Every time we think of attaining a well-maintained body, the first thing we think of apart from diets is exercise. And in exercise, our focus is mainly stuck to activities such as aerobics and weight training.
Another activity that is popular for its ability to give us a lot of health benefits is Yoga.
Yoga is not traditionally thought of as a weight loss option but it should be. I would not blame you if you thought this didn’t make sense because anyone who looks at someone posing in different ways to stretch their body does not get the image that such a thing could help lose weight.
However, it turns out that yoga is actually great for you if you want to change the way both your body and your life look like.
Things have changed quite a bit for yoga regarding the whole weight-loss culture. A research conducted in 2005 by medical researcher Alan Kristal (who is also a yogi) found out that yoga can indeed help shed weight.
How Yoga Helps Lose Weight
There are a whole lot of benefits that you can get from practicing yoga regularly. While yoga is definitely capable of helping you burn fat fast, the types of poses that are required to be done are considered to be quite advanced. While you could simply start right off with those, we highly recommend that you avoid doing that. Going through yoga basics is extremely important if you want to have effective sessions and avoid injury.
It is also important that while you look for the best exercises to lose weight in yoga, you keep yourself focused on the long-term targets. Yoga is not for quick burns. It is a methodical process that allows you to induce yoga burn with exercising while focusing on the simple beginner-level parts as well, like an ordinary activity. The result of this is a change that is definite and long-term. The results you see from yoga for weight loss are long-lasting. The main reason for that is the fact that it focuses more on changing your overall attitude towards your body.
Tips to Bring Yoga into Your Routine
The whole experience of starting yoga can be quite exciting and you must stay focused on the important things. Consider these tips to make sure that your sessions are productive and you progress smoothly with time.
- Make sure you are unable to see yourself while practicing. Having mirrors around can often distract you when doing yoga weight loss routines. The reason for that is the fact that you start focusing on how things “look” rather than what they feel like. The main thing you need to pay attention to while performing yoga is how it feels to you on the inside. The way your body reacts to each movement is what will help you the most in perfecting each move.
- Open your mind to everything you feel. While typical exercises to lose weight don’t focus on this quite enough, yoga is all about getting in touch with your body. Try to feel every single sensation that is generated whenever you are working on any pose. That experience is vital to help you grow more mindful of your body’s capabilities and limitations.
- Try and find the point where your body truly starts to feel like it is reaching its limits. It is important that you feel stressed but without going over the top. The whole point of yoga burn is to determine where your limits are but without making you break your body in any way. Learn to accept that you have limits like any human being and it takes time to progress.
- Motivate yourself without positive words and thoughts. Yoga weight loss targets your inner self as well and bringing that positivity to your routine can help you achieve bigger goals, both in yoga and life in general. After all, yoga is not just about physical change but also mental improvement.
- Be as punctual and consistent as possible. Doing yoga regularly makes sure that you are getting maximum benefits from doing it. A lot of people tend to do it off and on which makes them lose the effect they may gain.
- Find inspiration in other practitioners like yoga teachers etc., who have had a similar journey as yours. Seeing someone else achieve their goals can be a big boost to help you continue doing what you have started.
Power Yoga
When you look at yoga or even think about it, what you see is a person making very calm and slow movements as they change into different poses. While this may be an ordinary and mainstream idea of what yoga is, there is a Western input to the practice as well. A form of yoga that has become popular for yoga weight loss is power yoga. This is a derivation from the Ashtanga yoga which makes each move you make a lot more forceful and helps increase your heart rate as well.
The main theme of power yoga is that it includes fast and highly synchronized body movements that are performed while controlling your breath. The purpose of this workout is to impact both the body and the mind, making them work in tandem to achieve different poses while racing your heart as well. The natural result of this activity is that your body feels stress and starts to burn calories faster.
Power yoga brings together fast movement and resistance by utilizing your body weight to induce a faster calorie-burning process. We are sharing a few poses that you should definitely try in your yoga for weight loss routine.
