Key highlights
- Yoga needs minimum exercise tools. There is no need for the equipment, you just need a yoga mat and yoga blocks or support (if you are a beginner), these can be skipped if you are in a natural space.
- Yoga for weight loss is a gradual process that requires optimum time to reduce fat. It improves strength, flexibility, boosts immunity.
Today there are many forms of activities present around us. Yoga reigns all activities from past 5000 years. Yoga for weight loss is the most holistic way of workout, is trusted and approved by millions of people.
These yoga poses will help you shed weight in no time if done routinely.
Easy Yoga asanas for weight loss
Nauka asana (The boat pose)
Nauka means boat and asana means pose
It is a posture where your body takes the shape of a boat.
How to perform
- Lie down on the floor, keep your arms straight, keep your fingers outstretched towards your toes.
- Start inhaling and as you exhale lift your legs from the ground (in between 60°and 90°).
- Now stretch your arms towards your feet with slightly inclining your upper body forward at this stage you can feel the tension in your stomach area or in abdomen muscles.
- Let your entire weight rest on your buttocks and stay in this position for a few seconds.
- Exhale slowly now and bring back your legs, hands and upper body down.
Virabhadrasana ( The Warrior pose 1)
It is a symbol of strength and focuses on one’s life. It eases you towards liberation.
How to perform
- Bring your knees down to the mat and place your hands wide and apart from the knees on the floor.
- Inhale and exhale.
- lift your chest, knees, hips and set them up towards sky.
- As you inhale, lift your right leg and move forward, bend and place it in between both the hands.
- Stretch your left foot backwards on the mat to prevent you from falling down.
- As you inhale, push yourself all the way up and release your hands.
- Bring your torso(upper body) in the direction of your knees, maintain your lower body position as it is.
- As you inhale, join your hands together as a namaste and raise them up.
- Let them remain there for a couple of deep breaths.
Adho Mukhasana (Downward dog pose)
How to perform
- Standstill on the mat, bend forward and place your palms on the mat.
- Now take your legs backwards step one at a time.
- Shift the body weight all over your body.
- Slowly and steadily pull your heels up from the floor
- pull the heel up and bend the same knee slightly.
- Keep on repeating this thing with both the legs alternatively for a couple of times.
- This pose will help you release tension from hamstrings and calve muscles.
- Synchronize your breath with every moment of this asana.
- Now keep both of your heels down on the floor.
- You can move your hips from left to right and vice versa.
Parivrtta parsvakonasana
How to perform
- Stand on the edge of the mat.
- Inhale and with exhale take your left leg back.
- Take as much back as you can like a long lunge.
- Inhale, bring your palms against each other, join them and do namaste.
- Now exhale and turn your upper body on the right side.
- Inhale again.
- Exhale, press your left elbow on the right knee.
- keep your right elbow facing upwards.
- Engage your chest, do not shrink it.
- Now take your left palm and touch the ground.
- Keep your right palm towards the skyline or over your head.
- Now, look at your fingertips.
- Keep on inhaling and exhaling.
- Stay for 3-5 breaths in this posture.
- Tuck your toes and bring palms against each other in namaste.
- Come to the centre.
- Align your upper body straight.
- Bring your foot forward and join your feet together and release the posture.
NOTE- people with neck issues are adviced not to look at the sky.
Vasisthasana ( The side plank pose)
How to perform
- Sit down over your knees in Vajarasana.
- Touch your hands on the mat.
- Move into the plank pose.
- Stretch your legs as per the possibility.
- lift them from the ground.
- Make sure that you do not collapse towards your hipline.
- Engage your shoulders upward.
- Take your right palm and press it firmly on the ground.
- Turn towards the left side.
- Keep your legs tucked with each other.
- Take your left arm straight towards the skyline.
- Align both your hands
- If you feel that you have achieved balance look towards the skyline.
- You can keep your left hand on the waist
- Keep your hipline above, do not dip it.
- To release this posture, look down and put your left hand on to the ground.
- Come in plank pose and repeat the same on the other side.
- Sit in vajra asana after completion.
Note – Avoid it if you have wrist or shoulder injury.
Chakki Chalan asana( The churning mill pose)
How to perform
- Sit down on the mat.
- Keep your legs in a stable position and open your legs wide as per possibility.
