The yoga training system develops strength, agility, endurance, coordination. Using yoga can help you improve your physical health and psycho-emotional state. But how effective are yoga asanas for weight loss?
The benefits of yoga for weight loss
Yoga asanas are exercises performed in a static state. Due to the low training intensity, yoga practice is considered ineffective in the fight against extra kilos. In order for the effect of weight loss to be noticeable, static loads must be practiced for a long time and often. Therefore, they are rarely used as a stand-alone weight loss remedy. In its ability to burn calories quickly, yoga can not compete with intense dynamic training, but it has an important advantage: It encourages the body to get rid of the extra kilos without stress and overload. It is also important that thanks to the normalization of metabolism and the improvement of work in all organs and systems, the weight loss achieved through yoga continues for a long time.
Basic rules of yoga
For yoga to lose weight to be effective, you need to exercise regularly: preferably daily, but in any case at least three times a week. You should move from simple to complex, slow and gradual. First, the simplest asanas are mastered, and only after fixing them can the load be complicated. Do not increase the intensity and severity of your training prematurely. Haste leads to injury and to a violation of one of the key principles of yoga: asanas should not be performed due to pain and discomfort, yoga practice should be enjoyable.
You need to perform the exercises slowly and thoughtfully, focusing on breathing and muscle work. You will need comfortable clothes and a yoga mat to practice. You need to exercise on an empty stomach. There should be at least two hours between your last meal and your workout. The study area must be well ventilated. To detach yourself from foreign sounds and create the appropriate mood, turn on calm relaxing music. Melodies can be taken from special selections for yoga and meditation.
Yoga exercises for weight loss
- Straighten and spread your legs as wide as possible. Bend forward and place both hands on the floor. Tighten and tense the gluteus muscles. Stay in this position for about a minute. Make sure your breathing is free, deep and rhythmic. Complete the exercise and enter the asana twice more. By practicing it regularly, you can strengthen buttocks, inner and hind thighs.
- Take a sweeping step forward with one foot. Immerse yourself in a lunge and transfer your body weight to the treading leg. The other leg remains stretched back. Touch the floor with your hands on the sides of your bent knee. Stay in this position for at least one minute. Control your breathing. Step three times with each foot. Exercise works well on the muscles in the lower body.
- Lay your stomach down on the mat. Pull the upper limbs forward, the lower ones straighten and connect. Lift your head, shoulders and chest sequentially across the floor. Let your abdominal muscles be pressed against the floor. Stay in the asana for as long as possible. With its help, you can strengthen the pectoral muscles.
- In a standing position, straighten your body, placing your feet wider than your shoulders. Bend your knees, lower your shoulders. Cross your arms in front of you, pushing your pelvis forward. After a moment's pause, straighten your legs. Do three repetitions. The position burns fat on the thighs and buttocks, strengthens the muscles.
- The starting position is the same as in the previous exercise: standing straight, legs wider than shoulders, arms at chest. Spread your socks apart and lift yourself up on them. Jump low, and land on your toes, roll down on your heels. Perform ten of these jumps. Exercise makes your legs slimmer and stronger. The caviar gets a particularly good load here.
- Lie down with your back on the mat. Stretch your arms along the sides, resting your palms on the floor. Gently lift your straightened legs, bring them to an upright position and continue to move so that they are eventually placed above your head parallel to the floor surface. Stay in this position for one minute. Breathe evenly. Lower your legs slowly. Do two or three repetitions. In this asana, the muscles of the press are well trained.
- Continue to lie on your back, bend your legs and bring your knees up to your chest. Then lift your legs, stretching them toward the ceiling. While straightening your legs, support your back with your hands, helping to keep your legs, pelvis and lower back in an upright position. Rest your elbows on the floor. Stay in the asana for as long as possible. Do not try to sway, do not bend your legs, keep an eye on your breathing.
- Roll over on your stomach. Place your palms on the mat near your shoulder joints. Place your toes on your feet on the floor. With an exhale, abruptly bring the pelvis back and up, pulling your heels toward the floor. The body should assume the following position: the head is between the arms, its occipital area extends downwards, the legs and back are straight. After a moment's pause, move your feet to your palms with a jump. Straighten your legs and wrap your arms around them. Bring your chest to your knees and the top of your head to your feet. Keep your legs as straight as possible. Repeat the asana three times.
- Sit down with your palms under your thighs near your knees and lift your legs. They should be as straight as your back. Hold your head so that your gaze is directed diagonally: up and forward. As you exhale, straighten your arms out in front of you parallel to the floor. In this exercise, the abdominal muscles are well strengthened.
- Get in a standing position. Take a wide lunge forward with weight on your right leg. The knee of the leg being put back should touch the floor, the toe extending. Keep your back straight. Lift your arms over your head before moving them across the sides. Lift your head, stretch your arms, adjust your body in a line - from the top of the pelvis to the fingers. Pause for a minute. Lower your arms to shoulder height and spread out to the sides. Gently turn your body to the left while keeping your back straight. A parallel must be formed between the arms and legs. Also turn your head to the left, stretching your arms. After twenty seconds, gently turn to the other side. Pause again for twenty seconds and turn and position the body straight. Place your left hand on the left side of your right foot with your forearm on the floor. Turn the body to the right. Stretch up with your right hand, turning your head to your hand. After one minute, place your right forearm on the left side of your right foot. Lift your other hand and stretch it up. Dwell again for a minute, then lower your arms and straighten up. Perform the next repetition on the other leg. The abdominal muscles, especially the oblique muscles, and the back of the thighs work actively here. Exercise strengthens and stretches the spine, improves posture.
Yoga not only helps to lose weight, but also improves coordination, makes the body flexible and strong. The first results of the "Yoga for Weight Loss" program become noticeable after about a month of teaching.