The practice of yoga promotes physical, mental, and spiritual development that enables you to create the best version of yourself. Practicing yoga exercises to lose weight is useful, particularly the more active poses of yoga.
Pick 3 to 4 yoga exercises to lose weight and practice them 5 times a week for 30 minutes, and you will look better, feel better, and live better.
Start the new year by practicing the following yoga exercises to lose weight, which will help burn fat, increase muscle tone, and give you more flexibility.
Keep reading to learn more about yoga exercises to lose weight.
Table of Contents
Does Yoga Help You Lose Weight?
Yoga can help you lose weight. First, yoga’s mental and spiritual aspects concentrate on developing mindfulness, which increases your awareness on many levels.
Practicing yoga can make you more mindful of how different foods influence your mind, body, and spirit.
A 2016 research observed that individuals who cultivate mindfulness through yoga exercise may be better able to resist unhealthy junk foods. They are also more in harmony with their body because they notice when they are full and resist binge eating.
Many physical activities may help burn more calories than yoga. However, a 2016 research observed that yoga may offer diverse effects that could make it a beneficial option for maintained, healthy weight loss.
According to the National Sleep Foundation, practicing yoga can help you sleep better. For an individual with insomnia, doing yoga regularly helps them:
- Fall asleep faster
- Rest longer
- Return to sleep faster even if they wake up throughout the night
A 2018 study observed that individuals who had restricted sleep five times per week lost less fat than those who followed their regular sleeping patterns. Both groups limited the number of calories they absorbed. This observation suggests that sleep loss negatively affects body composition, including fat loss.
If having good sleep helps you lose fat, and yoga enables you to sleep well, it is understandable that yoga can help people lose fat.
Practicing yoga can help you burn the most calories. A 2014 research from Colorado State University found that, on average, males burned 460 calories, and males burned 330 calories per Bikram session.
A review of studies from 2013 observed that yoga is an encouraging way to help with behavioral transformation, weight loss, and maintenance by burning calories, strengthening mindfulness, and diminishing stress. These factors may contribute to reducing your food intake and becoming aware of the consequences of overeating.
You can lose weight by burning more calories with physical activity or eating fewer calories. Most people lose weight and keep it off by using both ways.
Related articles:
- 40 Fat Burning Exercises That Are Proven To Work – Backed by Science.
- 32 Foods That Burn Belly Fat Fast – Based on Science.
Yoga Exercises To Lose Weight Faster and Look Gorgeous
Practicing yoga can help enhance the quality of your sleep. People who practice yoga consistently can fall asleep more quickly and sleep more deeply.
Here are the most effective yoga exercises for weight loss:
1- Pose Dedicated to the Sage Marichi I – Marichyasana I
This posture opens the shoulders, back, hamstrings, and hips. It is an excellent stretch for runners to help soothe tight hamstrings. It is also regarded as a calming posture and one that can help you introspect.
Check these 11 Simple Tips on How to Start Running When Overweight and Out of Shape.
How To Do Pose Dedicated to the Sage Marichi I:
- Sit down with one leg bent and the other leg extended. Make sure you have about a fist’s length between your foot and your straight leg.
- Bring your torso down to the inside of your bent leg and wrap that same-side arm’s tricep around the front of your shin, turning your palm over and reaching it behind you.
- Take the full bind by reaching your free arm behind you and clasping your hands.
- Breathe in to find length from the base of your spine up through the crown of your head. As you breathe out, draw your ribs and navel in and fold your forehead down toward your shin.
Benefits: Marichyasana I calms the mind and body, stretches the shoulders, massages internal organs, and promotes digestion.
Precautions: If you have lower back issues or shoulder injuries, avoid practicing this type of yoga exercise to lose weight.
2- Seated Forward Bend – Paschimottanasana
This type of yoga exercise to lose weight is also great for runners who tend to have tight hamstrings.
How To Do Seated Forward Bend:
- Place your arms straight to the sides and over your head, stretching toward the ceiling.
