Since yoga is hardcore all body activity, it is extensively used by sportsmen to strengthen their core muscles.
Also, the fact that yoga is a high mental strength exercise people like to do yoga to reconnect with their consciousness by turning inwards.
Now, while this isn’t a popular reason, but Yoga is also great for weight loss as well.
How Yoga Help Reduce Weight?
Yoga poses are designed to put pressure/strain on specific muscles, which like weightlifting help to rip muscles in a good way.
And if you have slightest of knowledge about muscle building, you would know that once muscles started to rip, they need rebuilding, which in turn needs energy. And ultimately some part of this energy is squeezed from the fat stored in the body.
This is also the precise process of how the fats are turned into muscles (talk about getting lean!).
I remember going to my first yoga class, boasting with confidence and thinking it would be a breeze walk; owing to my athletic and flexible body. Guess what? I almost passed-out within the first fifteen minutes, only to learn that what I take as flexibility was actually weak muscles.
Since, the ultimate goal for any weight loss program is to burn fats, turning fats into muscles is one of the safest and fastest routes to achieve that ripped lean body. And that’s precisely what you achieve by practicing yoga poses for weight loss.
Like many other activities, mastering yoga and getting desired results requires dedication and practice. As you start, you will experience many revelations about your muscles. In fact, I am quite sure you will be able to experience muscles which you never even thought to have existed before.
Below, I have compiled a list for some of the best and most impactful yoga poses for weight loss. Now, while I have tried to list the most simple to achieve poses, some of the poses might be a little hard on an untrained body and thereby, caution should be practiced while performing those poses.
And if you are looking for some more yoga poses and further guidance do check out our ultimate yoga assessment guide. As it comes with every thing, a yoga practitioner needs when practicing solo.
You can check out our YOGA ASSESSMENT GUIDE™ by clicking here!
Best Yoga Poses For Weight-loss
01. Down Dog Pose.
Benefits: Provide a great stretch to the entire backside, open the shoulders to get the better range of motion. Enhance shoulder and forearm strength while lengthening calf and hamstring muscles. Moreover, increase blood ow towards brain which decreases stress and enhances productivity.
Directions:
Tips: Watch out for any hyper-extension of elbows and knees. If you feel too much pressure on your shoulders, shorten the distance between your hands and feet and allow your knees to bend.
02. Upward Dog Pose.
Benefits: A great pose to challenge you for lifting and opening your chest. Which results in improving our posture and enhancing lung capacity. Also strengthen the spine, arms wrists and shoulder muscles for visible improvisation in athletic performance.
Directions:
Tips: If you are feeling too much pressure in your hand, shift your weight towards legs by elevating your hands on a yoga block or chair. If you are having difficulty in lifting your legs in the air, tuck your toes inside. Engage your abdominal muscles to release excessive pressure in the lower back.
03. High Plank Pose.
Benefits: Strengthen your wrist shoulders and core muscles. Tone your abdomen. Improve your posture and reduce back pains. Improve your balance which results in better movement and coordination. Along with other enormous benefits, this is a foundational pose for beginners to train them for advance hand balancing poses.
Directions:
Tips: If you start to feel your core failing and your lower back begins to arch, take your knees down. You risk injury to your lower back by continuing plank with an arched back. If holding a plank for a longer period is difficult, rest your both knees and alternate knees time to time.
04. Boat Pose.
Benefits: A great balancing pose that engages all your body muscles. Great to build strength and steadiness in the core. Stimulates the abdominal organs which improve digestion. This pose also encourages healthy regulation of the thyroid and prostate glands, helping you to maintain metabolism and relieves stress.
Directions:
Tips: Arch your lower back to keep your balance in your hips, extend your legs by pushing your heels and pulling your toes back.
05. Warrior I Pose.
Benefits: Warrior one stretches the whole upper body along with back leg. A powerful pose that develops stamina, breathing capacity. Great to build balance, and coordination and teach your body to properly use your core to protect your lower back while running, lifting, and while simply standing.
Directions:
Tips: Make sure that you keep the back heel on the ground. Draw your ribs toward one another to prevent your back from arching.
06. Warrior III Pose.
Benefits: Great for increasing your balance and developing lower body strength. Enhance the range of motion and stability in your shoulders. Develop core endurance for sports such as swimming cycling etc. Awesome for teaching body awareness makes you more productive and enhances concentration.
Directions:
Tips: Try to square your hips by lowering the hip of the raised leg and press down harder through the planted foot to raise the hip of the planted leg to even out your hips. For the modification, place a hand on a yoga block under the shoulder to maintain the balance.
07. Twisted Chair Pose.
Benefits: A great yoga pose that mainly strengthens the calf, quads, hamstring and glute muscles. The twist improves the range of motion in the spine while developing lower body strength. Best integration in athletic training for sports that involves squatting, twisting, such as golf, MMA, football, basketball, etc.
Directions:
Tips: Keep your hips facing straight forward, even with the twist. Check to make sure that your heels and knees are even with one another as well.
08. Bridge Pose.
Benefits: Stretches your spine, thighs and hip flexors to increase range of motion. Strengthen your back to reduce chances of injury. This pose also improves digestion and metabolism by stimulating abdominal organs..
Directions:
Tips: The weight of your body in this pose rests on your shoulders, not neck. If there is too much pressure on lower back try placing a yoga block beneath your tailbone. Keep your core engaged by flexing the abdominal muscles.
Thanks for staying till here!
for more exercises (other than yoga) that can boost you sex life life please check out this awesome article.
By the way number of researches have confirmed that that yoga is one of the best and most sustainable form of activity to loose weight and here is why.
Take good care of yourself,
and C.Ya