It is important to perform each pose correctly. The results you achieve greatly depend on this. Are you looking to shed off some pounds and the gym isn’t your thing? This 15-minute yoga plan could be the answer. Yoga helps in decreasing cravings, toning, and weight loss- burning fats and building lean muscle.
It is beginner-friendly. You can build your yoga practice with the poses I will outline below while toning your body.
How Can Yoga Help You Lose Weight?
Bonnie phester says “Fitness is like marriage, you cannot cheat on it and expect it to work”.
It encourages mindful eating.
What you eat is a big determinant of the weight that you carry. Most poles are not attentive to what and how they eat. Before you know it, you have added 10 more pounds. Yoga may be feted as a great way of strengthening muscles, but it goes beyond that.
In yoga, your instructor may encourage you to be attentive to what your body is telling you. In the process, you learn how to be mindful. Believe it or not, this can be reflected in your eating habits. You become mindful in identifying your hunger cues and regulating your binge eating. With practice, you will be in apposition to identify which foods energize you and which ones are problematic.
for example, foods that leave you bloated and feeling weak. The overall advantage of this is that it helps you make healthier options in terms of diet.
Stress management
Okay, I know that you are wondering where the link between stress management and weight loss is? Lack of stress management causes cortisol levels to rise which may subsequently elevate your cravings for salty, fatty, and sweet foods. It may be argued that cortisol increases metabolism but in the process, it causes a surge in energy and increases your appetite.
The breathing exercise involved in yoga is responsible for the reduction of stress hence a better chance of losing weight.
It aids in building muscle
We imagine that muscle strengthening involves pumping iron in a weight room. This may not always be the case; yoga can help build muscle mass hence not only helping in weight loss but also weight maintenance. In yoga, we use our own body as resistance. one great advantage of yoga is the fact that it is a whole-body workout as your body works to keep you in balance.
Great cardio
Vinyasa and ashtanga can help you increase your heart rate and engage in endurance tests. Due to their fast-paced flow, you can put in a great cardio session.
Boosting metabolism
As you build your lean muscles you increase metabolism. burning calories at rest is what we try to achieve with an increase in metabolism.
15 Minute Yoga Workout for Weight Loss
The different poses that will outline below are dynamic in terms of helping you kick in the cardio and burn more calories. Here are a few important yoga poses that you can do in your 15 minutes’ session for weight loss.
1. Down dog to plank roll
This poses effectively in working for your hand while increasing your heart rate.it also works the core which sometimes is a problematic area when it comes to weight loss.
How to do it
- Be on all fours to start, toes tucked with hands under your shoulder
- When you exhale, lift your hips, and then go back into the downward-facing dog
- Ensure that your core is engaged, push through your arms and lift those heels. Pedal one foot at a time to ensure that your hamstrings are loosened up.
- When you exhale lift the heels as you get on your tiptoes and go into the plank pose by rolling forward. Hold this position for three breaths
- As you exhale go back into the downward-facing dog and keep that position for three breaths. Repeat the pose three times.
2. Chaturanga- hold for 3 breaths
It is one of the most efficient poses in building the core and enhancing upper body strength. if full chaturanga is too hard for you, do not worry we have a modified version that you will find easier to do.
How to do it
From the plank roll pose, ensure that your back is as straight as you engage your core and legs. Your arms should be aligned with the shoulders.
Bring your elbows into your sides and pull your body weight forward.
Bend your elbows as if you are going into a push-up position and keep elbows on your sides. When you get to 90 degrees hold for three breaths.
3. Upward facing dog and then holding for 3 breaths
The trick this one is to ensure that you engage your core to make sure that your knees do not touch the floor as you’re transitioning. It may come after chaturanga as a vinyasa flow to help you lose weight while building strength.
How to do it
- In chaturanga, ensure that your feet tops are touching the floor by flipping your feet. The key here is to ensure that your feet are engaged.
- Lift through your chest by straightening your arms while keeping the core engaged. Gaze upwards to go into the upward facing dog
- Engage the core, arms, and legs and ensure that only your hands and tops of the feet are touching the ground.
4. Downward facing dog-hold
From the upward-facing dog, come back into the downward-facing dog. You hear rater should increase as you feel that your arms and core are engaged. Take deep breaths as you prepare for more movement.
How to do it
- Balance on your toes by flipping your feet
- Hips should be pushed up and back to go back into a downward-facing dog
- Inhale and exhale to enable regrouping
- Bend your knees, one at a time to release tension and then be still to perform the pose.
5. Three-legged dog to knee nose flow- for 3 rounds
This is a great pose when testing for endurance. If you keep good alignment and ensure that you keep still it can help build strength.
How to it
- Lift your right leg to ensure that your toes point upward. Engage your arms and core by using them to support your body. Do the same for the left leg
- Keep the position for three breaths, adjust your body weight forward, and round your spine slightly, like you are going into a cat pose. Bring your right knee close to your noise by bending it.
- Stay in the position for three breaths. On exhaling straighten the right leg to go back to the three-legged dog.
- Repeat the pose three times
High lunge pose then hold 5 breaths
It helps in building straight in your core and legs.
How to do it
- Extend your heels that are in your back foot
- Bend your front leg to a 90-degree angle, engage your core by using it to lift your torso, and sweep your arms up.
- Keep your shoulders away from ears and through your fingertips extend your arms while lifting through the chest.
- Keep sinking lower on your front leg while extending g the back leg. Hold those poses for 5 breaths.
Warrior II and 3 breaths
It is easy to stumble on this one but hold on you only need to hold for 3 breaths.
How to do it
- Coming from the high lunge, move your back foot to a position that resembles an angle of 10 O’clock.
- Float arms above your head and let them come down so that they are even with your shoulders. Your arms should extend to the front t and back of the room Keep your eyes on your fingertips.
- Repeat the motions and hold for three breaths.
The reverse warrior to extended side angle flow-3 rounds
This pose will be great in increasing your heart rate and challenging your body.
How to do it
- Engage your body by sinking into your front thigh. When you exhale swing your left arm slowly to come down to your front arm over your head. Arch your back slightly while lifting through your chest.
- Keep your front leg bent at 90 degrees
- Hold for 1 to 2 breaths and then swing your right forearm so that it rests on the front of your thigh. Lift your back arm so that it is turned towards the front of the room.
- Repeat the motions while ensuring that the leg that is bent stays bent!
- Hold for1-2 breaths and repeat the motion 3 times as you follow your breath.
More moves that you can include in your routine
- The half-moon pose
- Standing forward fold
- Plank
- Boat pose to low boat
- Bridge
- Savasana
Yoga can be the weight loss plan that you need to reach your fitness goals if done right. The key thing is to do each pose the right way. It will help you burn fat and strengthen your body.