- Breathe in and draw your spine up long.
- As you breathe out, start to come forward, hinging at your hips. Picture your pelvis as a bowl of water that is tipping forward.
- On every inhale, stretch your spine. You may come a bit out of your forward bend to do this.
- On every exhale, expand into your forward bend. Picture your belly relaxing on your thighs rather than your nose coming to your knees. It will help you keep your spine long.
- Place the neck as the natural extension of your spine, neither cranking it to look up nor letting it go entirely.
- Catch your ankles or shins, whichever you can reach. You may also use a strap around your feet. Hold your feet flexed strongly throughout.
Benefits: This pose calms the brain and helps relieve stress and mild depression. It also helps alleviate the symptoms of menopause and menstrual discomfort, soothes headaches and anxiety, and decreases fatigue.
Precautions: Avoid practicing this pose if you have lower back pain, injuries, or diarrhea. And also, try to move slowly in the pose and not bend beyond your comfort level.
3- Upward plank pose – Purvottanasana
Upward Plank Pose is an intermediate back-bending yoga posture that develops strength and flexibility.
How To Do Upward Plank Pose:
- Sit down with your legs outstretched in front of you.
- Put your hands a little behind your hips with the fingers facing towards the toes, and point your toes.
- Squeeze your inner thighs in, press your belly in and up, and as you breathe in, raise your hips as high as you possibly can, holding your chin to your chest.
- Keep your shoulder blades firm on your back to help boost your torso.
- Once your chest is lifted, you may decide to bring your head back.
- Hold your chin tucked while you bring your head back to the point where you can not hold it tucked anymore. Then lightly release your head.
- Alternatively, keep your head and chin towards your chest if you find it difficult.
- Stay here for about five breaths, then as you exhale, lower your hips back down into Dandasana.
- Continue for 30 seconds.
- Aim for three repetitions
Benefits: This type of yoga exercise to lose weight help strengthen your triceps, wrists, back, and legs and develops your shoulders, chest, and front ankles.
Precautions: Individuals suffering from any of the following conditions: hernia, cervical spondylitis, neck pain, knee pain, weak heart, wrists or ankles, high blood pressure, abdominal ulcers, or back or shoulder injury, should avoid practicing this pose.
Important note: Consult your physician before beginning an exercise regime.
4- Upward-Facing Dog Pose – Urdhva Mukha Svanasana
Upward-facing dogs pose, often abbreviated to “upward dog” or “up dog,” supports stretching the chest and abdominal muscles while strengthening your shoulders, triceps, forearms, and low back.
How To Do Upward-Facing Dog Pose:
- Begin on your belly in a prone position.
- Bring your hands under your elbows, press your elbows together, and draw your shoulders back.
- Squeeze down into the tops of your feet and turn your chest up.
- Straighten your arms and elevate your thighs off the ground.
- Activate your legs, engage your glutes, and press your inner thighs together.
- Bring your shoulders back and pull your shoulder blades together.
- Raise through the crown of your head to stretch your neck and bring your gaze forward.
Benefits: This asana improves posture, helps firm the buttocks, stimulates the spine, arms, and wrists, and stretches the chest and lungs, shoulders, and abdomen.
Precautions: The pose requires a distributed balance of weight on your palms and shoulders. Avoid this asana if you are pregnant or have a shoulder injury, back injury, or sprained wrists.
5- Seated Twist Pose – Bharadvajasana
The seated Twist Pose or Bharadvajasana is an excellent warm-up yoga pose to adjust the body for more intense yoga postures.
How To Do Seated Twist Pose:
- Lie on the floor with your back straight and your legs stretched out in front of you. Put your arms beside your body, close to your hips.
- Flex your knees and bring them close to your left hip.
- Breathe in and lengthen your spine, stretching it as much as possible. Breathe out and bend the upper trunk as much as you can. Put your right hand on the floor and your left hand on the right outer thigh.
- Slightly twist the upper part of the back and rotate around your backbone so that you feel the impact from the lower back to the tip of the head.