- Sit straight, keep your spine straight.
- Bring your hands together and interlock your palm.
- Exhale, take your abdomen in.
- Inhale deeply.
- Now move your hands towards your foot.
- Move your hands at 360 degree from feet to stomach.
- These movements should be in a semi-circle format. They should complete a half-circle.
- You will be doing this asana as if you are churning.
- Do this semicircle in the clockwise and anti-clockwise direction.
Dhanurasana (The Bow pose)
How to perform
- Lie flat on the stomach with legs and feet together.
- Bend your knees and hold the ankles.
- Inhale, arch the back
- lift your thighs, chest and head as per the possibility.
- As you exhale, lift your neck and gaze up.
- Take your legs a little higher.
- Mindfully bring your heels to your buttocks.
- You are balancing yourself on the stomach.
- Now exhale, bring your body down, lower the legs, chest and head.
Trikonasana (The triangle pose)
How to perform
- Stand straight over the mat.
- Now take a medium stance, keep your legs a little wide and inhale.
- Stretch your arms at shoulder level.
- Rotate your right foot out at 90° angle and exhale.
- Keep your heel in alignment with the left foot.
- Tilt slightly, place your right hand on your right foot.
- Keep your hips aligned and engage your stomach too.
- Keep your collarbone aligned with each other.
- Raise and keep your left arm up towards the skyline.
- Now gaze towards your left thumb.
- Stay in the pose for 3-5 breaths.
- Inhale, bend the right knee and release the arms.
- Repeat on the other side.
Note if you have neck pain do not look towards the skyline.
Bridge pose (Setubandhasana)
How to perform
- Lie down on the mat facing towards the sky.
- Bend both of your knees
- Keep your hands on the sides of your abdomen over the mat.
- Tilt pelvic slightly.
- Lift your back (pelvic, lower and middle abdomen and chest) area above from the floor.
- Lift as per the possibility.
- Your chest should touch your chin.
- Stay in this pose and inhale and exhale deeply.
- Stay for five breaths and come back to the floor.
Surya namaskar (Sun salutation)
Surya namaskar Or sun salutation is a powerful yogic practice to stimulate the sun’s energy within us and show gratitude towards the sun.
How to perform
- Stand still and join your legs, close your eyes and have peace within yourself.
- Stretch your hands and join them in front of you and then do a namaste.
- Stretch and raise your hands up after that move and arch them backwards gently.
- Now exhale, bend forward and down and touch your feet and hold them with your hands (if you can’t then try at least to touch with your fingertips initially), try to touch your nose with your knees.
- Touch your hands on the ground near your legs and bend your left leg. Now stretch, move your right leg backwards and stretch toes out behind you. Lean your upper body backwards and look upon the sky.
- By touching your hands on the ground, bend your legs, join both the legs upright (like a plank).
- Put your body weight on both legs and hands at this stage.
- Bend your knees on the ground, put your hands straight on the ground now by bending your neck towards your knees, try to touch your nose to the knees.
- Slide your upper body forward and touch your chin to the ground in between your hands.
- Straighten your legs on the ground and only bend your upper body from forward to backwards position and place your palms on the ground, put your weight on your palms.
- Bend and invert your body upwards like a “V” from the middle part of your body, now and put your weight on both hands and legs and bend your neck towards your chest.
- Move your right leg forward in between your hands. Bend and lean your body backwards, put your body weight on the right leg.
- Move your left leg forward near your right leg and join them together, touch and hold your feet with your hands and then try to touch your nose with your knees.
- Now Stand straight, raise your hands, lean and arch your upper body backwards with your hands to arch back.
- Come back and stand still with your hands together and do namaste with them.
Make sure that you are doing these asanas empty stomach and if you have eaten food make sure that you do these asanas after the three hours interval.
Is yoga the best form of exercise for weight loss?
Yoga works incredibly as impacts on a deep, cellular level and it can transform your body if practised regularly. Anyone who wishes to do yoga for weight loss can shed kilos in no time with a number of other health benefits.
Does yoga really help in weight loss?
Yes, yoga enhances your metabolic rate to an optimum level and it sets it at a particular level.
1. Yoga relaxes your body and helps in gaining muscle mass.
2. Yoga helps in developing good digestive habits.
3. Yoga for weight loss is the most sustainable form of the exercise for weight loss.