial for the whole body.
- First, each expansion and contraction of the diaphragm performs a gentle sequence of internal organs - heart, liver, pancreas, gallbladder. This leads to cleansing and stimulates their work.
- Second, the diaphragm directly affects the digestive process, affecting the stomach, if, of course, we do not forget to move it actively.
- And third, by exhaling deeply, the diaphragm, rising high upwards, affects the area of the solar plexus, where tens of thousands of nerve endings are interconnected, this leads to stimulation of the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for rest and recovery of the body.
The parasympathetic nervous system is often suppressed as a result of modern human efforts to achieve a goal. Tension, stress, constant nerve activity inhibit the body's healing and recovery process. And the yoga master, who is aware of this, has made breathing exercises that bring two opposing nervous systems - parasitic and sympathetic - balanced. This contributes to weight loss more than the always tiring diet and exercise.
Probably pranayama most famous for weight loss is called uddiyana bandha. Many people today know this exercise as a "vacancy". Thus, this “modern” vacuum is an integral part of the yoga system, which has existed for thousands of years.
3 easy steps for quick results
For those of you who have read this article to the end, have done all the asana, breathing exercises and meditation carefully, I will tell you about an interesting case from my yoga practice. I will share my personal experience.
First Secret
The practice of asana in yoga is only considered as a level of preparation for pranayama - breathing exercises. And pranayama, in turn, serves to prepare for meditation - to clear the mind and focus. So, at some point in my training, I started to practice holding my breath. My goal is to learn to hold my breath for as long as possible. Literally after starting such an exercise, I suddenly realized that every morning I felt light on my body and stomach. And the fat on the abdomen and sides has decreased. This extraordinary effect aroused my interest. I started searching for information on the Internet and realized that I was not the only one having a similar experience. In addition, there is an entire system of effective weight loss based on holding your breath. So you can use this method into circulation.
I have dealt with delays at independent diver training tables, these are people who dive into the sea without diving equipment.
Here is my workout schedule:
- 1 minute delay - 1: 30 break
- Delay 1: 30 - Break 1: 30
- Delay 1: 30 - Break 1: 30
- Delay 1: 35 - Break 1: 30
- Delay 1: 40
This table is to hold your breath during inhalation.
While resting between sets, I also take short breaks of 20-30 seconds while exhaling fully.
Second Secret
This secret also has a lot to do with breathing. I am not a doctor and do not know how this effect is explained from a medical point of view, this is just my personal observation. Therefore, I note that belly fat will not accumulate if you try to exhale completely while breathing during the day. It sounds simple, but if you observe yourself, you may find that at the end of each breath, there is still air in your lungs that you can breathe. This is especially true while you are sitting. It will be difficult for you to exhale completely if your buttocks and lower back are round. Most likely, the effect of this method of breathing is due to the fact that the press muscles, lower back and diaphragm are used to exhale completely. Therefore, they are kept in good condition.
In short, the second secret of yoga for weight loss is this: during the day, try to exhale 2 times longer than inhaling and you will be happy.
Third Secret
The third secret also flows smoothly from the second. And, perhaps, this is the most important rule for losing weight with the help of yoga - smoothing the lower back muscles. Work with the lower back muscles, stretching and strengthening - that is definitely very effective for removing fat from the abdomen and sides. An inactive lifestyle literally kills the lower back, which should always be in a tense state. Flaccid muscles that lose elasticity can not support their weight, there is an imbalance, which leads to the accumulation of fat. There is a yoga practice that can help lose weight quickly and effectively. Do just 5 minutes a day and the results will be.
- Roll a blanket or towel into a roller.
- Lie on the floor and place a rolled up blanket under your lower back.
- Extend the arms behind the head and connect your little fingers.
- Extend your legs and attach your thumbs.
- Lie in this position for 5 minutes.
This exercise brings the pelvis, lower back, and abs back to normal. As a result, belly fat becomes unnecessary and disappears quickly.
Lose weight with yoga - basic principles
The most important yoga principle for weight loss is consistent practice. I recommend exercising 6 times a week, at least an hour every day.
If this seems like a difficult schedule, start with a short workout, but every day, this approach will help you build a habit. And when yoga becomes a habit, you will naturally begin to extend the duration of the session to stay on the mat.
The second principle is to do what you really enjoy. Try to find fun, pleasant sensations in yoga. The main task is to connect yoga classes with happy feelings.
The third principle - do not just think about losing weight. Remember that yoga is very beneficial for the body, as well as for the mind, soul and state of mind. Losing weight is just a good bonus, and you will soon realize it if you practice yoga for at least 2-3 months.