- Continue lengthening your spine as you intensify your twist each time you breathe out.
- Maintain the pose for about a minute.
- Breathe out and lightly untwist your body to come back to the center. Beath, and repeat the posture with the weight of your body on the left buttock.
Benefits: This type of yoga poses for weight loss, stretches the spine, shoulders, and hips, aids in relieving stress, and promotes digestion.
Precautions: Avoid practicing Bharadvajasana when you experience an injury at your hips. Damage to the hips will exacerbate the pain and cause discomfort.
6- Bow Pose – Dhanurasana
Bow Pose or Dhanurasana helps you boost the energy in your body, and you can include this pose in flow yoga sequences.
How To Do Bow Pose:
- Rest flat on your stomach with your arms by your sides.
- Move your feet into the air and reach back with both hands to grasp your outer ankles.
- Breathe in profoundly, elevate your heels toward the ceiling, and draw your thighs up, chest, and head off the mat.
- Continue for up to 30 seconds.
- Try doing three repetitions.
Benefits: Bow Pose helps stretch the entire front of the body, ankles, thighs and groins, abdomen and chest, and throat, and deep hip flexors (psoas), improves posture, and strengthens the back muscles.
Precautions: Avoid practicing this asana if you have neck or lower back injuries, undergone any abdominal surgery recently, or have issues such as high blood pressure, ulcers, migraine, headache, or hernia.
7- Sleeping Vishnu Pose or Vishnu’s Couch Pose – Anantasana
This asana varies anywhere from a beginner to an intermediate-level posture. It lengthens the legs and also qualifies as a balancing posture in the reclining position.
How To Do Sleeping Vishnu Pose:
- Start by lying on your back.
- Lengthen your right arm to the back of your mat. Roll over onto your right side. Your head will lean on your upper arm.
- Twist your right arm and raise your head. Use your right hand to cup and support your head with the fingers facing toward your chin.
- Flex both feet. Hold them flexed during this pose.
- Attempt to hold your whole body in one line from elbow to heels.
- Align your left leg toward the ceiling as much as possible.
- Keep your balance on your side without rolling.
- Release your toe and turn to your back. Repeat the steps lying on your left hand.
Benefits: Anantasana helps stretch the upper and lower body and reduce fat around your tummy, legs, hips, and chest area. It also enhances blood circulation, thereby developing the functioning of your internal organs.
Precautions: Avoid this pose if you experience pain or injury to your neck, shoulders, or back. Also, if you sense any sharp pain throughout this pose, gently release it.
Boat Pose (Navasana) remains one of the best yoga exercises to lose weight and focus on your abdominal strength.
How To Do Boat Pose:
- Start in a seated pose with your knees flexed and your feet flat on the floor.
- Raise your feet off the floor. Hold your knees bent first, and then bring your shins parallel to the floor.
- Your body will naturally fall back, but do not allow the spine to arch.
- Align your legs to a 45-degree angle if you can do so without missing the integrity of your upper body. You want to hold your torso as erect as possible to make a V shape with the legs.
- Move your shoulders back and align your arms roughly parallel to the floor with your palms turned up.
- Remain for at least five breaths.
- Loosen your legs on a breath out. Then breathe in and sit up.
Benefits: Boat Pose helps you tone and strengthen your abdominal muscles. It also stretches your hamstrings, strengthens your spine and hip flexors, and improves balance and digestion.
Precautions: Avoid practicing navasana if you are experiencing any of the following conditions hip joint pain, Hernia, Blood pressure, Pregnancy, Spinal injuries, or Migraine.
9- Reclined Bound Angle Pose – Supta Baddha Konasana
Reclined Bound Angle Posture, also known as Reclined Cobbler’s Pose, is a profoundly relaxing yoga pose recommended for students of all levels.
How To Do Reclined Bound Angle Pose:
- Lie down on your back.
- Flex your knees, holding the soles of your feet on the floor.
