Most yoga articles for weight loss are superficial. They contain several exercises that have been spied on somewhere and general formulations that have no value. As a result, no matter how much you study in these lessons, your stomach and sides stay with you. In fact, you can lose weight very quickly with yoga if you know how. So I'm going to tell you about a really quick way that I accidentally discovered during my yoga classes.
Honestly, I never had any doubts if yoga helps to lose belly fat. It has always been obvious to me that a flat stomach is an added benefit of regular yoga practice. I have seen people who constantly take yoga classes transform and become weak and fit. But all this is happening gradually. If you want to get the result as soon as possible, read the article to the end. Once you know the simplest yoga exercises for weight loss at home, I will tell you about three secret yoga exercises that will allow you to remove belly fat literally one centimeter per day.
Weight loss yoga for beginners at home
At home it is very easy to do asanas - static yoga poses. To do this, just spread the carpet in the morning and do a few simple exercises. Do this yoga complex for weight loss at home every morning. It only takes 15 minutes. The complex includes all types of asanas: standing poses, turns, curves. Each asana affects certain areas of the body, improving blood circulation and metabolism, normalizing hormone levels and gently massaging the internal organs. Through these influences, this yoga complex starts the weight loss process. Static asanas are more related to the direction of hatha yoga; Kundalini yoga has also proven to be good for weight loss.
Why is it recommended to train in the morning? Because usually at this time our stomach is empty and about 8 hours have passed since the last meal. This is an important nuance. One of the yoga masters I learned from said that the effectiveness of an asana depends on the emptiness of the stomach. And, of course, before embarking on this simple yoga for weight loss, drink a glass of water and empty your bowels.
- Stand with your feet about the width of your legs, inhale and raise your arms above your head with your palms facing inward.
- Exhale and bend your knees, falling to the floor as if sitting on a chair.
- Your torso will naturally lean forward slightly. Try to straighten your shoulders, pull your shoulder blades back, and lower your shoulders away from your ears. Breathe deeply, take 5 deep breaths and exhales.
- Stand in the same position on the chair, but instead of stretching your arms over your head, lower them to chest level as you bend your legs.
- Then gather your palms together as if in prayer and turn your upper body to the right so that your left elbow rests lightly on your right thigh.
- Keep your abdomen strong and keep inhaling and inhaling deeply. Maintain the posture for five inhales and exhales. As you inhale, straighten your knees to return to the starting position, and then repeat the exercise on the other side.
- Get on all fours with your knees shoulder-width apart, palms directly below your shoulders.
- Spread your fingers wide and place your weight on your hands.
- As you exhale, lift your knees off the floor and straighten your legs by lifting your pelvis.
- Push the floor with your hands and feet, pushing your pelvis up and stretching your back, as if pulling the mat in different directions with your palms and feet. Relax your neck and hang your head freely.
- Stay in this position by taking 5 deep breaths.
- Starting position - dog face down. As you inhale, straighten your left leg and raise it as high as possible.
- As you exhale, slowly bend your legs, bring your left knee closer to your chin. As you do this, try to suck your abdomen by pulling your navel toward your spine.
- On the next breath, stand up and raise your leg again. Repeat 5 times for one leg and 5 times for the other.
- Starting position - dog face down. Bring your right leg forward between your arms so that you are in a low kick, like a runner, before you start.
- Slightly rotate the left heel outward so that the toes of the left foot are facing the right heel.
- Lift your torso as you raise your arms. Straighten your shoulders and bend your back slightly, pushing your chest out.
- Breathe deeply, in this position take 5 deep breaths and exhales. Then repeat the exercise on the other side.
- Starting position - warrior posture 1. Straighten your right leg and transfer your entire body weight to it.
- Lift your left leg off the floor and stretch it back, leaning forward so that your body looks like a T. Your whole body is parallel to the ground. The crown and hands are pulled forward and the toes of the left foot are pulled back. If you find it difficult to maintain balance, you can help yourself at first by leaning on a chair.
- Stay in this position for five breaths and then repeat on the other side.
- Lie on your stomach with your legs together, your forehead resting on the mat, arms outstretched, palms down.
- Squeezing your stomach and buttocks, lift your straight legs and arms up. Keep your legs, arms and upper body from the navel above the ground, resting only on the thighs and lower abdomen.
- Breathe deeply, take five deep breaths.
- Lie on your stomach with your forehead on the mat and stretch your arms out to the side, palms up. As you exhale, bend your knees, pulling your heels as close to your buttocks as possible. Grasp the ankles with your hands and place your thighs shoulder-width apart.
- As you inhale, lift your upper body and thighs off the floor and reach back with your heels from the buttocks. Be sure to relax your lower back by stretching your shoulders back and forth. Only the lower abdomen and hips are in contact with the floor.
- Take 5 deep breaths in this position and then return to the starting position.
- Get on all fours with your legs slightly apart, hands directly under your shoulders.
- Tighten your abdomen and keep your back straight, lift your right leg and left arm at the same time, straightening them as much as possible. Maintain this body position for 5 deep breaths.
- Then repeat the same with your left foot and right hand.
- This is the same exercise as the previous one, with the difference that here we are on a board, not on all fours.
- Start by standing on a board with your hands straight.
- Then, keeping your back straight, raise your left leg and right arm, stretching them as far as possible. Hold this asana for 5 deep breaths.
- Then repeat in the opposite direction.
Yoga for weight loss
Do you want your weight loss yoga classes to work really well? So you literally feel easier every morning? Then do not be lazy after completing the complex of asanas to practice breathing exercises (pranayama) and meditation. Meditation + pranayama + asanas - this is the magic recipe for yoga for weight loss. Start each morning with yoga, including all three components in your lesson, and the result will not be late.
