If you have started your weight loss journey then kudos to you, you are chalking your path to health and fitness. So, what have you done to enhance your weight loss results? Have you started a fitness regime complementing it with the right diet? Such as yoga for weight loss?
When you compare the between a boot camp workout and yoga workout, the former obviously burns more calories, so why should you choose yoga over other weight loss programs? The following reasons can give you an answer.
- It effectively manages stress and reduces the possibility of stress eating.
- It helps you tune into your inner hunger calls and satiety levels.
- You do not eat mindlessly and practice mindful eating
It does seem like a bonus, right? So, try out these weight loss yoga poses which not only helps you to shed the excess kilos but also it helps you to feel refreshed and energetic keeping at bay stress levels that pose a barrier to your weight loss goals.
Top Yoga Poses to do while on the GM Diet Plan
But can you really lose weight without breaking into some serious sweat? Research says you can, you can drop the pounds thick and fast with yoga and instead of feeling tired and jaded after a vigorous cardio routine or a strength training routine, you feel rejuvenated from within.
- Pelvic Tilts
Do the pelvic tilt to make your abdominal muscles strong. It is quite an easy exercise to do, it opens up your hips considerably, and this relaxes your back too, so you can do it anytime to ease the pressure on your back.
Lie on the yoga mat with your knees bent. With your back flattened on the floor brace your core muscle and move up your pelvis up slightly. Hold this pose for 10 seconds. Repeat.
- Cat and cow stretch
It helps to warm your spine and relax your neck and back muscles.
Bring your hands and knees on the floor. Take ample care to keep your knees under your hips, and your wrists under your shoulders. Maintain a neutral spine and always keep your back straight and your core tight. Take a deep breath in. On breathing out, gently move your spine up and direct towards the ceiling (think of a camel with a hump) and suck your belly button in all the while engaging your abs. Release the tension in your neck and move into the cat stretch. When you arch the back let your belly loose and languid. Move your tailbone up towards the sky, just be careful not to stress your neck too much. This sums up the cow stretch.
Breathe in while you do the cow pose and breathe out while you do the cat pose. Keep repeating the pose for 10 rounds and warm up your spine.
- Downward Dog Position – Adho Mukha Svānāsana
This exercise helps to stretch your back, and it also strengthens your torso to a great extent.
Maintain a tabletop position with toes under, press into your hands and bring your hips up towards the ceiling. Keep your palms shoulder-width apart. With the help of straight arms gently bring the hips up and try to form an inverted V. Keep your spine flexible and supple. Pressure your heels into the floor and feel a deep stretch in the back of the legs. Let your head free and try and look at the belly button.
Take 4-8 deep breaths in this position. Bend the knees and let your body assume the table position once again. Round it off with the child pose.
- Lunge (Anjaneyasana)
This is a great pose for stretching your hips and is especially effective for people sitting for long hours before a computer.
Lift your arms up and slowly move them backward, you will feel a deep stretch not only in your hips but also in your back. Let your arms stay at your sides and stretch a little more to extend it to your lower back. You can also rest your arms on the knee before you, this, however, may hamper your back stretch a little. Keep your front knee at a 90-degree angle as much as possible.
- Half Boat Pose or Ardha Navasana
You cannot ignore this asana for weight loss as it works on your abdomen and tones and tightens your mid-section.
Plant your palms on the floor, and lift your legs up. Once you attain a stable position raise your arms to keep them parallel to the ground.
If this seems like a breeze notch it up to the next level by widening the gap between your knees and your chest by moving back a little and moving the knees further away from you. This should set your abs on fire.
Hold this pose for 30 seconds.
When you become a pro in this move straighten the legs out and increase the level of your challenge. This is more like a full boat pose and obviously more difficult to master.
Keep your front knee at a 90 degrees angle.
Hold this pose for half a minute and repeat it on the other side as well.
If you are intimidated by the prospect of exercising, yoga will certainly seem like a Godsend, because it impacts both your mind and body. The exercises listed above help you lose weight and also refresh you in the best way possible. Yoga and clean eating make for an irresistible combination as it helps you to keep your mind stay firmly focused on your health.
Yoga not only fixes your faulty eating habits but also the improper functioning of certain bodily functions. As you know it is not only about following a sequence of poses but also the breathing technique that makes yoga such an effective weight loss tool as it cleanses, balances and rejuvenates your bodily organs and their functions. Certain poses and breathing practices increase metabolic functions and normalize heart rates. Still harboring doubts about the efficacy of yoga? Believe you me, yoga is the solace you have been seeking for your body and mind, practice it and reap innumerable benefits.