- Loosen your knees out to either side, bringing the soles of your feet together.
- Your forearms can be in any comfortable posture—out in a T shape, overhead, rested by your sides, or relaxing on your thighs are some options.
- Hold for a few minutes as gravity works to develop your stretch. Inhale and exhale naturally throughout the pose.
- To end, touch down and help your knees come back together. Then roll over to one side and use your hands to assist you as you sit up.
Benefits: Reclined Bound Angle Pose helps develop your inner thighs, groins, and knees and stimulates abdominal organs such as the ovaries and prostate gland, bladder, and kidneys.
Precautions: Avoid performing this asana if you have knee injuries, groin injuries, and any pain in the lower back.
10 – Pigeon Pose – Rajakapotasana
Eka Pada Rajakapotasana, or Pigeon Pose, is a seated back-bending pose in modern yoga as a workout. You will commonly practice in your yoga class.
How To Do Pigeon Pose:
- Start with all fours; bring your right knee forward towards your right wrist.
- Put your right ankle in front of your left hip.
- Push your left leg back and point your toes; your heel is facing up to the ceiling.
- Scissor your hips together by moving your legs in towards each other. Support beneath your right buttock if needed, and hold your hips level.
- Breathe in, come onto your fingertips, stretch your spine, draw your navel, and open your chest.
- Breathe, walk your hands forward, and lower your upper body towards the floor.
- Hold for five breaths or longer.
- End the pose by pushing back through the hands, raising your hips, and moving your leg back into all fours.
- Repeat on the opposite side.
Benefits: The pigeon pose helps to stretch your entire lower body. It also massages your abdominal organs and improves digestion.
Precautions: This type of yoga poses for weight loss must be performed under the guidance of a certified yoga teacher since it is an advanced posture. One wrong stretch could injure you significantly. Practice this asana only after you have been doing yoga frequently for several months.
11- Revolved Crescent Lunge – Parivrtta Anjenayasana
Crescent Lunge is a powerful standing yoga posture that stretches and flexes your entire body. It is also one of the most effective yoga poses for weight loss.
How To Do Revolved Crescent Lunge:
- Beginning in Downward Facing Dog, raise your right leg high and move it to your hands for a Low Lunge.
- Hold that 90-degree angle in the right knee, then align and engage your back leg, elevate your knee cap, and keep your left heel high towards the ceiling.
- Place your hands on your hips as you slowly inhale and come up, holding your hands for a few seconds to see if your hips form a square.
- Slightly tilt the tailbone under to engage your core and carry your hands to the heart center. Breathe in, and stretch the spine.
- Breathe as you gently twist so your left elbow hooks on the outside of the right knee.
- Work on placing the hands in prayer at the center of the chest, turning a little bit more so that you sense a rinse of toxins in your internal organs. Look up towards the sky.
- With every breath in, extend the crown of the head towards the front of the room. Breathe out and turn a little deeper. Repeat this pose at least three times.
- Lightly release the same way you came in and repeat the posture on the opposite side.
Benefits: Revolved Crescent Lunge helps strengthen and lengthen the abdominal muscles, which tones the organs in the abdomen and improves digestion. It enhances the sense of balance.
Precautions: Avoid this asana if you experience high blood pressure and knee injuries.
12 – Eagle Pose – Garudasana
Eagle Pose or Garudasana develops the difficult-to-access glutes and inner thighs. Additionally, the pose is a great shoulder workout.
How To Do Eagle Pose:
- Shift your weight into your left foot.
- Elevate your right foot up off the floor.
- Cross your right thigh over your left leg as high up the leg as possible.
- Secure your right foot around your left calf.
- Carry both arms out in front of you and parallel to the floor.
- Cross the left arm over the right. Flex your elbows and wrap your right palm around so that it means your left palm.
- Raise the elbows to the height of your shoulders while holding the shoulders sliding down away from your ears.
- Hold your spine perpendicular to the floor and the crown of the head rising.
- Take 5-10 breaths.
