Yoga for Weight Loss - Tips for Beginners

There are many different methods to lose weight, each with its own characteristics. This article discusses classical yoga in detail, its benefits, effects, rules, and more.

How It Works

Yoga affects weight loss in the following ways:

  • It improves the functioning of the whole body, which increases the chances of stabilizing a person's normal body weight.
  • Removes fat deposits under the skin.
  • It speeds up your metabolism so that food is not left in the intestines and fats do not have as much to deposit. As a result, waste products and toxins are released.
  • It makes all the muscles in the body work, tightens and tones them so the fat is gone.
  • Due to physical activity, the calories that come with food burn out quickly, so a person simply does not gain more pounds.

Advantages and advantages of yoga over other sports:

  1. This gymnastic method helps with stressful and nervous conditions as it exercises proper breathing and general relaxation of the body.
  2. It perfectly tones the muscles of the body and contributes to their proper formation and function without unnecessary overload.
  3. It improves the flexibility of the joints and the body as a whole more than any sport.
  4. Increases strength and improves overall health.
  5. It increases the blood supply to the head, which promotes brain function.
  6. During classes, people can meditate and get into inner balance, which is simply necessary after a hard day’s work.
yoga classes for weight loss

Tips for beginners

  1. If you are starting yoga now, you need to do simple exercises as it is harmful to put an unprepared body under heavy load right away. It is best to do warm-up exercises for your muscles and joints.
  2. The first workout should not last longer than fifteen minutes to give your body time to work while not being overworked.
  3. Proper breathing is half the battle, so you need to spend enough time on it.
  4. During menstruation and in the first days thereafter, the hours should be as light as possible and have a calming and relaxing effect.
  5. During exercise, it is better for pregnant women to limit themselves to sitting positions that do not harm the unborn baby.
  6. To benefit from these lessons, you need to do yoga regularly (twice or five times a week).
  7. Sportswear and special mats must be made before class.
  8. Avoid drafts in the room where the sessions take place.
  9. To make your muscles more flexible like real yogis, you often have to stretch.
  10. It is advisable to stop bad habits and eat healthy so as not to interfere with the beneficial effects of yoga on the body.
  11. Do not eat too much before class, otherwise you may experience unpleasant bloating. It’s best not to eat at all three hours before your workout.
  12. The total teaching time should be between one and two hours. For longer hours, the body is exposed to too much stress.
  13. If you experience muscle pain during your workout, skip the heavy exercises and switch to lighter ones for a while.

Exercises for weight loss

yoga exercises for weight loss

It is better to start yoga at home with the following exercises:

  1. "Tolasana" (sitting pose). Such an exercise helps the development of the hand muscles very well after a long stagnation and contributes to a better understanding of the body, teaches you to control it. This in turn helps in other body positions.
    • Sit down on the carpet.
    • Bend your knees and cross them.
    • Leaning on your hands, balance your body, preferably rising above the mat.
    • Take a deep breath and exhale slowly.
    • Return to starting position.
  2. Parivrtta trikonasana or triangle (standing). This exercise relieves back pain, strengthens the thigh muscles, and contributes to a person’s weight loss in the lower abdomen, sides, and waist. It also helps you develop proper breathing (slow pose only).
    • Keep straight, feet shoulder-width apart.
    • Raise your arms and spread them apart to the side.
    • Turn the foot of the left foot outwards and lean towards it, reaching out with the fingers of the right hand.
    • Stop in this position for thirty seconds, then replace the lever and leg in the opposite direction and do the same.
    • At the same time, you need to take care of your body. You have to move by hand.
  3. Asan (pose) sitting "Gomukhasana". This posture will improve the blood supply to your legs and arms, which will have a beneficial effect on more complex weight loss exercises in the future. It also helps you focus and concentrate on yoga.
    • Sit on the mat and bend your knees.
    • Extend your right leg below your left knee and straighten your back.
    • Put your left foot on your right side.
    • His arms crossed behind his back.
    • Stay in this position for thirty seconds, then change legs and straighten your arms.

