She believes that everyone should take an interest in health and fitness, as not only do they improve your way of life, but they can also have a significant impact on your health.
Have you ever considered using yoga poses for weight loss? If not, then it might be high time that you considered this form of exercise as a weight loss plan. In this article we are going to show you how to do yoga poses for weight loss, how to incorporate daily yoga poses for weight loss and many such tips to help you achieve your body goals in a more relaxed but still effective way.
This is a question that many people looking for a workout regimen find themselves asking. When we think of what exercise should be, we often imagine high-intensity examples such as cardio, HIIT or strength training. However, yoga is often done slowly and calmly without all the other heart-pumping excitement and muscle-straining effects of other exercises.
On the other hand, when yoga is discussed, it is often linked to benefits such as reducing stress and anxiety, reducing inflammation, reducing chronic pain, helping fight against depression, promoting sleep and generally improving your quality of life (2), and not necessarily weight loss, and thus it does not strike you as a form of exercise.
Despite all this yoga is still considered as exercise. Not only does it help burn calories and even build toned muscles, but it is also a full-body workout that effectively combines strengthening and stretching poses with deep breathing and meditation or relaxation (2). This will not only fast-track you towards getting the body of your dreams, but it will also help with the above-mentioned benefits like fighting depression, improving sleep quality, reducing stress and anxiety, etc.
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Yes, it is. As we have seen above, this is a full-body workout that can help you get in shape in no time. If you are still unconvinced and are still wondering how can yoga help you lose weight, here is how:
In a typical yoga class, you have to stretch your body to the limit while holding several yoga asanas for a period of time. This in turn puts strain on the muscles which break down and once they heal grow and give you some defined muscle tone. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn in a day; because a single pound of muscles burns six to seven more calories in a day that the same amount of fat does, hence you end up using more food energy and losing weight (3).
Metabolism is the process by which your body converts what you eat and drink into energy. This energy is then used by the body for its daily functions which include automatic tasks such as breathing and blinking to harder tasks such as doing chores, gardening, working out, etc.
Those with a faster metabolism burn calories at a quicker rate, while those with a slower one tend to store more fat in the body and have a harder time losing weight (3). These however are not the only ways in which this exercise can lead to weight loss.
One study published in 2013 revealed that this practice may lead to weight loss through:
A calorie deficit is one of the best ways to induce weight loss.
When you are more connected to your body, you are less likely to overeat as you can easily realize when you feel full.
Yoga is a low-intensity workout and does not put much strain on your back or joints, which means if you had any issues with these areas, it can help you heal or reduce discomfort, allowing you to indulge in other higher-intensity more calorie-burning exercises.
It is important to note that there are various types of yoga, some more physically demanding than others. Vinyasa, Iyengar, Ashtanga and Bikram/hot yoga have some of the most physically demanding and best yoga poses for weight loss (2).
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If you are looking for yoga poses for weight loss to help you get started, here are some positions that you can try to incorporate in your day-to-day (1).
This is a fantastic workout that can help you tone your whole body. It, however, is more beneficial for your thighs and arms.
The plank is a great yoga weight loss workout that mostly targets the muscles in your core and arms.
A more advanced variation of this exercise is the upward plank pose, where instead of facing the floor, you are overturned, facing the sky with your hands and plans straight under you.
This yoga posture helps strengthen and tone your core, arms, shoulders, wrists and back.
This position is one of those yoga poses for weight loss that targets multiple muscles. The Utthita Parsvakonasana works the muscles in your legs, hips, hamstrings, and helps open your chest.
This pose helps to strengthen the legs and arms, tone the core muscles and opens the chest and shoulders.
Read More: Is Yoga Or Pilates Better For Weight Loss: A Long-Standing Debate Put To Rest
Yes it can. When doing yoga poses for weight loss belly fat is one of the main concerns that many people are often looking to combat. Thankfully, this exercise can help you get rid of abdominal fat and cultivate a slimmer waistline. According to Harvard Medical School, doing Hatha yoga, a relatively simple type of this exercise can help you burn anywhere between 120 to 178 calories in 30 minutes, all depending on how much you weigh (3).
Here are some easy yoga poses for weight loss that go a long way in helping reduce belly fat.
This stance should be included in your daily yoga poses for weight loss and belly fat loss as it targets and strengthens your core, arms, wrists, legs, shoulders and chest. It also increases the flexibility and elasticity of your spine.
Here is how to do it:
For a more advanced variation, you could try lifting one leg for the duration, then repeating the above motion and lifting the other leg.
While this position (and its multiple variations) are mostly used to help ease back pain, it can also help reduce belly fat as it also targets multiple muscles including those in your core, chest, shoulders and can help tone the glutes.
Here is how to do the Bhujangasana yoga poses for weight loss:
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This is among one of the most challenging but best yoga poses for weight loss on this list as it is essentially a full-body workout. The bow pose works the muscles in your arms, shoulders, chest, hamstrings, back, core, and everything in between.
Step-by-step instructions are as follows:
This is another one of yoga poses for weight loss that helps stretch your chest, abdomen, quads, and hip flexors, improve spinal flexibility, simultaneously strengthening the back muscles and improving posture (2).
Here’s how to do it:
If this is too advanced for you opt out of reaching towards your heels and just lean back keeping your hands at the top of your bum. If you can reach the heels but cannot hold them, stop there. The aim is to feel the stretch without falling over or injuring yourself.
This is a great core-strengthening workout that also works the hip flexors, and adductor muscles. The step-by-step instructions are as follows:
This is a beginner variation. For a more advance variation, do the following:
Yoga poses for weight loss are a great way of taking the first step into better health and fitness. Unlike other forms of exercise, these are low-intensity workouts that can be done by anyone irrespective of age, weight, or fitness level. A point to note, however, in spite of these positions being safer and of low intensity, please be sure to first consult your doctor so they may give you a go ahead to start incorporating these daily yoga poses for weight loss – especially if you happen to have a health condition.
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This article is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional advice or help and should not be relied on to make decisions of any kind. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any medical conditions. Any action you take upon the information presented in this article is strictly at your own risk and responsibility!