- Half Moon: Also known as Ardha Chandrasana, this pose is exactly what it sounds like. You make a half-moon pose by putting your arm and leg from one side on the floor while stretching the other arm and leg parallel to the body. This yoga for weight loss pose is best when you do it on an empty stomach during the early morning hours or when you have had a 4-6 hour gap after your last meal. This pose is to be performed for half a minute on each side. The benefit of Ardha Chandrasana is that it makes your spins, legs, and butt a lot stronger. It also puts stress on your hamstrings and allows you to develop better balance and coordination between limbs.
- Boat Pose: The original name of this pose is Paripurna Navasana and it basically forms a shape that is similar to the V of a boat when you look at it from the front or back. Considered to be a pose of medium difficulty, it is most effective when you perform it in the morning on an empty stomach or whenever your stomach and bowels are fully relieved during the day. The main focus of this yoga weight loss exercise is on your abdominal area. It strengthens the muscles in your abdomen and is also great for improving your digestive functions. Furthermore, you will also feel a boost in your confidence and less stressed than you were before.
- Camel Pose: Also called the Ustrasana pose, it is basically a position where you bend your back backward while standing on your knees and touch your feet with your hand. The pose that it forms looks like a camel and provides stress on your shoulders and back area. The best time to do this is in the morning without food and having emptied your bowels. Stay in this position for at least 30 seconds and up to a full minute. The physical focus of this yoga weight loss position, in addition to stretching your chest, is to put stress on your lower back and thighs as well. The position is great for burning fat fast and improve your overall health as well.
- Locust Pose: The Salabhasana is a position that makes you look like a locust by lying face down on the floor and bending backward. At the same time, you also stretch your arms backward and keep pushing until you look like a locust with its legs folded. This exercise is most beneficial when you do it early morning or whenever you have had 4-6 hours since your last meal. This exercise is considered to be easy and can be done by newbie practitioners as well. The position needs to be held for anywhere between half a minute to one minute, depending on your endurance.
- Downward Facing Dog: Now being counted among various types of regular exercises to lose weight, this position requires you to go into a position like a dog would when facing down. You have to straighten your legs and then bend your body towards to ground with your arms fully stretches above your head. You should look like an upside-down V. You can also find this position under its traditional name Adho Mukha Svanasana. This position is also suitable for newbies and is to be done for a minimum of 1 minute, going all the way up to 3 minutes. This position helps you to increase your body’s energy levels, bring you into a calm state and also increase the capacity of your lungs by stressing them slightly. It can be particularly beneficial for people who have osteoporosis tendencies and want to avoid it
- Chair Pose: This is also a yoga for weight loss exercise that you can find among other best exercises to lose weight. It is part of the weight loss routine you see in HIIT as well and many other new exercise regimens also incorporate it. The position is basically like sitting on a chair without an actual chair. Your legs are bent until the thighs are parallel to the ground. The position should be practiced on empty bowels and stomach and can be done for 30-60 seconds, depending on your endurance. This yoga to lose weight position puts stress on your legs, hips, ankles, and calves as well. In addition to that, you also stretch your chest and naturally get your heart pumping as well. The traditional name of this pose is Utkatasana.
- Plank: As you can now see, there are quite a lot of yoga poses that have made it to our mainstream exercise regimens and plank is one of the most popular ones! Also known traditionally as Chaturanga Dandasana, this pose requires you to hold your body elevated against the floor on your hands and toes. This is a great pose for putting stress all across your body and burn fat fast. The position has a major impact on your arms, wrists, and legs, strengthening them through the process. The position should be held anywhere between half a minute and one minute, as per your endurance.
When to Start Doing Yoga
As it happens, yoga is one of the most natural exercises that you can do with only your body and in terms of exercises to lose weight fast, you can start it as early as possible. The best part about this is that you do not need to go to any special place and can do it at home as well. There is however, an age factor involved but with a very scarce chance of limiting anyone. The recommended age for starting yoga is 12 years because this is the amount of time our body needs to adequatey develop our core muscles. This is important because yoga puts a lot of stress on the body and not being able to sustain that pressure can lead to serious injuries.
Final Words
Yoga is definitely a great way for you to not only connect with your body but as an exercise to lose weight. You can try out different poses depending on your ability and preference and see which poses suit you the best. By looking at the stress points that each position has, you can also decide which poses you should do for targeted weight loss.
