With everybody raving about yoga and its various benefits, you would not be out of line to question its authenticity. Yoga has been practiced for centuries and has managed to cement its name in today’s culture for a variety of physical and mental health reasons. 

Today’s urban life is awash with work and media-induced stress, two of the many factors that have given rise to a significant deterioration in physical and mental health. The general population seems to have done a poor job thus far in taking care of its health. 

However, there exists a sizeable chunk of the population that is health-conscious and wishes to make significant lifestyle changes that include yoga for weight loss.

Yoga has great benefits for your physical and mental health. Learning yoga is not easy, yet it will be worth it. Consider attending a yoga session at a yoga retreat in the UK. Aside from learning yoga, you can take benefits of nature’s calming atmosphere and fresh air.

If you find yourself turning to yoga for weight loss, this article should clear things up for you by shining a light on some of the most popular and employed yoga poses for weight loss. 

Yoga for Weight Loss 

While there are several poses at your disposal, the poses detailed out below should get you started. 

The Bow Pose (Dhanurasana)

If you are looking for a way to burn belly fat, the Bow pose may be the one for you. 

• Start by lying on your belly with your arms in a cactus position on the floor. 
• When you inhale, gently squeeze your shoulders back towards each other. 
• After that, lift your chest, your head, and the top of your ribs off the floor and exhale. 
• When you inhale next, lift your legs off the floor. Press your feet together and bend your elbows as though are you squeezing them toward each other behind you

The Bow pose helps massage the abdominal organs to aid digestion and makes for a fantastic way to strengthen your thighs, chest, and back.

Surya Namaskar 

This is the quintessential exercise for the novice yoga practitioner. If you’ve decided to take the plunge and delve into the idea of yoga for weight loss, start with this. 

Known the world over as one of the most effective yoga exercises in the world, Surya Namaskar is a comprehensive exercise (or asana) that comprises of twelve significant poses to engage every part of your body.

It contains the following steps: 

• Step 1: Prayer pose or Pranamasana
• Step 2: Raised arms pose or Hastauttanasana
• Step 3: Hand to foot pose or Hasta Padasana
• Step 4: Equestrian pose or Ashwa Sanchalanasana
• Step 5: Stick pose or Dandasana
• Step 6: Salute with eight parts or points or Ashtanga Namaskara
• Step 7: Cobra pose or Bhujangasana
• Step 8: Mountain pose or Parvatasana
• Step 9: Equestrian pose or Ashwa Sanchalanasana
• Step 10: Hand to foot pose or Hasta Padasana
• Step 11: Raised Arms Pose or Hastauttanasana
• Step 12: Standing Mountain pose or Tadasana

The Surya Namaskar is known to build internal heat while simultaneously stretching and toning most of your muscles. They can help trim your waist, tone your arms, balance your metabolism, and improve your digestive health.

You can expect the regular practice of the Surya Namaskar to reduce your overall body fat, and bring down your blood sugar levels. Most yoga practitioners would attest to this and the overall importance of yoga for weight loss. 

The Triangular Pose (Trikonasana)

To do this pose, you need to start with a wide-legged stance and turn your right foot out. Stretch your arms out, push your waistline over your right leg, and face downwards with a flat back. Proceed by placing your right palm on the ground or next to your right foot and stretch out your left arm. There are several benefits of the Triangular pose. 

• Increase in strength of the legs, knees, ankles, arms, and chest
• It opens and stretches out your hips, groins, hamstrings, calves, shoulders, chest and spine
• Aids digestive health
• Reduction in stress, back pain, and anxiety 

Downward Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)

Downward Facing Dog pose is one of those poses you can pick up as a beginner. It has a variety of benefits to its credit. It is known to bring blood flow to the brain, and strengthens, elongates, and energizes your muscles. Here are some other benefits: 

• Strengthens the Arms and Shoulders
• Tones the Core and Waist
• Lengthens the Hamstrings and Calves
• Stretches the Spine and Strengthens the Back

The Warrior Pose 

Virabhadra’s pose or the Warrior’s pose commemorates the idea of the “spiritual warrior.” 

To do the Warrior pose, begin by assuming the mountain pose and then stretching one leg back. Put the other leg forward, the same you would if you were practicing lunges. When you put your leg forward, make sure your knee is positioned at ninety-degrees. After this, stretch out your hands right above your head. The Warrior pose boasts the following benefits: 

• This pose strengthens your shoulders, arms, legs, ankles, and back
• Improvement in your focus, balance, stamina, and stability
• Increase in circulation and respiration.
• Energizes your body

Upward Plank (Purvottanasana)

Here is another exercise that is bound to make you consider yoga for weight loss. This pose is known to be challenging to perform at first. However, it is worth mastering. 

Begin by sitting with your legs stretched. Follow this up by placing your hands behind you on the ground and stretching them out. Use your hands for support. After this, stretch out your feet as you are about to raise your body. Then, elevate your body and pull your head back. 

Conclusion

While there are a plethora of exercises to convince you to turn to yoga for weight loss, these are the major ones you can start with as you explore the world of yoga. While there are hordes of people who go into raptures over the idea of yoga for weight loss, there are just as many people who remain as skeptical as ever. The solution is to give this a go yourself and decide if yoga for weight loss worked for you.