The COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown have led to an epidemic of obesity. Unnecessary weight gain not only makes it harder for you to enjoy daily life. It is also the root cause of many serious health problems like high blood pressure, stroke, and diabetes.
But, there is a natural and holistic way through which you can get rid of those extra pounds. It is none other than the ancient art of yoga.
There are many who wonder how can yoga help lose weight? Keep reading to know the answer.
Yoga and Weight Loss – The Science
Given below is how yoga helps you lose unnecessary weight.
1. Helps Burn Calories
Losing weight is all about creating a calorie deficit in your body. The more calories you burn, the more weight you lose. Practicing yoga asanas with the right yoga diet plan makes it possible for you. There are many yoga styles that help you sweat and lose extra calories at the same time.
2. Helps Maintain Muscle
The sad reality is that weight loss occurs along with muscle loss. The reason is that muscles burn more calories than fat. But, losing muscles makes it more difficult for you to lose extra weight.
However, there are some yoga styles that help you achieve both. You lose weight yet retain muscle mass. It is a win-win situation.
3. Minimizes Stress
If you experience too much stress then doing yoga can help you get rid of it. Do you know that stress has a direct relation to our ability to lose extra weight? Yes! Too much stress releases the hormone Cortisol.
This increases your body’s ability to store fat. This causes you to gain unnecessary weight. Daily practice of yoga helps you bring this hormone under control without any hassle.
What Type of Yoga is Best for Weight Loss?
Every style of yoga does help you burn calories. But, there are some yoga styles you can try if you specifically want to lose the extra pounds.
To Burn Calories
Given below are 2 yoga styles you can try to lose extra weight.
1. Vinyasa Yoga
This yoga style consists of one move per breath. It offers your body an excellent cardio workout and is best for yoga beginners.
2. Hot Yoga
You practice Hot yoga in a room with 40% humidity and a hot environment. There is a lot of sweating but you are sure to lose weight.
There are a few yoga asanas that can help you lose extra weight.
Yoga Asanas to Lose Weight
Yoga may not provide you instant results. It does focus on body flexibility, improving concentration, and developing muscle tone. But, daily practice of yoga does help you lose weight.
That said, let us check out the 5 popular yoga asanas you can do with ease.
1. Plank Pose
The best yoga workout to strengthen your core muscles is the Plank pose. It is one of the yoga exercises where you feel intense pressure on the abdominal muscles.
2. Triangle Pose
Triangle pose is the best yoga exercise to improve your digestive system. It also reduces the fat which is usually deposited at your belly or waist. This is a powerful yoga exercise to improve blood circulation in the entire body.
The lateral movement you do in the Triangle pose helps cut fat from the waist. It also helps build more muscles in your thighs and hamstrings. You should also check out core power yoga for weight loss.
3. Downward Dog Pose
Downward Dog pose is the best yoga exercise to tone your whole body. This yoga asana strengthens your arms, thighs, hamstrings, and back. Doing this pose helps tone the important muscles in your body. Apart from weight loss, this yoga exercise helps improve your concentration and blood circulation.
Thus, yoga might be a bit slow but it does provide some major health benefits. All you need to do is practice the right yoga poses.
Conclusion
Do you want to get rid of love handles and tone the entire body? Make sure you include these yoga poses in your daily routine. You can also join a certified yoga school to follow the right yoga diet plan with your practice.
