Yoga is one of the best ways for healthy weight loss due to the bending, twisting, and folding movements involved. They also help activate several muscle groups in the body and burn a decent amount of calories to aid in weight loss.
Regularly doing yoga exercises also provides benefits to mental well-being, such as stress management, rejuvenation, relaxed mood, calm mind, and more.
Best and Effective Yoga Exercises for Weight Loss
We have designed a list of the six best and most effective exercises that can be included in your daily routine for weight loss and can be easily done at home.
1) Sun Salutation (Surya Namaskara)
It nvolves a sequence of yoga poses that help in targeting all the muscles in the body.
Regularly performing sun salutation provides other benefits, such as stimulating the digestive system, boosting metabolism, trimming waistline, building coordination and body balance, etc.
2) Side Angle Pose (Konasana)
This pose is one of the most simple yoga exercises for weight loss and can be easily done by beginners.
How to do it?
- Start off by standing with your feet apart at shoulder distance, with your hands on their respective sides.
- Raise your left hand straight upward with your fingers pointing towards the ceiling.
- Now bend your body sideward by folding from the waist towards the right side without breaking the upright stance.
- Repeat on the other side.
3) Plank Pose
This pose helps burn a decent amount of calories and tone the muscles of the core, shoulders, and arms. Regularly performing this pose can also strengthen the body.
How to do it?
- Start by assuming the tabletop position on the ground, with your shoulders just above the palms and both legs extended at the back.
- Make sure to keep your back upright and not round or arch it.
- Keep the core and glutes engaged along with maintaining the body in a straight line throughout the movement.
- Hold the position for as long as possible before releasing.
- Repeat.
4) Triangle Pose (Trikonasana)
This pose helps stretch several muscles in the body, including the calves, shoulders, hips, and thighs. It also tones the muscles.
How to do it?
- Start off in an upright standing position, with your feet more than hip-distance apart.
- Extend your hands on the sides to shoulder height, and angle your right toe at 45 degrees out of the body.
- Fold towards the right side from the waist, and bring your right arm towards the toes while the left one points towards the ceiling.
5) Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana)
This pose targets the muscles around the hip and pelvic region and also helps boost metabolism.
How to do it?
- Start off by lying flat on your back with the sole of your feet pressing on the ground, hands on their respective sides, and knees bent at 90 degrees.
- Press onto your feet, and drive your hips towards the ceiling while keeping the upper back and head pressed on the ground.
- Release after a couple of minutes.
6) Twisted Chair Pose (Parivrtta Utkatasana)
This pose is great for strengthening the muscles and weight loss. The primary muscles targeted include the abdominals, quads, and glutes.
How to do it?
- Start off by standing in an elongated position, with your feet together and touching each other.
- Bring your thighs angled parallel to the floor by bending your knees.
- Clasp both hands together at chest level in a prayer position before twisting your torso towards the left side and positioning your right elbow outside your left thigh.
- Repeat on the other side.
Bottom Line
The aforementioned yoga exercises provide a multitude of benefits other than boosting weight loss. They include enhanced posture, improved flexibility, better balance, increased range of motion, toned muscles, and strengthening of the body.
It's important that you focus on the proper breathing technique for these yoga exercises to reap the maximum benefits. After building a certain strength and balance, you can try advanced yoga exercises involving complicated movements.