- Repeat on the opposite side.
Benefits: Eagle Pose helps to strengthen and stretch your ankles, calve, thighs, hips, shoulders, and upper back. It also improves concentration and a sense of balance.
Precautions: Avoid practicing Eagle Pose if you have had a recent knee, ankle, or shoulder injury or frequent headaches, and do not attempt to pose if you suffer from Obesity.
13 – Happy Baby Pose – Ananda Balasana
Happy Baby Pose or Ananda Balasana is one of the beginner-level postures found in the Hatha Yoga texts and is quite popular in the contemporary world.
It develops the hips, groins, chest, and shoulder areas. Practicing this type of yoga exercise to lose weight helps to release the tension from the lower back area.
How To Do Happy Baby Pose:
- Lie down on your back and find a neutral spine position where your spine’s natural curves are present but not exaggerated.
- Carry your knees toward your chest. As you carry your knees up, hold your hip sockets soft so that your legs come up, but your hips stay down. Maintain your neutral spine with your tailbone on the floor or your mat.
- Flex your feet and display the soles of your feet to the ceiling or the roof.
- Place your first two fingers around your big toes and draw lightly down. Your feet stay flat to the ceiling; however, your hips release, permitting your knees to come closer to your chest as you relax.
- Hold for a few minutes and breathe deeply. Enjoy the comfortable stretch in your hamstrings.
- Allow your back to be on the floor—Try not to push it down and release naturally. Be a happy baby.
Benefits: Happy Baby Pose helps open your hips, inner thighs, and groin. It also helps to stretch the hamstrings and release the lower back and sacrum.
Precautions: During the Happy Baby Pose, have your spine completely straight. You can use a folded blanket to support your head. Throughout periods and pregnant women strictly avoid this pose. Individuals experiencing high blood pressure and knee injury should also avoid performing this asana.
14 – Wide Angle Seated Bend Pose – Upavistha Konasana
Wide Angle Seated Bend Pose or Upavistha Konasana is an asana in modern yoga practice as a workout, sitting straight with the legs as wide apart as possible, grasping the toes, and leaning forward.
How To Do Wide Angle Seated Bend Pose:
- Lie down on your mat or the floor with your legs stretched and open them to about 90 degrees. Your knees and toes should face directly toward the ceiling or the roof.
- Draw your awareness to your pelvis and observe any tendency for it to turn backward. Try to move your weight forward toward your pubic bone if that is the case for you.
- Exercise your hands ahead as far as you can, and stay for 5-10 long and smooth cycles of breath, holding your quad muscles engaged.
- Gradually return to an upright position, using your hands under your knees’ backs to bring your legs together.
Benefits: Wide-Angle Seated Bend Pose helps to stretch your hamstrings and groins. It also stimulates your core muscles and strengthens the supporting tissues of your spine.
Precautions: Avoid performing Wide Angle Seated Bend Pose if you have a pull in your hamstring. If you have a lower back injury, rest on a thick or folded blanket. Try practicing this asana on an empty stomach and eat at least 4 or 6 hours of your practice.
15 – Pyramid Pose – Parsvottanasana
Pyramid Pose or Parsvottanasana is a standing position. Practicing this type of yoga pose for weight loss regularly brings stability and balance to your body and mind.
How To Do Pyramid Pose:
- Start by bringing your right foot forward to the inside of your right hand.
- Move your left foot forward. Bend your left toes lightly and lower your left heel, so your foot is flat on the floor or mat.
- Align your right leg.
- Elevate your torso to a standing posture.
- Place both hands on your hips to ensure that your hip points are fronting towards the front of the mat.
- Breathe in to lengthen the spine.
- Next, breathe out and extend your right hip crease as you bend forward over your right leg. Maintain a flat back as you lower yourself.
- On each breath in, extend the spine. Stay for about five breaths.
- Try to keep the body in balance. Repeat it on the left-hand side.
Benefits: Pyramid Pose helps to calm the brain, strengthen the legs, and develop posture and a sense of balance.
