By Dr. Surya Bhagwati
Chief In- House Doctor
BAMS, DHA, DHHCM, DHBTC | 30+ Years of Experience
Yoga is known to help improve flexibility and relieve stress. But did you know that there are Yoga exercises for weight loss as well? In this blog, we list down the best asanas (poses) for natural weight loss with yoga.
The right yoga exercises for weight loss can be great at helping you get back into shape. But they also have added benefits that make yoga so popular.
In this article:
How does Yoga Help with Weight Loss?
The practice of yoga can help you unlock your true potential for better wellbeing.
When it comes to weight loss, yoga can help bring your mind and body back into balance. Yoga helps you feel truly connected with your body.
Regularly practising yoga helps improve hormone balance, boost metabolism, and regulate hunger. It’s also known to help reduce back and joint pain, improve mood, reduce stress, and heighten mindfulness.
There’s also research that backs up this claim as a study found yoga to help overweight women to loose weight naturally, including stomach fat.
Now that we have a better understanding of how yoga helps with managing weight, let’s check out the different yoga exercises for weight loss.
6 Yoga Exercises for Weight Loss
In this blog, we will describe 6 yoga asanas and how yoga reduces weight, along with other health benefits.
1) Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation Pose)
The Surya Namaskar is probably the most popular and one of the most versatile yoga asanas. This yoga asana has 12 flowing poses with rhythmic breathing that revitalizes your body.
Along with stretching and strengthening your limbs, the Surya Namaskar also helps engage and improve your core. This yoga asana can strengthen your cardiovascular health, promotes digestion, boost blood flow, promote detox, and lower stress levels.
2) Sarvangasana (Shoulderstand Pose)
Sarvangasana is known as the ‘Mother of all Asanas’ and works on your arms and shoulders, middle and upper back, neck, and core. As it engages the core, it promotes fat burn from the stomach, hips, buttocks, and thighs.
This yoga pose also helps strengthen the muscles in your back, spine, legs, neck, and shoulders. It stimulates brain health, digestion, and improves hormone balance.
3) Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend Pose)
In Sanskrit, ‘Paschima’ means ‘back of the body’ and Paschimottanasana is a spine-stretching yoga pose that acts on your entire back, neck, hips, buttocks, and hamstrings.
This is one of the best yoga poses for belly fat as it helps stimulate your metabolism and digestive fire. It also helps boost energy while toning the muscles around the spine. If you want yoga poses for weight loss for beginners, Paschimottanasana is one of the best yoga exercises for weight loss.
4) Kapalbhati (Breath of Fire)
Kapalbhati weight loss is a simple yet effective asana for weight loss. It is known to boost your metabolism and energize your nervous system. The breathing patterns also help trim belly fat as well.
This yoga asana also improves blood circulation, strengthens lung capacity, and calms the mind. Start with Kapalbhati if you want yoga for fast weight loss.
5) Virabhadrasana (Warrior Pose)
The Virabhadrasana is a combination of standing and balancing that helps strengthen the core, back, arms, legs, and feet.
This yoga pose helps improve flexibility while strengthening the whole body. It also helps improve posture and alignment, focus, awareness, digestion, and blood flow.
6) Savasana (Corpse Pose)
Savasana is an easy pose to learn as it requires you to only lie on the ground like a Sava (corpse). Remaining motionless for some time can help calm the mind and remove the fatigue caused by the previously mentioned yoga poses.
Calming and opening up your mind can allow your consciousness to connect with the universe and help you enter a mediative state. Regardless of the yoga exercises for weight loss you are doing, you should always finish with Savasana.
Following these yoga exercises can help you reset your inner balance. But just doing these yoga asanas isn’t the only thing you can do to stimulate natural weight loss!
How to get the most out of your Yoga Exercises for Weight Loss?
Following the yoga asanas for weight loss is just one side of the coin. On the other side are Aahar (diet) and Chikitsa (treatment).
Eat the Right Food to Help with Weight Loss
When it comes to following the right diet for weight loss, the yogic principles of balance and sattva (purity) matter. In Ayurveda, there are three main types of food:
- Sattvic foods are life-giving and revitalizing in Ayurveda. These foods include fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs, whole grains, seeds, and herbs. Sattvic foods are easy to digest and can aid your yoga exercises for weight loss.
- Rajasic foods are known to be overstimulating and cause hyperactivity, insomnia, and a restless mind. These foods include coffee, meat, fish, chocolate, eggs, and spicy foods. In addition, eating in a rush is also considered Rajasic.
- Tamasic foods are the worst kind of food and should be avoided. These included processed, deep-fried, stale, and over-cultivated foods that aren’t good for the body or the mind. Tamasic foods can cause bloating and lethargy while compromising your immune system. Overeating is also considered to be Tamasic.
Follow the Right Treatment to Help with Weight Loss
In addition to the right Aahar (diet) for weight loss, you can also consider medicines and treatments that help promote weight loss. Herbal and Ayurvedic medicines are often prescribed by doctors for those looking to achieve their fitness goals without disrupting their inner balance.
Ayurvedic medicines for weight loss work to aid the mentioned yoga positions for weight loss. They help reset the body’s balance and optimize hormone levels for natural weight loss. These products also help suppress your appetite to aid weight loss.
Chyawanprash is also a great Ayurvedic product for overall health and wellbeing. It contains herbs that help bring your body weight to its ideal state, either by causing weight loss or promoting weight gain.
Weight loss juices can also be a great alternative for anyone looking to loose weight naturally while enjoying a healthy drink. Triphala juice is one of the most popular juices for weight loss. It contains Amla, Bibhitaki and Haritaki which stimulate your metabolism and digestion for natural weight loss.
And if you aren’t sure if you should go for ayurvedic medicines or Chyawanprash for weight loss, you can consult our ayurvedic doctors. We can help give you the best treatment plan based on your dosha, diet, and physique. You can follow yoga exercises for weight loss along with the prescribed treatment to get the best results in a matter of weeks.
Yoga for Natural Weight Loss and More!
Yoga isn’t just a way for you to lose weight. It can also help restore your inner balance and help your body, mind, emotion, and spirit come together as one.
But do remember, to get the best benefits from yoga exercises for weight loss, you will need to follow the right diet and ayurvedic treatment plan.
When Aahar, Vihaar, & Chikitsa are practised together, you can experience the true potential of Ayurveda and Yoga for best remedy for weight loss.
Dr. Surya Bhagwati
BAMS (Ayurveda), DHA (Hospital Admin), DHHCM (Health Management), DHBTC (Herbal Beauty and Cosmetology)
Dr. Surya Bhagwati is an established, well-known Ayurvedic expert with over 30 years of experience in treating and consulting in the field of Ayurveda. She is known for the timely, efficient, and patient-centred delivery of quality health care. The patients under her care receive a unique holistic treatment comprising not only medicinal treatment but also spiritual empowerment.