How Hatha Yoga Can help to Lose Weight?

Hatha Yoga is the science of purification. Its basic concept is to prepare your body for meditation & higher yoga practice (raja yoga). Besides spiritual gain, even the obese & unfit people can go for Hatha Yoga Training Course to lose weight.

The sedentary lifestyle, intake of fast food & accumulation of wastes in body are some factor contributing to the excess weight. The emotional & mental imbalances also increase your insatiable appetite to taste every now and then. 

Although, hatha yoga is preparation for spiritual journey, but young enthusiastic are practicing for physical benefits---toning up body by gentle burning calories. By continuing this practice, there is no question of gaining weight or obesity.  

Asanas for Reducing Weight

There is series of specific yogic poses in hatha yoga. It is also the first component of traditional yoga. A hatha yogi also takes care of the body by six purification methods which are known as satkarma.

The Benefits of Hatha Yoga are many, and weight reduction is paramount among all of them. Beside this, it eliminates many diseases which are the cause of body weight. All the asanas are rapid in movement with physical & spiritual awareness.

The selected  Hatha Yoga Asanas for Reducing Weight are: 

• Sun Salutation (Surya Namaskar): It is complete body workout with 12 set of sun salutation. It’s a complete body workout where you bend & stretch your body. It is done with cardiovascular functioning. It also improves the blood circulation with proper workout. It improves your health by reducing excess pounds in tummy, hips and lower portion of your body.   

• Paschimottanasana (Back Stretching Pose): Back stretching asana removes excess weight from belly & hips region. It tones and massages the your abdominal & pelvic region. It reduces excess weight by burning calories while performing action on the floor. It also strengthens your waist & hip muscles with flexible spine.   

• Dhanursana (Bow Pose): It is the best for strengthening your leg muscles. For ease of constipation & digestive disorder, bow pose is best option without any side-effects. It improves the functioning of digestive & excretory system. It gently removes excess weight around the abdominal region of your body. 

    

• Halasana (Plough Pose): It reduces constipation by improving liver and kidney function. It manages your metabolism and helps in reducing weight as it engages all the major muscles of your body. It also gives shape to your abdominal muscles. It induces strength to your spine & shoulders.  

• Trikona Asana (Triangle Pose): It shapes and induces strength to your waist and leg muscles. You have to balance the body weight while standing on both feet. It also increases the flexibility of the shoulder and spines in a relaxed manner. The regular practice at fixed hours can help you to reduce waistline fat by burning energy.   

• Tada Asana (Palm Tree Pose): It gently stretches your body while you left body on your heels and equally distribute body weight. It improves the blood circulation and manages your weight with intense practice. It also enhances your digestive system.  

Pranayama for Weight Control

The yogic breathing is most effective method for overweight management. It also removes the lethargies & sluggishness in the body which adds weight. Regular practice at fixed place and scheduled time gives you the better results. 

The yogic control of breath distributes prana (vital energy) uniformly in your body. Mild pranayama removes all the blockages in your body and helps in removing constipation. Don’t be in a hurry, but practice slowly & steadily.  

• Kapal Bhati: The frontal brain cleansing breath involves active inhalation & passive exhalation, which has profound effect on the nervous system. When your breath is control, your mind attunes to yogic lifestyle. It energizes your body & mind and checks your uncontrolled craving for eating, which adds to your body weight.  

• Nadi Shodhana (Psychic Network Purification): It removes all the minor blockages for free flow of energy. Your whole body nourished with fresh supply of oxygen. It also expels all the toxins from the body which helps in the reduction of weight. You feel lighter and full of vigor by internal purification. The lethargies also diminish when body weight is controlled.   

• Gentle Bhastrika (Bellows Breath): The equal inhalation & exhalation makes your breath rhythmical. It stimulates the metabolic rate and helps in the elimination of waste & toxins. All are contributing factors in the attainment of fit body. It also tones your digestive system.   

Shankhaprakshalasana & Neti  

If you want perfect lean & fit body, then it is best to practice cleansing of the entire digestive tract. In yogic philosophy, it is known as shankhaprakshalana. In simple words, it means to wash completely. It is a physical process for purification to strengthening your immune system. It tones the liver & other digestive organs. 

In Hatha Yoga, satkarma is six cleansing techniques, before practicing asana & pranayama. One of its components is neti (nasal cleaning) which can be practiced daily. There are two types, sutra neti & jala neti. It releases mental tension and beneficial for digestive & excretory functions. 

Spirit Yoga Foundation is a Yoga Teacher Training Center in Rishikesh, India registered with Yoga Alliance USA. It offers many Yoga Teacher Training Courses with YTTC Certification. Join to stay healthy and fit or become a Yoga Teacher.