Yoga, which means the union is the ancient Indian system of mental, physical and spiritual practices that now has global acceptance.
In today’s time, many people associate Yoga with the physical practice or the asanas, which are a series of postures often sequenced together in various styles.
The asana practices are mainly intended to build strength and stamina, while also improving flexibility, balance, and coordination, and ultimately relaxing the body and mind.
The discipline has 5 basic principles:
- Exercise
- Diet
- Breathing
- Relaxation
- Meditation
Are Yoga Poses Good for Weight Loss?
Yoga is an effective weight loss tool and when combined with healthy eating can show positive results.
Practising yoga regularly can also calm you and improve your mental health. This leads to more mindful and healthy food choices which directly aids in weight loss.
Having said that, yoga increases your mindfulness and how you relate to your body. This will also help you make better food choices and reduce your intake of junk food. Yoga offers an array of benefits, some of which include:
- Increased flexibility
- Better respiratory health
- Improved energy and vitality
- Boosted metabolism
- Improved athletic health
- Increased muscle tone
- Improved cardiovascular health
- Weight reduction
- Stress management
Stress can have a devastating effect on your body and mind. It can reveal itself in the form of pain, anxiety, insomnia, and the inability to concentrate. Most times, stress is the main cause of weight gain. Yoga can help you cope with stress.
Physical benefits of Yoga, combined with stress management, help a person to lose weight and maintain good physical and mental health.
Summary
Yoga, the ancient art of healing, has great therapeutic abilities. Yoga can play an integral role in your overall health and well-being. While some people swear by the benefits of yoga others are a little skeptical when it comes to the efficiency of yoga for weight loss. However, they agree that yoga, combined with nutrition and diet can play a positive role in one’s weight loss journey. Remember, your yoga practice is unique and personal to you. When performing yoga asana, its important to get your postures right which can happen with effort and practise.
Best 9 Yoga Asanas Poses for Weight Loss
Yoga requires perseverance, patience and persistence. Its results take time.
These yoga poses focus mostly on building body flexibility and muscle tone. Both these are contributing factors towards a steady weight loss journey as they boost body’s fat burning capacity.
Muscle mass is essential for several reasons. For example, it ensures a healthy weight, reduces the risk of injuries, and builds bone mass density.
Some of the Yoga asanas and yoga tips for weight loss are as given below.
1. Chaturanga Dandasana – Plank Pose
Chaturanga dandasana is the best way to strengthen your core. As simple as it looks, its benefits are immense.
It is only when you are in the pose that you start to feel its intensity on your abdominal muscles.
2. Virabhadrasana – Warrior Pose
Toning your thighs and shoulders, as well as improving your concentration has become easier with the warrior pose. The longer you hold that pose, the better the results. With just a few minutes of Virabhadrasana, you will get tighter quads.
Warrior pose is made to improve your balance along with toning your back end, legs, and arms. It also helps to tone your tummy and give you a flat belly if you contract your abdominal muscles while you hold the position.
3. Trikonasana – Triangle pose
The trikonasana helps to improve digestion as well as reduce the fat deposited in the belly & waist. It stimulates and improves blood circulation in the entire body. The lateral motion of this asana helps you burn more fat from the waist and build more muscles in the thighs and hamstrings. It also improves balance & concentration.
4. Adho Mukha Svanasana – Downward Dog Pose
Adho Mukha Svanasana tones your whole body with a little extra attention to specific muscles.
It helps to strengthen your arms, thighs, hamstring and back. Holding this pose and concentrating on your breathing engages your muscles and tones them, as well as improves your concentration and blood circulation.
5. Sarvangasana – Shoulder Stand Pose
Sarvangasana comes with multiple benefits, from increasing strength to improving digestion. However, it is best known for boosting metabolism and balancing thyroid levels.
Sarvangasana or the shoulder stand strengthens the upper body, abdominal muscles, and legs and strengthens the respiratory system and promotes sleep.
6. Sethu Bandha Sarvangasana – Bridge pose
The Bridge pose improves muscle tone, digestion regulates hormones and improves thyroid levels. It also strengthens your back muscles and reduces back pain.
7. Parivrtta Utkatasana – Twisted Chair pose
The Parivrtta Utkatasana is also called the Yoga’s version of the squat. But you must know that it is a little more intense and tones the abdominal muscles, works the quads and glutes.
The asana also supports the lymphatic system and the digestive system.
8. Dhanurasana – Bow Pose
9. Surya Namaskara – Sun Salutation Pose
The Surya Namaskara or Sun Salutation does more than warm up the muscles and get the blood flowing. It stretches and tones most of the major muscles, trims the waist, tones the arms, stimulates the digestive system, and balances the metabolism.
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Power Yoga Poses for Weight Loss
Power Yoga is a vigorous form of yoga that rejuvenates your mind and body.
It is a cardiovascular workout that builds both endurance and strength. Power Yoga helps promote weight loss and maintain a healthy body and a stress-free life. It also enhances stamina, flexibility, and mental focus.
Power yoga is a modern form of yoga where the asanas increase your stamina, making you strong, flexible, and free of stress. It is a strength-building exercise that provides a workout for your whole body.
Power Yoga poses give you the benefit of yoga and more, including
- Helps burn calories, a little more than yoga for beginners
- It boosts your metabolism
- It strengthens your general well-being
- Useful to build strength, stamina, flexibility, and tone your body.
- It helps increase your concentration
- It helps you relax as tension and stress are considerably reduced.
