Simple and valuable yoga tips which have a direct relation to weight loss, Definitely worth a try. Contributed by Healers at Home. International Yoga Day
Yoga has so many benefits. People practice yoga at home to stay fit and healthy by losing weight. Yoga and meditation also keep a person mentally fit and stable.
Researches show that stress leads to a poor diet. If you practice yoga at home regularly, it will reduce stress and by that you can take better decisions and your cortisol levels will decrease.
Cortisol is a stress hormone which is the main cause of weight gain. But yoga improves your mind and your body by decreasing stress and losing weight. You can connect to healers at home to get proper guidance of yoga for weight loss.
1. Half Boat Pose (Ardha Navasana)
Half boat pose or Ardha Navasana is the best yoga asana for weight loss. This yoga pose puts pressure on your stomach and the muscles also work hard as you hold this.
Sit on the ground stretching out the legs in front of you. Lift your legs with resting your hands on the ground for balance. When you succeed to hold this pose, raise the arms in such a manner to keep them parallel to the ground.
As you feel that you are comfortable with this pose, try to increase the space between your knees and chest by leaning a little towards back and also increase the distance between the knees and the chest a little. If you do it properly, you can feel the burning of the abdominal muscles. Stay in this position for 30 seconds. To get better results you can straighten your legs. This is known as full boat pose and it is somehow difficult to balance.
Precautions:
- This asana must be avoided if you are suffering from the following problems:
- In case you have neck injuries use the support of a wall to do this asana. Rest the back of your head on the wall as you lean backward in this asana.
- Consult a doctor before doing this pose. Make sure you do this asana under the guidance of a certified Yoga instructor, especially if you are a beginner.
2. Side Plank (Vasisthasana)
Side plank pose is another type of yoga for weight loss. The plank and all of its variation work effectively in burning abdominal muscles.
Start this yoga asana in usual plank position by placing your palms on the ground at shoulder-width distance and toes touching each other.
Then slant your feet to the left by which the outer right side of your right foot will touch the floor and the left foot will rest on top of the right as shown in the picture.
Transfer your weight on your right hand by removing your left hand from the ground. Raise your left arm straight towards the ceiling in the opposite direction of right hand.
Your hips and shoulders should be in a line and state in this pose for 30 seconds without leaning forward or backward. Then practice this on the other side.
Precautions:
- If you have a severe elbow, wrist, or shoulder injury, you must avoid this pose.
3. Tree Pose (Vrikshasana)
This yoga asana needs to balance the body on one leg.
Stand straight, then lift your left foot and place on the inner side of your right thigh. Initially you may be failed to balance your body on one leg and you lean on to front side. Try to balance by bringing your shoulders back up.
You can keep your hands at the chest in namaskar mudra and then raise those over head touching each other. Stand for 30 seconds in this position and repeat on the other side.
Precautions:
- Those people who have a problem with a headache should not do this.
- Patients with high blood pressure should not do this posture too.
- If you have any disorders related to insomnia or sleep, you should stay away from this posture.
4. Chair Pose (Utkatasana)
This yoga for weight loss helps in losing fat from your quadriceps and it can also help in toning the muscles.
Stand properly by keeping the feet together and raising the arms straight over the head. Then try to lower your body into a squatting position.
Check that you can see your feet in front of your knees. If you fail to see, then you have to bend your knees forward. Try to lower your body slowly and imagine that you are sitting on a chair. You can also keep your hands parallel to the ground and imagine that you are flapping the pages of a news paper. Try to make your thighs nearly parallel to the ground without changing your form and hold this pose for 30 seconds.
This yoga asana helps in exercising the muscles of spine, thighs, hips, chest and tummy. Therefore the fats of your body melt and cause weight loss.
Precautions:
- This asana must be avoided if you are suffering from the following problems:
- Insomnia
- Low blood pressure
- Headaches
- Arthritis
- A sprained ankle
- Chronic knee pain
- Damaged ligaments
- You must take care while practicing this asana if you have a lower back pain, a shoulder injury, or if you are menstruating.
- You have to stay in this pose and go down only until your body can retain the natural lumbar curve.
- In case you have a neck pain, or you feel dizzy while you are in the asana, make sure you look straight and set your gaze forward.
