Yoga for weight loss

Yoga For Weight Loss

According to Seema Sondhi - a well renowned yoga practitioner as well as fitness expert,  before we target weight loss, it is important to understand the various factors that contribute in weight gain. Apart from faulty dietary habits, one should identify that weight gain also stems from inefficient functioning of various bodily functions. Yoga has some of the most basic breathing practices at its base which aims at cleansing, balancing and rejuvenating our inner organs and their functions. Various breathing exercises and basic asanas help in increasing metabolic and heart rates. Once you are healed from within, the focus then shifts towards the outer body.

She explains how yoga aims at making you fit by increasing flexibility. It involves twisting the body, forward and backward bends, inversions and other poses that help in opening up the otherwise rusted muscles and thereby facilitate weight loss.

1. Surya Namaskar 

One of the basic, most well-known and widely practiced asanas, surya namaskarliterally translates to sun salutation. It comprises a series of twelve different yoga poses that focus on various parts of body. What makes surya namaskar great for the entire body is the fact that it involves twelve different poses encompassed in one - for example, basic prayer pose, forward bend and the bhujangasana (cobra pose).

According to various experts surya namaskar is a great way to keep your body active as it helps in exercising all possible areas of your body. It helps in strengthening your skeletal system including ligaments and also aids in easing stress and anxiety.

2.Triangular pose or Trikonasana

Start with a wide legged stance; turn your right foot out. Now stretch your arms out, wide open pushing the right side of your waistline over your right leg and slowly go down, facing downwards with a flat back. Keep your right palm on the ground (you can choose to keep it in front of your right foot or behind it) or on a block with your left arm stretched upwards. Repeat the other side.This asana works on the sides of your body, arms and thighs.

3.The warrior pose or Veerabhadrasana  

It involves going into the mountain pose, followed by stretching one of your legs back and with the other leg going into a lunge like position with your knee at a ninety degree positioning and your hands stretched right above your head. You can take this further to the veerabhadrasana II or warrior pose 2 wherein you bring your hands in front of the chest and straighten your stretched leg, pointing it outwards while your other leg is still at ninety degrees and your both arms are stretched out wide apart.

4. Upward plank or Purvottanasana

This may seem a bit difficult to crack towards the start but the results that this asana yield will leave you much gratified. This works extensively on your back, shoulders, arms, spine, wrists and fortifies muscles. It is also great for the respiratory system. It is great for the core strength of the body as it works on your legs, inner thigh muscles as wells as hips.

Sit with your legs stretched in front of you. Put your hands behind your hips pointing towards your feet. Now, point your feet, prepare your body to rise up. Raise your body from the tailbone and try pulling your head back as well. It is the exact opposite of the position which you get in just before preparing for a conventional push up.

by Sparshita Saxena , NDTV