Precautions: Individuals experiencing high blood pressure or a back injury should avoid performing the full forward bend and instead try to do the Ardha Parsvottanasana.
16- Cobbler Pose – Baddha Konasana
Cobbler Pose or Baddha Konasana is a seated asana in hatha yoga and contemporary yoga as training. It is suitable as a meditation seat and yoga exercises to lose weight.
How To Do Cobbler Pose:
- Flex your knees and move the soles of your feet together as you allow your knees to fall out to either side
- Move your feet in as close to your body as is comfortable. Stop if you start feeling any pain in your knees
- Push the outer edges of your feet together firmly.
- Rest up tall with a long spine while holding your shoulder blades on your back and your shoulders moving away from your ears.
Benefits: Cobbler Pose helps to stimulate abdominal organs, ovaries, prostate glands, bladder, and kidneys and helps to develop your inner thighs, groins, and knees.
Precautions: Avoid this asana if you are experiencing lower back injuries or injuries in your hip region or groin or have had recent surgery.
17- Sun Salutations – Surya Namaskara
If you have been practicing yoga, you probably practice Surya Namaskara or sun salutations without realizing it.
How To Do Sun Salutations:
- Put your feet together at the mat’s top, squeezing into the ground.
- Touch your hands overhead, elevating your ribs off of your waist.
- Fold forward, preserving length in your spine.
- Reach your hands to the ground in line with your toes or shins to stretch your back.
- Raise your chest and send your sternum forward.
- Fold back down and put your hands on the ground.
- Step back to plank posture.
- Rest in plank posture, squeezing your hands away from your back, heels pressing toward the back, neutral spine, core engaged.
- Lower yourself in a plank OR put your knees down, intentionally arch your back, place your elbows by your armpits, and slide forward.
- Squeeze into your palms, and send your hips back into the downward-facing dog pose.
- Flex your knees, look where you’re going, and walk or hop to the top of your mat.
- Stand up and repeat.
Benefits: Sun Salutations promote metabolism and blood circulation, rejuvenate your back and muscles, and lower your blood sugar levels.
Precautions: When performing the Sun Salutations, keep the following in mind: try to warm your body up by performing joint rotations and ensure you breathe right in each posture. Practice this asana on an empty stomach, and do not rush through the poses.
18- Big Toe Pose – Padangusthasa
Big Toe Pose – Padangusthasa originated as a balancing posture in Bikram yoga; however, it has been adopted by other yoga practices as well.
While the Sanskrit name translates to Big Toe Pose, do not confuse this posture with the Ashtanga Vinyasa variation of the identical name.
How To Do Big Toe Pose:
- Start standing on your right leg.
- Breathe as you move the top of your left foot toward your right hip. Try taking several breaths at this step to establish your balance.
- Breathe as you turn your right knee, securing your left foot on your right thigh.
- Breathe in. Once you have reached a squatting position, elevate your right heel, so you are up on the ball of the foot.
- Breathe out. In your squatting position, ensure that your right foot’s heel is centered beneath your body.
- Breathe in. Let your fingertips come to the floor in front of you for balance. Engage your core muscles and raise one or both hands off the floor once you find your balance.
- Breathe and move both hands to a prayer position in front of your chest.
- Try holding the posture for five deep breaths.
- Once you are ready, slowly release.
- Repeat on the opposite side.
Benefits: This asana helps to strengthen the thigh, promotes digestion, and stretches the hamstrings and calves.
Precautions: Avoid this asana if you have had any recent operation or surgery. Pregnant women should avoid practicing this pose.
19- Chair Pose – Powerful Pose – Utkatasana
Chair Pose is a standing posture that develops your lower body and gives a stretch to your upper back. It is part of yoga exercises to lose weight and is often a transitional posture or starting posture for different poses.
How To Do Chair Pose:
- Start from the Mountain pose / Tadasana
- Breathe out as you flex your knees and shift your hips back as if you were sitting down on a chair. Bring your lower abdomen in and up to assist your lower back.