The required exercises are:

  1. Landscape pose - "Dhanurasana" or bow.Technique:
    • Lie on your stomach, bend your knees, lift.
    • Put your hands behind your back and wrap around the outside of your ankles.
    • Inhale and slowly arch up, lifting the pool slightly off the floor.
    • Pull your head back.
    • When you exhale, return to your starting position.
  2. "Bhujangasana or cobra":
    • Lie on your stomach, put your legs together, and stretch your fingers.
    • Place your hand under your shoulders.
    • Lean on your hand, inhale and rise at the same time so that your feet are still on the mat.
    • Bend back and stretch your neck as far back as possible.
    • Go out and lie down slowly on the carpet.
  3. Standing Pose - "Crescent or Ardhacsandrasana":
    • Be straight.
    • Imagine a line around you and, placing your feet straight, draw a semicircle with your feet so that your feet do not bend at the knees.
    • In this case, the body must also move with the feet and the arms must be lowered.
yoga poses for weight loss

Finish your workout with the following exercises:

  1. "Urdhva Prasarita. "This asana is very effective in losing weight because it expands the lower part of the body, especially the thighs and abdomen, from which fat deposits become detached.
    • Lie on your stomach.
    • Close your legs.
    • Bend your arms and press them against your body so that your palms are under the pelvic bones.
    • Strengthen, lift your body and legs, focusing only on your hands.
    • In this case, the neck and head should also be stretched.
  2. "Virkshasana or tree":
    • Get up and put both feet together.
    • Lift one leg and bend at the knees.
    • Rotate so that the foot is on the inside of the right thigh.
    • Stretch your legs and open them as wide as possible to keep your thighs and pelvic muscles working well.
    • When you feel you can stand up, raise your hand and stay for a minute.
    • You can rest again afterwards.

It affects the muscles of the legs, strengthens them and helps to slim the thighs. In addition, this posture improves a person’s balance and overall concentration.

Opinions about those who lost weight

To understand the effects of yoga, consider the opinions of people who have tried it:

  1. Male, 28 years old. "I’ve been interested in this way of gymnastics for a long time, and in the end I decided to give it a try, and I had to lose weight. At first it was very unusual and even painful because I had never played sports before, but after a week of training the muscle aches disappeared and everything became happier. I enjoyed training three times a week for five months. I lost 11 pounds during that time. However, I didn’t really follow my diets and practically didn’t reject anything. Now I only do it as a hobby because I really like this business. "
  2. Female, 35 years old. "On the advice of a friend of mine, I started practicing these yoga classes to remove my side and cellulite. I practiced video tutorials at home twice a week. For the first few hours, I felt woody because neither my feet nor my hands really obeyed, but then I got used to it and even got carried away. As a result, during eight months of work, I gained a whole new, slender and beautiful shape. He lost twelve pounds of fat. I also started to feel stronger and healthier. Now I recommend such a safe weight loss method to everyone.
  3. Girl, 21 years old. "This tournament is a real salvation for me. I work in a sedentary job, I’m overweight accordingly, and I have big problems with my spine. No diet or fasting helped, so I decided to try this method as well. I trained alone, without a coach. The result, of course, was not immediate, I had to sweat, but after two months I felt better. My shape took at least some shape and the spine tension decreased. I continued my workout and lost eight pounds in the next six months, which I am very happy with.
  4. Female, 29 years old. "I’ve been struggling with my pounds for over a year, but I still can’t achieve what I want. When I heard about such a fashionable yoga, I couldn’t resist and started taking classes. Honestly, I was looking to the right. I mean, it should have been a more intense workout, but it was just warm-up and muscle tension that didn’t want me to lean in the right direction at all. As a result, I stopped taking lessons after the first two weeks because I didn’t see the result. I didn't pass. "

As a result, according to the comments, we can say that in most cases, this weight loss method helps people and lose weight. Yoga classes should be practiced regularly to make the effect truly felt.

The opinion of doctors

Doctors consider this gymnastics to be quite productive if practiced sensibly and without contraindications. This is justified by the fact that during such classes a person is not subjected to a heavy load, but only performs gymnastic exercises that improve muscle tone and put the general condition of the body in order.

Contraindications to yoga for weight loss

Prohibitions include health problems such as:

  1. Hernias in the abdomen and back.
  2. In the first six months after a stroke.
  3. The last months of pregnancy.
  4. Diseases of the heart and kidneys.
  5. Worsening of ulcers, cholecystitis.
  6. Hypertension.
  7. Mental illness (although depression can be treated).
  8. Tachycardia.
  9. Arthritis and its exacerbations.
  10. After severe skull injury.
  11. Earlier than six months after surgery.
  12. With a cold.
  13. When the vertebrae move.

Blitz tips

  1. Always do a light warm-up before starting the class.
  2. You should pause and resume breathing after each pose.
  3. Drink a glass of water half an hour after the hour to return the water to its normal level.