Yoga For Losing Belly Fat

Yoga is an ancient meditation art that has its origins in India. Practitioners of this art have been around for centuries and the various poses, called 'asanas' have been documented in various ancient scriptures. Yoga ensures the union between the body, the mind and the spirit. Yoga makes use of body postures, breathing exercises, relaxation techniques and meditation to achieve this union.

Yoga has always been associated with lean and fat free bodies and there are some 'asanas' which have been specifically designed to reduce fat and gain control over weight. Yoga has no side effects and this is one of its greatest advantages over most other reduction of weight by diets, life style changes and the like which westerners are more used to. Yoga helps the body to increase the secretion of certain hormones, which in turn increase the metabolic rate of the body and thus help to remove the unwanted calories and fats that are causing the weight increase. A side effect of yoga is complete improvement in muscle tone and vitality.

Yoga can never make you very slim or anorexic, but will simply make the body respond to the yogic exercises by maintaining a balance between body weight and height. The deep breathing that is associated with most yogic exercises increases the oxygen content that goes to the various cells in the body. This includes the fat cells which will burn faster with the increased oxygen and thus have their own beneficial effect. Thyroid gland activity is stimulated. This in turn increases hormonal secretions which help to reduce weight.

Yoga asanas for weight loss are Paschimottanasana, Bhujangasana, Halasana, Dhanurasana, Veerasana, Trikonasana, Ardha Matsyendrasana among others. Asanas are best learned from trained teachers. Video clips of doing these asanas are also available on the net. There are certain restrictions on practicing these asanas if you have an existing medical condition, and therefore consulting an expert is always suggested. There are certain breathing exercises like Pranayanamas which can also help in weight reduction, and these are very easily practiced. Again details for these are available on the internet and an interested person could get the details and start the exercises almost instantly. Breathing exercises in any form are always beneficial to the body and could have an effect of calming the mind, better sleep and a sense of well being.

One of the needs for a good yoga practitioner is to eat healthy fat free food and avoid junk food and carbonated drinks. Meal times must be regular and a general sense of discipline is a must. Abstaining form the use of tobacco and alcohol can also help. There is a misconception that the practice of yoga means that you have to give up eating meat and turn vegetarian. This is far from the truth. Proper yogic practice requires that the food that you eat must be nutritious, fat free and in the right quantities. A diet of fruits and vegetables will give your body a better chance of becoming lean and fit, than a diet which includes fat rich meat.

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