Yoga For Weight Loss: A Guide To Flat Tummy
Yoga is an excellent tool for improving mental and physical health along with losing weight. It helps an individual to get in shape. Unlike other forms of workouts, yoga for weight loss and flat tummy holds extra advantages as it diminishes anxiety and makes a person feel relaxed, fresh, and focussed. The physical benefits of yoga clubbed with stress management allow the individual to reduce weight and maintain healthy physical and mental health.
In this article, we have mentioned the asanas that will contribute to your weight loss journey and healthy lifestyle. But do you know the postures of yoga for weight loss? Read this article and forgot about starving to get a flattened tummy. It’s time to switch to an active lifestyle with a calming and effective method like yoga.
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Let’s take a look at yoga for weight loss!
How Does Yoga Help In Weight Loss?
Yoga is a graceful form of exercise while losing weight requires stringent energy to burn fat. This makes “Yoga for weight loss” a debatable topic. Although yoga and weight loss are paradoxical, if you look closer, you will find out that they are connected.
Yoga is a healthier way of weight loss. It alone doesn’t burn many calories, but yoga proves beneficial for burning fat when combined with a healthy diet. Apart from this, it also keeps both mind and body happy. It helps in creating a better version of yourself and increases your mindfulness. Believe us, “Yoga's positions may appear sedentary, but they work like a miracle on the body.” Here’s how yoga helps in losing weight:
It keeps the senses on all-time: Yoga is an art of controlling the mind and keeping it active all day long. Practicing yoga for weight loss on a daily basis makes you more conscious of the voice of the body and helps you learn what it needs for healthy living. This, in return, makes it easy to keep a check on the calories intake, which is essential for losing weight.
Helps in acquiring sufficient sleep: Sleep and weight loss are interconnected. Both lack of sleep and oversleeping affect the body and weight loss. However, by practicing yoga Nidra, you can improve your sleep cycle. It helps in getting a sufficient amount of sleep, not too much and not too little.
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Keeps a person calm and active: Yoga is highly known for its calming abilities. It is one of the best ways to manage stress, control anxiety, and calm a person. By performing yoga for weight loss on a daily basis, it will control the pressure of eating healthy and burning fat while keeping you fit and happy.
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5 Yoga Asanas That Burn Fat Seamlessly
These are the five yoga poses that are mainly designed to increase flexibility, enhance concentration, tone muscles, and burn fat. Practicing these asanas might look complicated in the beginning, but once you practice them daily, your body gets used to them.
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1. Surya Namaskara (Sun Salutation)
Surya Namaskara is known as the “king of asanas.” It is one of the most popular yoga poses to reduce belly fat. This simple yoga for weight loss involves multiple poses that are performed in a step-by-step manner.
Here are the steps that are performed in Surya Namaskara:
1. Stand straight and join your legs
2. Inhale deeply and lift your arms up
3. Bend forward, touch your legs with your hands, and exhale
4. Bring your feet back and come back to the plank position
5. Hold the position for a few seconds
6 Dropdown your knee and place your body lower to the floor
7. Stretch your legs and keep your hands under your shoulders
8. Inhale halfway while turning into cobra position
9. Switch into downward dog facing front position and exhale
10. Hold the pose for 5 seconds
11. Exhale and take your feet to the top and stand in a forward bend
12. Inhale while lifting up your arms overhead
13. Lower your arms, exhale and relax
2. Naukasana (Boat Pose)
Naukasana is the most straightforward power yoga pose for reducing weight. It is a whole-body exercise, working more on the core. Practicing this pose of yoga for weight loss and flat tummy will help enhance muscle strength, promote metabolism, and reduces stress. This pose works outstanding on the front and side tummy muscles to provide a sleek stomach. Here are the steps to follow in Boat Pose:
1. Sit straight and extend your legs on the yoga mat
2. Bend your knees and lift your feet so that your shins are parallel to the floor.
3. Extend your hands and make sure they are parallel to the floor
4. Hold on to the pose for 30 seconds, approximately
5. Put legs down and repeat again
6. Perform this pose at least 5 times
3. Bhujangasana (Cobra pose)
Next, we have the Cobra pose or Bhujangasana. This pose of yoga for weight loss works on the upper body and abdominal muscles. It strengthens the muscles and relaxes the lower back. Cobra pose is excellent for flattening your stomach. However, it is not recommended for pregnant women.
