Yoga postures for losing weight
It has long been known that localized weight loss is a sweet utopia, too bad! So to reduce belly fat, there is nothing like practicing yoga to stretch the entire body and work on the abdominal muscles.
Not only is abdominal fat annoying (people usually notice it and feel uncomfortable about it), but it can be one of the most pernicious to burn.
It also affects overall health because visceral fat is closely linked to heart disease, type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance and even some forms of cancer.
Whether for aesthetic or health reasons, it's always a good idea to get rid of it, you don't want your body to store it, oust!
YOGA POSTURES TO LOSE BELLY AND TONE UP YOUR ABDOMINAL MUSCLES
The best way to burn belly fat with yoga is to add a touch of cardio to your workout, which will help increase your metabolism.
Try to speed up your practice without compromising your fitness (keep your alignment in mind) and always synchronize your movements with your breathing. For those who would like to try it out, Yoha Hiit is a good class to speed up the tempo.
Fortunately, there are many asanas and yoga exercises that can be relied upon to help reduce belly fat.
From this plethora of choices, I have selected five that I believe are effective and can be practiced by any healthy person at any level.
To do this, I suggest you start with the Cobra posture, which has the merit of stretching the belly and working the abdominals. Then, we will move on to the bow and boat posture to strengthen the abs (note that the bow pose also relieves constipation and helps to stop bloating).
Finally, we'll do a little yogic board and "wind relief" posture.
1. BHUJANGASANA
The posture of the Cobra is excellent in our goal of strengthening the abdominals. It also allows to soften and strengthen the spine and to open the chest and the solar plexus.
How to achieve the posture :
- Lie on your stomach, legs stretched out, feet well stretched out.
- Place your palms on the floor, level with your shoulders, with your fingers well apart to take root on the mat.
- By moving your shoulders away from your ears, keeping your elbows close to your body and bringing your shoulder blades closer together, you will come to rest your forehead on the mat.
- Inhaling, the spine is unrolled by pushing on the hands without raising the shoulders. Keep the neck neutral, well stretched out. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds.
- As you exhale, you return to the position where your forehead rests on the ground.
- Repeat 5 times.
2. DHANURASANA
Bow placement is the best posture to strengthen the abdominal core. This posture consists of stretching the back, stretching it like a string on a bow. This movement gives the abdomen a full massage and activates the digestive system, it can help fight constipation.
How to achieve the posture :
- Begin by lying on your stomach in a prone position, legs stretched out and stretched backwards, forehead on the ground and arms placed on each side of the body (shoulders as far away from the ears as possible). The buttocks are engaged and the pubis is glued against the mat to protect the lumbar vertebrae.
- Bend your knees to bring your ankles towards the buttocks and grab them on the outside. Your arms are well stretched, your elbows do not go outward and your shoulders are back.
- As you breathe in, move your feet backwards and up towards the ceiling, raise your legs as high as you can.
- Hold this posture for 15 to 30 seconds. Let yourself be lulled by the breaths you take through your nose.
- As you exhale, slowly bring your body back to its initial position and repeat 5 times, taking 20 seconds of rest between each breath.
3. NAUKASANA
This yoga exercise will help us to tone our abs in addition to strengthening our back and leg muscles (especially the psoas, located at the top front of the thigh). The goal is not to raise the legs as high as possible, but to keep the back straight.
How to achieve the posture :
- Sitting with legs bent, feet flat, back straight.
- Inhale and delicately lift your feet off the floor until your legs are completely stretched out if possible, remember to contract your abs.
- Try to approach your body at a 45 degree angle, bringing the pubis towards the navel.
- Breathe normally and hold this pose for at least 15 seconds.
- Exhale slowly as you release.
- Repeat this posture 5 times, taking 20 seconds off each time.
4. KUMBHAKASANA
It is a simple and static posture that strengthens not only the abdominal strap, but more broadly all the muscles of the body. I say a priori because it is very easy to lose the alignment of your board! The board is an essential component of many yoga sequences (including the sun salutation), so it is essential to master it.
How to achieve the posture :
- Start on all four legs (in table position) with palms firmly planted on the floor and shoulder level. Knees underneath directly below the hips.
- Stretch one by one the legs backwards, the feet are spread out to the width of the pelvis (or tighter for a better sheathing). Stretch well with the top of the skull forward and the heels backward. The spine is well aligned with the nape of the neck.
- Keep your abdominal muscles engaged, your body should form a straight line from the ankles to the head.
- Hold this posture for 15 to 30 seconds, then release the pose by dropping your knees on the floor when exhaling.
- Repeat this board posture 5 times.
5. PAVANAMUKTHASANA
This yoga pose massages the colon, regulates acid levels in the stomach, helps with constipation, improves metabolism, relieves lower back pain, firms and tones stomach, thigh and hip muscles.
How to achieve the posture :
- Lie down in a supine position with your arms on either side of your body and feet stretched out, heels together.
- Bend your knees and as you exhale, bring your bent knees against your chest, with your thighs pressing against your abdomen.
- Hold your knees in place with your arms and relax your back on the mat.
- Inhale and bring your head back towards your knees. Then exhale and release.
- Hold the position for 60 to 90 seconds, while breathing deeply. Take full advantage of this relaxing posture by closing your eyelids.
Latest tips for losing belly
To stimulate your metabolism, you can do this series of exercises in the morning. Not all of these exercises are suitable for everyone, although I chose them because they are globally accessible.
Do not do them if you are pregnant, have recently had surgery or have a back or leg injury. If you experience pain, discomfort or dizziness, stop. You can practice at home, but I recommend that you go to the studio from time to time to work on your movement and breathing patterns with a teacher who will correct you.
Finally, it is obvious that practicing these exercises alone will not miraculously rid you of your abdominal fat. You may do the best abdominal exercises in the world every day, 100 times a day, but it is not by concentrating your efforts on this point that you will lose weight. Nutrition is what will make you lose weight. Losing weight and losing stomach begins in the kitchen, this is where the challenge will be the most difficult, but it is also where 80% of your results will be.
Yoga must come along with a healthy and controlled diet, the exercises presented are all excellent for strengthening the abdominal wall and for their quality of helping digestion.
Ideally you have in your schedule a cardio workout other than yoga. If this is not the case, try to put a maximum intensity to your yoga sessions, you can do this by going to Power Yoga or Hiit Yoga classes.
In short, losing weight with yoga is possible if and only if :
• you take care of your nutrition at the same time: 80% of the work.
• you practice regularly (at least 4 times a week): 10%.
• you put some intensity into it: 7%.
• you practice well-targeted abdominal toning exercises: 3%.