The most reliable form of Power Yoga begins with Surya Namaskara or Sun Salutation. You can perform the Surya Namaskara as a warm-up before you start your Power Yoga workout session.
Surya Namaskara has immense benefits as it concentrates on all the core muscles of your body.
The best Power Yoga poses for weight loss include the following:
- Pawanmuktasana or the Wind releasing pose helps you drop that extra fat from the belly.
- Trikonasana or the Intense side stretch pose helps to reduce the fat from the sides. It raises your heartbeat and burns calories.
- Dhanurasana or the Bow pose helps you drop the excess fat from the arms and legs. It is very helpful to tone your body.
- Garudasana or the Eagle pose is a perfect weight loss choice for those who want thinner thighs, legs, arms, and hands.
- Eka Pada Adho Mukha Svanasana or One-legged downward facing dog- when combined with breathing, helps you tone your arms, hands, legs, thighs, and your abdominal muscles.
- Bhujangasana or the Cobra pose is a great choice if you want to tone buttocks and abdominal muscles.
- Navasana or the boat pose is the simplest Power Yoga pose for weight loss. It concentrates all the major muscles of your body.
- Savasana or Corpse pose is the most important pose to end your Power Yoga workout session. Savasana helps your muscles relax and prevents muscle damage.
There are several other Power Yoga asanas that are very important for weight loss such as the Uttanpadasana or the Raised feet pose, Veerbhadrasana, the warrior pose, Ardha Chandrasana or the Half-moon pose, Paschimottasana or the Seated forward bend among others. Power Yoga is considered an appropriate intervention for weight loss and to prevent obesity.
HealthifyMe Suggestion
When looking to lose weight, yoga is generally not the first workout that one opts for. The reason being that many forms of yoga are practised solely for flexibility and relaxation. The important thing is to choose the right type of yoga such as power yoga to match your weight loss goal. This along with a healthy diet can help in weight loss.
Work with an expert to choose the right yoga regimen and help get your posture right so you can get maximum benefits from your yoga practice.
Conclusion
Yoga, an Indian practice of mind and body rejuvenation, has significant benefits for all, from people who are overweight and want to shed weight to those who want to relax.
Yoga not only aids in weight loss but also promotes balanced physical and mental well-being.
Disclaimer: The purpose of this article is just to disperse knowledge and spread awareness. It does not intend to replace medical advice by professionals. For further information please contact our certified nutritions Here.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q. How much weight can you lose by doing Yoga?
The amount of weight one loses by doing Yoga varies from person-to-person and depends on their a number of factors including their flexibility.
Q. Can you lose belly fat with yoga?
Yes, you can lose belly fat with the help of yoga. Basic stretches and different asanas (like Surya Namaskar) can help you lose belly fat. That said, it is not recommended that you aim for spot reduction in any case.
Q. What is better for weight loss – yoga or gym?
Both yoga and fitness have their own advantages. Yoga involves more stretching and relaxation, whereas fitness deals with the contraction of muscles. There is no way of saying one works better than the other for weight loss. It depends on each individual’s own body type and their choices.
Q. Is power yoga effective for weight loss?
Yes, it is effective for weight loss. However, Hatha yoga is recommended since it is better in the long term. People with medical conditions should not prefer doing power yoga, unless under supervision
Q. Can you lose weight by doing yoga?
A. Yes, there are several intense asanas that will help you lose weight. Plank Pose, Warrior Pose and Downward dog pose are some that are very effective.
Q. Will 20 minutes of yoga help lose weight?
A. Yes, a 20-minute yoga session will help you lose weight. For best results, include a calorie deficit diet in your daily routine.
Q. What is the best time for yoga?
A. Yoga is a workout that can be practised any time of the day. People do it in the morning to commence the day with energy or even in the evening to relax one’s mind and body.
Q. How many calories do yoga burn in 30 minutes?
A. Calorie burning in Yoga depends on how you perform the postures & for how long you hold them. Usually, it is suggested not to focus on calorie burn in yoga as it works in a more holistic way. However, if tracked, a power yoga session of 30 mins can burn approx. 100-115 calories.
Q. Is 25 minutes of yoga a day enough?
A. Yes, a 25-day yoga session is great for improving and energizing your body and mind. An intense 25 min yoga session can also help you lose weight.
Q. Is yoga better than the gym?
A. Though both are equally effective, Yoga and Gym are quite different in nature. Yoga is strengthening your body and mind simultaneously. The gym is more about including physical exercise in your lifestyle. Also, it is about preference.
Q. How can I lose weight in yoga in 10 days?
A. Weight loss is a gradual process. Though it differs from person to person, one can possibly see inch loss within 10 days. Surya Namaskar, Pranayama, Bridge asanas can help to tone the body and help you shed some weight if performed regularly.
Q. Which yoga is best for weight loss in 7 days?
A. Focused breathing, Pranayama, Surya Namaskars and various Asanas when done regularly for 7 days with good alignment can help see the difference in mind & body.
Our Review Process
The entire review process entails levels of screening and evaluation by efficient groups of writers, editors and accredited medical experts. With the aim to establish long-lasting healthy lifestyle habits, we are committed to writing concurrent, medically backed and evidence-based articles. Read more
Our Editorial Team
Reviewed By – Shamlee Pathare (Master’s and her Bachelor’s degrees in Yoga Therapy)
Medically Reviewed By: Dr. Poonam Sharma
Last Updated by: Sumita Thomas
Date: April 10, 2023