- Breathe in as you lift your arms around your ears and relax your shoulders.
- Try reaching higher while lying lower for 5 to 10 breaths.
- To come back into Tadasana, breathe out as you squeeze your feet down to align your legs and then bring your arms down to your sides.
Benefits: Chair Pose helps to tone your leg muscles excellently and strengthens hip flexors, ankles, calves, and back. It also stretches my chest and shoulders.
Precautions: Avoid performing this asana if you experience low blood pressure or headaches or have lately suffered an injury to your leg or feet.
20- Twisted Chair – Parivrtta Utkatasana
Parivrtta Utkatasana helps you boost the energy level in your body. You can include this yoga pose for weight loss in your flow yoga sequences.
How To Do Twisted Chair:
- Stand tall with legs together and breathe in to reach arms straight up overhead.
- As you breathe out, sit back over your heels till your knees are at a 90-degree angle.
- As you slide your shoulder blades down, draw your hands in a prayer pose into your chest.
- Press while you breathe in, and twist your left elbow across your knees as you breathe out.
- Squeeze your elbow against the outer edge of your right knee. Be sure to keep your heart above your hips. Hold and breathe for 30 seconds.
- Return your hands to the center and switch to the opposite side.
Benefits: The twisted Chair strengthens the mid- and low back and increases flexibility throughout the spine. It also tones your thighs, buttocks, hips, and your internal organs.
Precautions: If you have a history of blood pressure or are recovering from any injury related to the hips, knees, shoulders, spine, rib cage, ankles, pelvis, arms, and neck, try to avoid practicing this asana.
21- Shoulder Stand – Sarvangasana
This asana is named the “mother” or “queen” of all the asanas. Shoulder Stand or Sarvangasana is powerful, and it is an inversion that supports you to ease into the more complex variations.
How To Do Shoulder Stand:
- Begin with a stack of two folded blankets. Move into Plow Pose with your back and shoulders on the blankets and your head on the floor.
- From Plow Pose, flex your elbows and carry your hands onto your back with your fingertips facing upward.
- Hold your elbows shoulder-width apart.
- Raise your feet off the floor toward the ceiling; it can be one at a time or together if your abdominals are strong enough.
- Remain in the pose for about 10 breaths.
- To come out, draw your feet back over your head to come through Plow Pose.
- Roll out from Plow gently.
Benefits: Shoulder Stand helps to calm the brain and help alleviate stress and mild depression. It also helps strengthen your shoulders and neck, tones the legs and buttocks, reduces fatigue, relieves insomnia, and promotes digestion.
Precautions: Do not perform this type of yoga exercise to lose weight if you have high blood pressure and during menstruation.
22- Half Frog Pose – Ardha Bhekasana
Half Frog Pose or Ardha Bhekasana is a profound, asymmetrical hip extent that gives great relief to anyone with issues in the hips, feet, or back. The posture is excellent for runners, swimmers, office workers, and students.
How To Do Half Frog Pose:
- Lie down on your stomach, and relax on your forearms with your elbows underneath the shoulders.
- Firm the pubic bone down and bring your belly in.
- Join the left forearm in front of the body. Flex your right knee and reach back with the right hand to keep the top of your foot, pulling the foot in towards your right hip.
- Soften the top of your right thigh.
- Hold your upper body comfortably, pointing forward, chest open, front arm engaged.
- Maintain for five breaths before gradually releasing the foot.
- Repeat on the opposite side.
Benefits: Half Frog Pose helps to strengthen the back muscles, strengthen the back muscles, and develop the entire front of the body, ankles, thighs, groins, and abdomen.
Precautions: When practicing this asana, avoid any sensations in the knees. If your knee hurts, loosen up on the posture a little, and do not squeeze too hard with your hand.
23- Crescent Pose – Anjaneyasana
Crescent Moon Pose or Ashwa Sanchalanasana is a lunging back-leaning asana in contemporary yoga as a workout.
