6 Yoga Poses That Will Completely Transform Your Body
Yoga is a method, or as some characterize it, an ancient art that helps to achieve self-awareness, mental, physical and spiritual well-being of people. Another definition is that yoga represents a discipline, or a set of techniques that have the goal of helping humans to become aware of their deepest nature.
However, aside from the many benefits of yoga for general health, yoga is considered to be a very effective physical activity for a significant and healthy weight loss. Many studies and researchers have shown that this discipline helps lower levels of stress hormones and increases insulin sensitivity. That is a signal to your body to burn food as fuel rather than store it as fat.
Alan Kristal’s Yoga Research – Mindful eating
In 2005, a medical researcher and practicing yogi Alan Kristal started a medical study on the weight-loss effects of yoga. Kristal and the co-workers from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle started a trial which involved 15,500 healthy, middle-aged men and women. The result suggested that yoga indeed does help lose weight, or at least keep additional weight off.
During the study, those who were overweight and did yoga lost approximately around 5 pounds. At the same time, people who were overweight and did not practice yoga gained around 14 pounds. The researchers believe this method of weight loss is closely related to eating mindfully, which means being aware of when you are full and stop eating,
Some of the most popular and effective yoga poses for weight loss:
1. The Downward dog position (Adho Mukha Svanasana):
This pose is weight-bearing, and it is excellent for arm toning and strengthening biceps.
Steps:
1) Start with your hands and knees on the floor. The knees must be directly below your hips and your hands slightly forward of your shoulders.
2.) Exhale and lift your knees away from the floor, and then lift the sitting bones upwards, against this resistance.
3.) Afterwards, push your top thighs back and stretch your heels down towards the floor. The knees need to be straightened, but not locked.
4.) Then firm your outer arms and press your fingers into the floor. Lift yourself by inner arms from the wrists to the tops of the shoulders. Meanwhile, keep your head between the upper arms.
5.) Stay in this position form 1 to 3 minutes.
2. The Low Plank Pose (Chaturanga Dandasana):
Tones your arms, biceps, and triceps. It also strengthens your spine and wrists.
Steps:
1) Assume the ‘downward dog’ position. After that, inhale and pull your torso forward until the arms are perpendicular to the floor. Your torso should be parallel to the floor.
2) Next, you need to press your outer arms inwards. Then firm your shoulder blades against your back and afterward spread them away from the spine.
3) Now, you must press your front thighs up, but resist your tailbone toward the floor and look straight down at the floor.
4) Stay in this position for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
3. Boat pose (Navasana) :
Holding balance of your body, and helps to tone your abdominal muscles and give you a flat belly.
Steps:
1) Sit on the floor with your legs extended in front of you. Press your hands on the floor, slightly behind your hips, with your fingers pointing towards your feet and your arms straightened.
2) After that, lean back a little, while ensuring your back is straight and while continuing to lengthen the front of your torso.
3) Then you exhale, bend your knees together, lift your feet off the floor and straighten your knees gradually.
4) Lastly, you need to stretch your arms alongside the legs, parallel to each other and the floor. When you are done, come back to the starting position, and repeat the process several times.
4. Fish Pose (Matsyasana) :
Stretches your thighs, hips, and abdominal muscles and helps to burn the extra fat in the areas.
Steps:
1) Lie on your back on the floor. Inhale, and then lift your pelvis slightly off the floor, and slide your hands, with your palms down, below your buttocks.
2) Inhale, and press your elbows firmly against the floor. Then press your shoulders back and lift your chest up, so your back is arched.
3) Next, release your head back onto the floor. The back of your head or its crown will rest on the floor.
4) Remain in that position for 15 to 30 seconds, breathing smoothly and after you release, draw your thighs up to your belly and squeeze.
5. Cobra pose ( Bhujangasan) :
Tones upper body and abdominal muscles.
Steps:
1) Lie on the floor on your front side.
2) Inhale and then straighten your arms to lift your chest off the floor.
3) Be careful with the backbend, try to do it evenly through the entire spine.
4) Stay in this position for 15 to 30 seconds. Exhale when releasing back to the floor.
6. Cobbler pose (Baddha Konasana) :
Tones your inner and outer thighs.
Steps:
1) Sit with your legs straight out in front of you. Bend your knees and pull your heels to your pelvis.
2) Grasp the big toe of each foot with your first three fingers, or hold your ankles with both hands.
3) Remain in this position for 1 to 5 minutes, then inhale and release.
Other ways to help you lose weight besides yoga:
There are many ways to lose weight quickly, such as exercise, diets and thermogenic supplements known better as ”fat burners”.
Each of these is a common occurrence nowadays. A lot of fitness programs are available online, to teach people about the most effective workout techniques.
1) Videos of workout routines, week or month-workout plans that seem to be helping the most, and many other useful things.
2) Also, websites have varieties of diet programs, information about what to eat, what is healthy and what to avoid.
Some of the most popular diets are:
•The Mediterranean diet
•Zone diet
•Raw food diet
•Atkins diet
•Ketogenic diet
•Vegetarian
•Vegan diet
3) However, for those that want to lose weight but put in the least possible effort, there are many diet supplements, or fat burners to do most of the work you. Some of the most popular ones are:
•Garcinia Cambogia Extract
•Hydroxycut
•Arctic Ruby Oil
•Caffeine
•Orlistat (Alli)
•Green Cofee Bean Extract
•Raspberry Ketones
•Glucomannan
•Green Tea Extract
•Meratrim
There is a big number of ways you can achieve your weight goals, and every one of these techniques is proven to work, it is up to an individual what he/she might find as the best way to go.
Conclusion:
Yoga is a discipline which has a goal of achieving a person’s mental, physical and spiritual health. It is very popular all around the world and claimed to help connect the body and mind of a person and help them become aware of their deepest nature. It is also very effective as a weight loss discipline or a set of exercises. Some of the yoga poses that help shed extra pounds are: Cobbler pose, Downward dog pose, Fish pose, Boat pose, Cobra pose, Low plank pose.
These poses are very useful and healthy for human beings, but also a big help when it comes to slimming.
Even besides this yoga poses, you can increase your chance of losing weight by implementing one of the many useful tips, diet plans, fitness programs, and the information about nutrients that are found online and available to everyone.