1. Below are the steps that you need to follow to perform “Bhujangasana”:
2. Lie down on your yoga mat facing downwards
3. Stretch your hands straight, ensuring that your fingers are under your shoulder muscles
4. Keep your legs straight with your feet hip-width apart
5. Toes should be pointing behind you
6. Slowly inhale and lift your body
7. Pull your shoulders backward while focusing on your abs
8. Place all bodyweight onto your forearms and make sure that your hips and feet are firm on the floor
9. Lift your upper torso and keep your chin upwards
10. Hold on to this pose of yoga for weight loss for a few breaths
11. Slowly release this pose, exhale, and come back to the lying position before repeating
4. Dhanurasana (Bow pose)
Dhanurasana or Bow pose is quite a challenging yoga pose for losing weight. Practicing this posture strengthens the abs and tones the muscles. It has several benefits: it improves blood circulation, digestion and helps in strengthening thighs, chest, and back. To tone your body, it is one of the must-perform yoga poses. Read the given steps to learn how to do Dhanuransana:
1. Lie on the floor flat on the stomach
2. Start bending your knees and move them upwards
3. Simultaneously lift your upper body and try holding your feet with your hands.
4. Inhale while lifting hands, feet, chest, and thighs
5. Stay in the same position for seconds, say 30 seconds
6. Release your hands and feet, exhale, and lay down on the mat
5. Kumbhakasana (The plank)
The fifth pose of yoga for weight loss is Kumbhakasana. It is one of the poses that work on the whole body, helping to flatten the stomach and toning the muscles. It strengthens the core and has immerse benefits on the body. The plank is definitely, the most loved and renowned pose of yoga. Performing this pose engages abs, arms, shoulders, and legs. There are variations in plank pose, and you must spend 15-20 minutes of your yoga workout on performing this asana.
Follow the given steps for performing Kumbhakasana:
1. Lie down on the floor with your face downwards
2. In a tabletop position, take back your feet, ensuring your heels lifted
3. Lift your upper body with straightened arms and body
4. Make sure there’s no sagging and raised hips
5. Maintain a proper posture and balance your body on toes and arms
6. Keep your face forward and focus on the arm, core, and leg muscles
7. Stay in the same position as long as you can
8. Come back to the initial position and repeat after a few seconds.
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Some Weight Loss Tips To Keep In Mind
- Combine Yoga With Healthy Eating Habits
Yoga alone will not show a drastic change in the body. If you really want to reduce fat, then you need to combine yoga with healthy eating. Saying no to junk food is the key to weight loss. Make sure you consume healthy and nutrient-rich food along with yoga for weight loss.
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- Be Patient For The Results
Yoga for weight loss and flat tummy works slowly but surely. So, if you start practicing yoga, you must keep patience to see the results. Don’t expect that your weight will reduce right away. Be patient and consistent.
- Perform Outdoor Activities
Performing outdoor activities is an excellent way to shed fat. Along with doing yoga for weight loss, you must spare a few days in a month for outdoor activities like trekking, hiking, cycling, etc. This will help you enjoy the benefits of both worlds.
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General FAQs
Q1. What is more beneficial for weight loss: Yoga or Gym?
Ans. There’s no comparison between yoga and gym. Both have their own benefits. Yoga is a relaxing form of exercise that includes more stretching. On the other hand, the gym consists of activities that emphasize muscle contraction. No one can claim that one of these is beneficial than the other. What works for an individual depends on the body type and the personal choice.
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Q2. How much weight can an individual lose with yoga?
Ans. There’s no fixed amount of weight an individual can lose by performing yoga. It usually differs from person to person and depends upon multiple factors. One such aspect includes flexibility. More the flexibility, the more weight you can lose.
Q3. How often should we perform yoga for weight loss?
Ans. To enjoy the significant benefits, you should perform yoga for weight loss daily. Practicing it regularly will regulate the blood flow, relieve stress, and help in burning weight.
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Q4. What is Power Yoga? Is it a beneficial form of yoga for weight loss and flat tummy?
Ans. Power yoga is a vigorous form of yoga that helps in losing weight much faster. It is like a cardiovascular workout that an individual usually performs in the gym. It improves the weight loss journey by making it quick and also helps in relieving stress from the body. It improves stamina, increases flexibility, and enhances attention.