How To Do Crescent Pose:
- Start from a low lunge, and drop your back knee to the mat. If you have a sensitive knee, you may place a blanket under your knee or double up your yoga mat for added cushioning.
- Draw your hands onto your right knee and your right knee directly over your right ankle.
- Breathe in and lift your arms above your head, holding your arms in line with your ears.
- Breathe out and deepen forward into the lunge, flexing the right knee more if possible.
- Breathe in to come out, drawing the front knee back over the ankle.
- Repeat on the left-hand side.
Benefits: Crescent Pose engages and develops your inner core muscles needed to create stability. It also strengthens the quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, shoulders, and arms.
Precautions: If you have a shoulder problem, try to practice this asana by keeping your hands on the thighs.
24- Crow Pose – Bakasana
Crow Pose is usually the first arm balance that yoga students tackle. The biggest hurdle to overcome is typically a hesitation to move enough of your weight forward into your hands.
Once you find that sweet spot, your feet will pop off the floor almost on their own.
How To Do Crow Pose:
- Flex your knees slightly so you can carry your palms flat on the floor about shoulder’s distance apart.
- Place your palms firmly on the mat about a foot in front of your feet. Spread your fingers wide and squeeze into the top joint of each finger.
- Come up on the balls of your feet and open your knees to line up with your upper arms.
- Put your knees on the backs of your upper arms.
- Start to bring your weight forward into your hands, elevating your head as you go.
- Engage the inner thighs for help while holding the knees on the arms.
- Hug your feet toward your butt.
- Concentrate on the feeling of the body lifting. Avoid sinking into the pose, which can drop weight into the shoulders.
- To end the pose, breathe out and shift your weight until your feet return to the floor.
Benefits: Crow Pose helps to strengthen arms and wrists, stretch your upper, develop your abdominal muscles, and tone the abdominal organs.
Precautions: Individuals who suffer from recent wrist or shoulder injury, heart problems, carpal tunnel syndrome, or cerebral thrombosis must avoid practicing Crow Pose.
Boat Pose – Paripurna Navasana teaches strength and balance in our lives, just as a steady boat moves calmly through the rough seas. This type of yoga exercise to lose weight requires a full extension of the arms, legs, and body to form a boat-like ‘V.’
How To Do Boat Pose:
- Sit on the floor with your legs upright in front of you. Push your hands on the floor a little behind your hips, fingers pointing toward the feet, and strengthen your arms. Elevate through the top of the sternum and lean back slightly.
- Breathe and bend your knees, and elevate your feet off the floor, so the thighs are angled about 45-50 degrees against the floor. Lengthen your tailbone and raise your pubis toward your navel.
- Extend your arms alongside the legs, parallel to the floor and each other. Open the shoulder blades across your back and actively reach through the fingers.
- Hold for 10-20 seconds. Gradually lengthen the time of your stay to 1 minute. Loosen the legs with an exhalation and sit straight on an inhalation.
Benefits: The Boat Pose helps to strengthen your core, your hip flexors, and your spine. It also helps develop good posture, stimulates the kidneys, and improves digestion.
Precautions: People suffering from any of the following conditions should avoid practicing this type of yoga poses for weight loss, especially People with high or low blood pressure, asthma, ulcer, migraine, joint pain, insomnia, heart disease, or spinal disorders.
Conclusion
Yes, you can use yoga to lose, but you will need to commit to yourself and your practice if you want to use yoga exercises to lose weight. Start with small, gradual adjustments and set modest goals so that you are more likely to stick to them.
The best yoga exercises to lose weight are the first ones you will enjoy practicing and will continue to practice, even after you have mastered how to do it correctly.
Aim to combine your yoga exercises to lose weight with other activities such as running and at-home workouts to help you lose weight and keep it off.
What are your favorite yoga exercises to lose weight? Please share with us in the comments below!
Do not forget to share this article and tips with your friends and family for others so they can use yoga exercises to lose weight to look better, feel better, live better.
