Aside from the fact that yoga helps you lead a healthy and mindful lifestyle, it also aids you in losing weight, depending on the areas you focus on. For instance, your arms require certain types of stretches and poses, while your shoulders, upper back and midriff would require a different set of stretches.
while the benefits of yoga are many, losing weight is one the benefits. So, if you’ve been considering yoga, losing weight, or both, you’re on the right page!
Yoga To Reduce Belly Fat And Weight At Home
From Surya Namaskar to Naukasana, these yoga poses are best suited for those of you who are hoping to lose some weight.
1. Sun Salutation
This one is so effective that it absolutely had to make to the top of our list of yoga poses for weight loss! The Surya Namaskar or the Sun Salutation is a twelve-step yoga exercises that allows your body to stretch and work on all your muscles!
Benefits:
Works on all internal organs and muscles.
Precautions:
Menstruating women should avoid this pose.
2. Standing Forward Bend
Standing Forward Bend or the Padahastasana is the perfect yoga to reduce belly fat as it directly compresses your stomach while you bend forward, thus causing you to tone that extra flab!
Benefits:
- Tones abdomen and strengthens wrists.
- Improves metabolism
Precautions:
People with spinal disc disorders should avoid performing this pose.
3. The Low Plank
Or, the Chaturanga Dandasana, is one of the more popular basic yoga poses that is also a principle pose included in regular exercises, as well. For those of you hoping to lose some belly fat, the plank is a good way to tone down your tummy and work on your abs.
Benefits:
It works on your core while toning your arms, biceps, and triceps, along with laying focus on your stomach.
Precautions:
- Pregnant women and those suffering from wrist or shoulder injury, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome should avoid this pose.
- Take care that you don’t let your shoulders collapse below the elbow.
4. The Upward Facing Dog
The Urdhva Mukha Svanasana is a fairly easy pose, and is one of our favourites when to comes to yoga to reduce belly fat. It works on stretching and lengthening your entire body, from head to toe. It’s just as good for losing the unwanted belly fat.
Benefits:
It is known to be one of the most efficient poses when it comes to toning your arms, biceps, and triceps.
Precautions:
Pregnant women and those suffering from back injury, chronic headaches, and Carpal tunnel syndrome should avoid performing this pose.
5. The Boat Pose
Quite aptly called the Naukasana, the pose requires you to balance your body entirely on your midriff while being in the position of a boat. Remember to keep your core balanced. Regular practice can even get you those abs; without those crunches!
Benefits:
This one happens to be one of the best poses to practice if you’ve been wanting to reduce belly fat and get fit and toned midriff.
Precautions:
Those suffering from heart problems, blood pressure problems, chronic headaches, diarrhea, and lack of sleep should avoid performing this pose.
6. Vishnu’s Couch Pose
Better known as the Anantasana, this pose tones and firms the abdominal muscles in your body, thus making it the perfect yoga to reduce belly fat. Because of the stretching on both sides of your body, the pose helps burn the fat around your belly, while also working on your inner thighs, calves as well as glutes.
Benefits:
Strengthens shoulder muscles while toning abdominal muscles.
Precautions:
Those who suffer with neck and shoulder pains, slip disc, spondylitis, sciatica ought to be practiced only in front of an experienced teacher.
7. The Downward Dog
The Adho Mukha Svanasana helps tone your arms and biceps while working on your strength and stamina. It requires you to bear the weight of your upper body on your arms, with your legs stretched out straight. See that your knees aren’t bent and your stomach is sucked in.
Focus Areas:
While it strengthens your entire body, it lays specific focus on your legs, arms, feet, and shoulders. Not only does it aid in weight loss, but it also tones the muscles of your body!
Precautions:
- Take care to not put too much of your body weight on hands, instead keep it evenly distributed between your feet and hands.
- Those suffering from any heel or shoulder injury, inflammation of ears and eyes, or have any kind of chronic inflammation on joint and skin should avoid practicing this pose.
8. The Dolphin Pose
Also known as the Ardh Pinch Mayurasana, this is one of the advanced yoga poses that becomes fairly easy to do once you’ve mastered the downward dog pose. It works on your entire upper body, and leaves it toned!
Benefits:
The weight-bearing pose tones your arms, biceps, and triceps as well as works on the calves, inner thigh muscles, as well as your glutes.
Precautions:
- Should be avoided by those who have shoulder or neck injury.
- Make sure that your knees are slightly bent while performing this asana.
Also Read How To Reduce Arm Fat
9. The Seated Twist Pose
What most people don’t know about the Bharadvajasana is that aside from working on correcting your spinal alignment and posture, this pose is also extremely effective when it comes to toning your shoulders and upper back.
Benefits:
Regular practice can lead to a set of rather impressive shoulder blades you’d like to flaunt while wearing a backless next time.
Precautions:
Menstruating women and those suffering from diarrhea, chronic headaches, insomnia, high and low blood pressure should avoid this pose!
10. The Fish Pose
Matsyasana stretches your entire lower body – your thighs, intestines, hips, as well as the abdominal muscles. Because it involves pulling and stretching your body, you burn a lot of the extra fat that gets accumulated in the more prominent parts of the body.
Benefits:
It acts as a great stretching exercise before you begin working on your core muscles!
Precautions:
Pregnant women and those suffering from hernia and lower back or neck injury should avoid performing this pose.
11. The Cobbler Pose
If you’ve been wanting to tone your thighs, the Baddha Konasana works on both your inner and outer thighs. Sit upright, with your back straight. Your legs should be folded inside and flat on the ground. Your feet should be held together.
Benefits:
- Improves flexibility of knees and inner thighs.
- Helps in soothing menstrual cramps and digestive problems.
Precautions:
Those who have knee injuries should avoid practicing this pose.
12. The Garland Pose
Or the Malasana works on your hips, thighs, glutes, and calves. It stretches your lower body out in a way that helps relieve all the accumulated fat in your body after sitting for too long in the day. It’s perfect for those of us with desk jobs and no outlet to losing the unhealthy fat.
Benefits:
- Tones ankles and hips.
- Stretches muscles in the back.
Precautions:
Those with injury in lower back and knees should avoid this pose.
13. The Crescent Pose
The Anjaneyasana works on your legs, hamstrings, and thighs – toning the muscles from your hips to the ankles. It doesn’t just relieve tension from your body; but also is a great way to increase flexibility.
Benefits:
- Tones hips, thighs, and hamstrings
- Strengthens knees.
Precautions:
Those with knee injuries and high blood pressure should avoid this asana.
14. The Pyramid Pose
Don’t go by it’s rather complicated name, Parsvottanasana; the pyramid pose is actually fairly simple to do; especially if you’ve already successfully mastered the downward dog and dolphin. It’s one of the easier yoga poses for beginners to tone your lower body muscles and strengthen your legs.
Benefits:
Works on your quads, calf muscles as well as hamstrings.
Precautions:
Pregnant women and those with hamstring injury should avoid this pose.
15. Warrior Two Pose
The Virabhadrasana is one of the more rejuvenating yoga poses for fast weight loss that works on stretching all your muscles from the hip downwards. The pose doesn’t just strengthen and tone your legs but also relieves sciatica.
Benefits:
Tones arms, legs, and lower back.
Precautions:
Those suffering from neck pain, arthritis, heart problems, and high blood pressure should avoid performing this pose.
Who needs to shell buckets on gym memberships when you have uber effective yoga poses that you can practice right at home? Here’s to getting fit and fab!
Also Read –
Yoga Poses to Treat Headche in Hindi – Use the combination of Physical Exercises, Breathing Exercises and Meditation to Treat your Headache at Home
This story was updated in April 2019.