Fat Burning Meditation
Yoga restores the hormonal balance in the body by calming the mind and achieving inner harmony. But this is not the only reason yoga contributes to weight loss. Let's take a look at what exercises a typical yoga class in a studio or fitness club consists of.
Usually a yoga lesson starts with meditation. In almost every class, you will first be told to sit quietly for 10 minutes and be aware of what is happening inside and out.
By the way, many studies confirm that only a regular practice of meditation already has a positive effect on health, hormones and leads to normalization of weight. In addition, meditation develops mindfulness, which leads to better eating behavior and a more careful approach to eating. This is also important.
Pranayama
The second thing you will do in yoga is pranayama, that is, breathing exercises.
Some pranayama is designed to train a very important muscle in our body - the diaphragm.
Constant sedentary lifestyle leads to the fact that the diaphragm simply stops working at full strength and becomes weak and tight. And most Western training systems pay little attention to this muscle. But not yoga.
In yoga, great importance is attached to proper breathing and the development of diaphragmatic breathing. That is why you will do a lot of pranayama and allow your diaphragm to work hard and expand with full force.
The movement of the diaphragm during breathing is of great benefit to the whole body.
- First, each expansion and contraction of the diaphragm performs a gentle massage of the internal organs - heart, liver, pancreas, gallbladder. This leads to their purification and stimulates their work.
- Secondly, the diaphragm directly affects the process of digestion, affecting the stomach, if, of course, do not forget to move it actively.
- And third, with full deep exhalation, the rising diaphragm affects the area of the solar plexus where tens of thousands of nerve endings are intertwined, leading to stimulation of the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for resting and restoring the body.
The parasympathetic nervous system is often suppressed as a result of the constant pursuit of modern man's goals. Constant tension, stress, nervous activity block the healing processes and recovery of the body. And yoga masters, fully aware of this, have developed breathing exercises that bring two opposing nervous systems - parasympathetic and sympathetic - into balance. This contributes to weight loss much more than constant grueling diets and exercise.
Perhaps the most famous weight loss pranayama is called udiyana bandha. Many people today know this exercise as a "vacuum". So this "modern" vacuum is an integral part of the yoga system that has existed for many thousands of years.
3 easy steps for quick results
For those who have read the article to the end, faithfully performing all asanas, breathing exercises and meditation, I will tell you about an interesting case from my yoga practice. I will share my personal experience.
First Secret
Practicing asanas in yoga is considered only a preparatory stage for pranayama - breathing exercises. And pranayama, on the other hand, serves to prepare for meditation - to purify the mind and focus. So at some point in my practice, I started training to hold my breath. My goal was to learn to hold my breath for as long as possible. Literally immediately after the start of such training, I suddenly noticed that every morning I feel light in my body and stomach. And belly and side fat are noticeably reduced. This unusual effect aroused my interest. I started looking for information on the Internet and realized that I was not the only one facing such an experience. In addition, there are whole effective weight loss systems based on breath holding. So you can take this method into circulation.
I've dealt with delays at the freedivers' training table, these are people diving into the sea without equipment
Here is my workout table:
- Delay 1 minute - Break 1: 30
- Delay 1: 30 - Break 1: 30
- Delay 1: 30 - Break 1: 30
- Delay 1: 35 - Break 1: 30
- 1: 40 delay
This table is for holding your breath while inhaling.
While resting between sets, I took short breaks of 20-30 seconds with full exhalation.
Second Secret
This secret also has a lot to do with breathing. I am not a doctor and I have no idea how to explain this effect from a medical point of view, this is just my personal observation. So, I noticed that belly fat does not accumulate if you try to make full exhalations while breathing during the day. It sounds easy, but if you observe yourself, you may find that at the end of each exhalation, there is still air in your lungs that you can exhale. This is especially true when sitting. It will be difficult for you to exhale completely if your back and waist are rounded. Most likely, the effect of this method of breathing is due to the fact that the muscles of the press, lower back and diaphragm are used for complete exhalation. In this way they are kept in good shape.
In short, the second secret of yoga for weight loss is the following: during the day, try to exhale 2 times longer than inhaling and you will be happy.
Third Secret
The third secret also runs smoothly from the second. And, perhaps, this is the most important rule for losing weight with the help of yoga - to arrange the muscles of the lower back. Working with the muscles of the lower back, stretching and strengthening them - this is what is definitely very effective for removing fat from the abdomen and sides. A sedentary lifestyle literally kills the waist, which must be constantly in a taut position. Relaxed muscles, which have lost their elasticity, are unable to maintain body weight, an imbalance occurs, which leads to the accumulation of fat. There is a yoga exercise that can help you lose weight quickly and effectively. Do it only 5 minutes a day and the result will be.
- Roll up a blanket or towel on a roller.
- Lie on the floor and place a rolled-up blanket under your lower back.
- Stretch your arms behind your head and gather your little fingers.
- Stretch your legs and bring your toes together.
- Lie in this position for 5 minutes.
This exercise returns the pelvis, lower back and abdomen to their natural state. As a result, belly fat becomes unnecessary and disappears quickly.
Weight loss with yoga - basic principles
The most important principle of yoga for weight loss is consistent practice. I recommend doing exercise 6 times a week, at least one hour every day.
If this seems like a difficult schedule, start with short workouts, but every day this approach will help you build a habit. And when yoga becomes known, you will naturally start to extend the duration of the session to stay on the mat a little longer.
The second principle is to do what you really like. Try to find a little pleasure, pleasant sensations in yoga. The main task is to connect yoga classes with a sense of joy.
The third principle - do not think only about weight loss. Remember that practicing yoga is very beneficial for the body as well as the mind, psyche and state of mind. Losing weight is just a nice bonus and you will find out very soon if you practice yoga regularly for at least 2-3 months.