Stable and safe weight loss is a whole series of activities. It includes correction of regime and diet, as well as regular and systematic physical activity.
Most often, physical activity combines cardio training and strength training, because aerobic exercises help break down fat cells, and strength exercises strengthen muscles, making the body healthy.
Meanwhile, yoga classes, although they were not initially aimed at reducing excess weight, but as an additional physical activity can be quite effective in the process of suppressing excess weight.
Benefits of yoga for the body and weight loss
When you start practicing yoga for weight loss, you must understand that you should not expect quick results - and that is the biggest and only drawback of yoga. But, with long-term and systematic work in this direction of fitness, yoga becomes perhaps the most reliable way of stable and safe weight loss. In addition, it helps maintain weight loss results after successfully completing an intensive fitness program and prevents future weight gain.
This happens because regular practice of yoga poses has such a positive effect on the human body:
- the work of all systems and organs improves;
- metabolic processes are accelerated;
- stimulated weight loss;
- resistance to stress increases and the psycho-emotional state normalizes.
You should start practicing yoga by mastering the simplest asanas and gradually, as you gain experience, move on to more complex yoga poses.
Yoga breathing practice for weight loss
Kapalabhati is one of the simplest yoga exercises. It is based on the technique of proper breathing and effectively activates weight loss. Kapalabhati is performed in this way:
- stand up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart;
- take a deep breath and pull in your stomach at the same time;
- hold your breath and fix your body position for 2-3 seconds;
- exhale calmly and repeat this exercise, stimulating weight loss, at least 50 times.
While performing kapalabhati, it is necessary to ensure that the body, with the exception of the abdomen, remains motionless. Gradually, the number of repetitions of this simple yoga pose should be increased up to 100 times.
Yoga poses to promote weight loss
For safe weight loss, you should regularly perform the following yoga poses:
Uttanasana
Stand up straight, spread your legs comfortably, while inhaling, raise your arms above your head and with exhalation stretch your whole body well, without lifting your heels from the floor. Then lean your body down and rest your palms on the floor, placing them parallel to your feet. If the stretch does not allow you to reach the floor, you can hold your legs with your hands and stretch in this way. While exhaling, you need to straighten up and lower your hands. Uttanasana improves the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and helps achieve effective weight loss in the abdomen.
Virabhadrasana II
Standing straight, jump and spread your legs wide, extend straight arms to the sides, palms facing down. Turn one leg to the side and transfer your body weight to it, bending the knee at a right angle. Turn the other leg towards the bent knee. So both legs should be on the same line. Turn your head towards the bent lower limb and fix this position for 60 seconds. Repeat the whole series of actions, turning to the other side. This exercise helps to get rid of fat deposits on the hips and strengthens the muscles of the back and limbs.
Vasishthasana
Lie on your side with one leg crossed over the other. Raise your body, leaning on the palm of the outstretched hand and the side of the foot. Raise the hand that was on top vertically upwards. Holding this position requires 30-60 seconds, straining and retracting the stomach. Then roll over to the other side and repeat this weight loss exercise.
Utkatasana
Stand up straight, feet shoulder-width apart. As you inhale, raise your upper limbs above your head and bring your palms together. Exhaling, lower your pelvis and squat until your hips are parallel to the floor. You need to squat for half a minute, in no case taking your heels off the floor. This asana for slimming the hips and stomach should be repeated 5-6 times.
Shalabhasana
Lie on your stomach on the floor, stretch your upper and lower limbs backwards, press your palms on your hips, and bring your feet together. Exhaling, simultaneously raise the upper body and legs to the highest possible height. Over time, when the muscles become stronger, when performing this asana, only the stomach will touch the surface of the floor. Shalabhasana strengthens the spine, develops the muscles of the back and limbs and helps reduce excess weight.
Paripurna Navasana
Sit on the floor, keeping your back straight, bend your lower limbs and rest your feet on the floor. After taking a sharp breath, lean your body back about 60 degrees, keeping your back straight. With exhalation, lift your feet off the floor, straighten your knees and raise your lower limbs to the level of your face, and stretch your upper limbs towards your knees. This position must be fixed for half a minute. Paripurna Navasana helps in losing weight in the abdomen, strengthens the muscles of the press and improves the work of the digestive tract.
Chaturanga Dandasana
Lying on your stomach, rest your palms on the floor at chest level, spread your legs shoulder width apart. On exhalation, leaning on the palms and toes of the feet, raise the body so that it is parallel to the surface of the floor and hold this position for the maximum possible time. This asana strengthens the muscles of the whole body and forms proper posture.
Bhujangasana
Keeping the initial position, as in the previous yoga pose - lying on the stomach with the emphasis on the palms at the level of the chest - while inhaling, raise the upper part of the body, leaning on the straight upper limbs, and exhaling try to bend back as low as possible. This exercise strengthens the deep muscles of the back and helps lose weight in this part of the body.
Adho Mukha Svanasana
Standing with an emphasis on the palms and knees, when exhaling, stretch the lower limbs and extend the coccyx upwards, stretching the spine, without lifting the palms and feet from the floor. This position must be held for 30 seconds.
Savasana
Lie on your back, it is convenient to spread your lower and upper limbs, point your palms upwards, close your eyes and relax for 15 minutes. This yoga pose is recommended to end the class.