5 Morning Yoga Poses and Exercises for Weight Loss

Reading is to the mind what Yoga is to the body.(Image via www.pexels.com)
Yoga is an effective exercise for weight loss. (Image via Pexels)

Yoga has numerous benefits for physical and mental health. The most popular reason for people taking up yoga is to work toward weight loss. A hectic lifestyle coupled with restrictions on outdoor exercising due to the COVID scare has made many of us turn to yoga as an effective solution to get much-needed physical workout. Although yoga can be performed before or after 3 hours of a meal, it is best to do practice in the morning.

According to the Rig Veda, which is the source of the yoga sutras, the early morning hours are the most beneficial for harnessing the maximum energy. Mental health professionals too prescribe exercises in the early morning for increasing one's focus.

The growth of yoga has benefited many people in losing weight in a healthy way. Many people believe that yoga alone does not help with weight loss, while yoga combined with healthy eating has proven essential as it helps you lose weight along with keeping your mind and body healthy.


Yoga Poses Are Good for Weight Loss

Yoga increases stretching of your body. It also creates awareness and mindfulness in action. For example, if you are a yoga practitioner, you would consciously avoid fast food such as burgers and pizza. Losing weight has two important sides: healthy eating and exercise. Yoga is not about a few poses that strengthen the core of the body. It has a lot more to offer:

  • Increased flexibility
  • Improved respiration
  • Improved energy and vitality
  • Balanced metabolism
  • Improved athletic health
  • Increased muscle tone
  • Improved cardio health
  • Weight reduction
  • Stress management

Stress can have a bad effect on your body and mind. It can show up as pain, anxiety, insomnia, and poor concentration. Most of the time, stress is the main reason for weight gain. Yoga can help you counter stress.

Yoga Asanas for Weight Loss

These yoga poses target building body flexibility, improving concentration, and increasing your muscle tone, and as a result, you start losing weight. So in simple terms, it requires time but it will give you effective results. Once your body gets used to these poses, you will enjoy performing them.

1. Chaturanga Dandasana (Plank Pose)

The Chaturanga Dandasana or plank pose your entire body and builds strength in your erector spinae and, the muscles on both sides of the spine. This also helps to improve core strength, posture, and stability. Performing Chaturanga can help you build functional strength. It is only when you are performing in the correct pose that you start to feel its intensity in your abdominal muscles.

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2. Virabhadrasana (Warrior Pose)

This pose helps in toning your legs and shoulders as well as improving your focus. It is more interesting with the Warrior II pose. The more you maintain yourself in that pose, the better the results you will get. With just a few minutes of performing it, you will get tighter quads. Warrior III poses are made to improve your balance along with proper back end, legs and arms. It also helps to tone your abidominal area and gives you a flat belly if you contract your abdominal muscles while you perform this pose.

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3. Trikonasana (Triangle Pose)

Trikonasana helps to improve digestion as well as the amount of fat deposited in the abdominal area.The lateral motion of this pose helps you burn more fat from the waist side and build more muscle in the legs. The triangle pose also improves balance and concentration. Within a few days, the results would be evident if it is performed in the correct stance.

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4. Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Dog Pose)

Adho Mukha Svanasana tones your entire body with extra attention to targeted muscles. It helps to strengthen your body. Holding this pose and concentrating on your breathing engages your muscles and tones them. It also improves the concentration and blood circulation of the body.

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5. Sarvangasana (Shoulder Stand Pose)

Sarvangasana comes with multiple benefits and effective results, from increasing your strength to improving digestion, it is really very helpful to perform daily in the morning. But it is basically known to boost metabolic rate and balance thyroid hormone levels in the body. Sarvangasana strengthens the upper body, abdominal muscles, and legs, improves the respiratory system, and improves sleep.

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In addition, the above poses will help you burn more calories, boost your metabolic rate, improve stamina, enhance your focus, and relieve tension from the body and mind.


Conclusion

Yoga endows you with overall good health, which begins with increasing flexibility and range of motion and leads to weight loss and reduction in anxiety. It is an age-old practice to attain a well-toned and healthy body and stress-free mind. Yoga not only helps in weight loss but also provides balance in the physical and mental health aspects.

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