Did somebody say yoga asanas for weight loss? Hell yeah… You are just about to learn something that you didn’t know before.
What is it?
If it is not the first time you are visiting our blog, you already know that we teach our readers how to lose weight with yoga…
If it is your first time though… well, now you know…
We already published a terrific article about losing weight with yoga a while ago that went viral and helped a lot of people to lose weight.
Anyway, a lot of people asked us if you can lose weight with asanas…
The answer is…
Yes, you can!
Some of you might be wondering – what are the asanas?
Actually, to avoid some extra translations and explanations, let’s jump right into it…
Asanas = Poses!
Simple as that…
So, you can lose weight by doing yoga poses also known as yoga asanas for weight loss!
The difference between usual yoga poses and asanas is mostly that you don’t have to do a lot of motion.
It is more of an experience, rather than a physical exercise…
You need to relax and feel the joy, rather than feel the pain which characterizes most of the physical exercises…
How can that help you lose weight?
Really…?
Try doing this set of yoga exercises which consists out of the best yoga asanas for weight loss and you won’t ask this question ever again…
Trust me… You can enjoy the process of relaxation and lose weight at the same time…
This formula is real… Try it yourself…
Let’s jump right into it….
10 + 1 Yoga Asanas for Weight Loss
First of all, it needs to be mentioned that most of these exercises are for beginners…
There are a lot of exercises that didn’t make this list because they are too advanced and hard for people who are just starting to practice yoga exercises…
1. Half Moon Pose
We are going to start off this workout with the only “standing” asana we included in it.
Start this exercise by standing straight. Make sure to point your feet to the sides.
Make sure that not a single part of your body is stuck out, is bent and is completely straightened.
Start pointing one foot out to the side for as much as you can. Keep your leg straight.
Raise your hands to the sides for reaching the 90-degree angle.
Slowly move to the side without losing the form, to reach the floor with your hand.
Bend the knee of the foot you are leaning on slightly to make it easier to touch the floor.
As a result, you should be standing on one leg and touching the floor with one hand.
Hold in this position for 30 seconds and switch to another hand and leg combination.
All of the next exercises should be done on the mat.
2. Wide-Arm Cobra
To start, lie down on the stomach, straighten up your hands as if you are doing the push-ups.
Try to lean on your fingertips. Lean on your hands and extend your legs(palms looking up) without leaving the ground.
Keep your legs and feet slightly apart, parallel to your hips. Keep your head up and look forward.
On an inhalation start lifting your chest off the floor without the abdominal area leaving the ground, keep your spine long and lift the top of the head toward the ceiling.
Exhale… Don’t be in a hurry to go back, try having 5-6 deep breaths in this position.
Then slowly get back to the initial position.
Repeat this movement for a couple of times without changes.
3. Bow
Stay on your front side after finishing your cobra pose…
This asana is a bit of a tough one and you might want to get to that level before trying this out.
Lay on your stomach or your front side(however you find it more understandable) to start…
Raise your neck and head area a bit up and raise your bent legs as well…
What you need to do, is to grab your feet with your hands and stay in that position for around 20 seconds ( for starters you can start from 10 seconds and work your way up to 30).
Breath regularly while you are in this pose.
Repeat it 3-4 times.
As you advance, you need to raise your hands and legs higher and get more flexible with your stomach area.
4. Plank Pose
Now we are switching to a set of plank poses which are the essential part of any yoga workout. The “yoga asanas for weight loss” workout is no exception…
We have 3 plank asanas for you…
The first one is the most common one.
To start, lean on your hands, round the shoulders and keep your back as well as legs straight.
Only parts of your body touching the ground should be the hand palms and fingertips of your feet.
Make sure that your body is in a completely straighten form.
Even though it doesn’t sound hard, trust me in about 30 seconds you will feel what this position is all about.
Try repeating this position for around 3 to 4 times.
5. Upward (Reverse) Plank Pose
Let’s continue our set with another plank pose…
Much like a basic plank pose, upward planks are also about holding a position without a lot of movement.
Start by sitting down, with your legs straight in front of you and leaning on your hands underneath your shoulders.
Lift your body up from the center and move your abdominal area as high as you possibly can.
As a result, your pelvis should be in a straight line with the rest of your body.
Try to stay in this position for as long as a couple of minutes.
6. Side Plank Variation
And the third plank pose as we promised – the side plank asana.
Just like in other cases of planks we discussed, you will have to get your body to a certain position and hold it for a couple of minutes.
Lay down on one side of your body.
Place your hand underneath your shoulder and push your body up until your hand is in a straight position.
Raise your other hand in the air so that your hands are in a straight line.
Hold this position for a couple of minutes before taking a break and repeating it.
7. Bound Angle Pose
Ok, enough with plank poses… Now it’s time to sit for a while…
Not for the rest purpose though!
Sit down on the mat and bend your knees in front of you so that the palms of your legs can touch.
Touch your legs with your hands and keep your posture straight.
Stay in this position for a while. It might seem like a rest, but it is actually a very effective yoga workout for flexibility in the first place.
Do this exercise whenever you feel like resting through the day. Results in the long-run will amaze you.
Let’s move on to the rest of the yoga asanas for weight loss…
8. Boat Pose
For this asana, you will still be sitting but will need a little bit of an extra effort to get to it.
Lay down on your back. Start by slowly raising your legs up for a bit.
Do the same movement with your core body and point your hands towards your raised legs.
As a result, you should have a triangle form created out of your body and hands… and you’ll be mostly laying on your glutes.
Hold this position for around 30 seconds before taking a rest. Repeat it for 3-4 times.
9. Childs Pose
Enough of sitting… Now let’s turn around…
To do this exercise, sit on your knees, with your heels under your butt and slowly lean your torso forward.
Lower your chest to your knees as close as you can while pointing your arms in front…
..Rest your head on the mat (You might not be able to do it right away, but you will get there in a matter of a couple of workouts).
Hold this pose for around 10-15 seconds and slowly start getting into the starting position. Repeat it for 2-3 times with around 10-20 seconds of rest in between.
10. Extended Puppy Pose
And now it is time to stretch a bit… The extended puppy pose is perfect for that matter!
Move your hands up as you are about to swim and jump in the water.
Slowly start to lean forward and keep your back straight. Move close to the ground with your face.
Stay in this position for a couple of seconds.
Want more yoga asanas for weight loss?
Well… Ok!
Bonus: Mountain Pose
We promised that there is only one standing pose, but as a bonus asana we want to mention the mountain pose.
It is mostly used to start off your workout but is a great finisher as well.
If you want to try it, here’s how…
Take a deep breath and slowly start raising your hands up as high as possible as if you are trying to touch the ceiling with your fingertips.
Do this move without your toes living the ground. Try holding this position for about 15 seconds.
Slowly put your hands down without losing the initial posture balance, relax and repeat the movement.
That’s it… That’s our set of yoga asanas for weight loss.
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