What are simple 5-minute yoga positions for weight loss?

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We all do so many things to keep yourself fit and healthy. Switching to a healthy lifestyle can sometimes be a very challenging task. Every day morning routine, a cup of green tea, morning walks won’t’ work if the mind does not feel healthy.

Who had thought that yoga from ancient India will become the only simplest and quick remedy that will not only help us to lose weight but will also, nourish our body and mind? Someone said it so right ‘only when our mind feels fit and active the body will be able to fit against all the odds.

It won’t be wrong if we say that yoga has become an integral part of most of the people’s lifestyle globally. Millions of travelers travel to India to seek this spiritual bliss at the yoga capital city Rishikesh every year.

There are many ashrams providing such traveler’s accommodation and all the necessary facilities. Yoga has become a universal language connecting heart on a global level.  

Yoga has many benefits like a healthier, toned skin, an increase in flexibility, ease from unnecessary cramps and body aches. Don’t remain skeptical, instead follow your guts and it will works in your favor and be insanely effective.

Studies have proven that mental stress leads to a poor diet. Yoga helps us to reduce stress, by which we’ll automatically be able to make better decisions. It also lowers cortisol levels. Sweat! Sweat! “Burn fat” and step into a better life.

Though, losing weight can be a quite challenging task. At the time, we may do everything, and the end of the day not even an inch is lost. When nothing is working out, yoga can help us to stay calm. We will surely reach the harbor.

These 5-minutes yoga practices can not only help us in losing weight but also in keeping the body healthy and calm. We can practice these yoga poses in 5-minutes to lose our weight. It can do wonders in our lives.

5-minutes Yoga doesn’t mean to perform a particular pose for 5-minutes. Rather it means to perform different types of poses, performing a particular pose for 30 seconds or more than that.

Once we become familiar with the asana rhythm we’ll fall in love with it.

1. Sun Salutation

Every yoga session starts with some stretching & body toning exercises of sun salutation practice. It consists not 12 asanas which warm up our body as well as tone up the complete internal organs. A beginner should begin their practice with Sun Salutation practice.

There are 12 Surya Namaskar yoga poses for full body workouts. By performing these 12 Yoga poses one by one in a sequence, we can also strengthen the skeleton system of our body.

Sun salutation consists of the following poses:

1. Prayer Pose- Standing straight on the mat & holding both hands together in a prayer position.
2. Raised Arms Pose- Lifting arms up & back.
3. Hand to Foot Pose- Bending forward from the waist & bringing both hands down to the floor, besides the feet.
4. Equestrian pose- Taking the right leg back, bringing the left knee on the floor & look up.
5. Stick Pose- Bringing the whole body in a straight line, by taking left leg back.
6. Salute with eight parts Pose- Bringing knees, chest, chin down to the floor.
7. Cobra Pose- Raising the chest up from the ground.
8. Mountain Pose- Lifting the hips & the tail bone up.
9. Equestrian pose- same as point number 4.
10. Hand to Foot Pose- same as point number 3.
11. Raised Arms Pose- Lifting arms up & back.
12. Tadasana- Relaxing the body.

2. Wide-Legged Forward Bend (Prasarita Padottanasana)

Wide-Legged Forward Bend is a type of asana which can only be performed when our stomach will be empty. If we are performing this asana after a meal, then there should be a gap of 4 to 6 hours.

This asana is consist of 6 steps. It helps in strengthening our feet, hamstrings & spine. It also calms our mind by relieving our headache.

The 6 steps are:

1. Standing on the mat & stretching arms straight out to our sides. Starting with mountain pose.
2. Spreading our feet 3-4 feet apart, and bend forward at the hips, not the waist.
3. With the help of the arms, press the head down & lift the hips up.
4. Bringing our fingertips to the mat under our shoulders, then moving our weight slightly forward to our feet.
5. Holding the position for 4-8 breathe.
6. Releasing the pose.

3. Lunge (Anjaneyasana)

This is one of the best asana for stretching the hips. Now a day spending 8-9 hours sitting in front of a computer, many people tend to have tight buttocks.   

With the help of lunge asana, we can increase flexibility in our body. This asana should be performed, when our stomach will be empty. People having the problem of blood pressure can’t practice this asana.

Lunge pose strengthens our gluteus muscles & stretches the hips. It also expands our chests, lungs & shoulders.

Steps for this asana are:

• We can place our hands, wherever we want it to be. Location of hands often determines by what muscles we are stretching.
• Make sure our front knee & ankle are in one line.
• Place the left knee down on the floor, inhale & raise the arms above the head.
• Hold for 30 seconds, and repeat.

4. Half-Moon Pose

Half-Moon pose is a standing & balancing pose. Before doing Half-Moon pose, we should know how to do triangle pose. As the triangle pose is tending into half-moon pose.

Half-Moon pose is one of the popular weight loss yoga asanas. Moreover, this pose helps in keeping the abdominal region as well as the ankles, thighs, buttocks, and spine strong. This yoga exercise improves the digestion process and also balance the body.

Steps for half-moon pose:

• Touching the left foot & the left palm, down to the floor & bring the right hand to the hip.
• Then raise the right leg back & up in the air.
• Also, raise the right hand up & straight in the air.
• Hold this position for 3 to 5 breathe.
• Repeat this process with the right side.

5. Boat Pose

Boat pose can be considered the power yoga in losing abdominal fat. Abdominal muscles continuous contraction and expansion makes boat pose a very effective in cutting down belly fat. It also builds hamstring, hips & abs muscles strength.

Boat pose builds our abdominal & core strength. It also helps us in building our balance & in reducing our belly fat too.

There are easy steps to perform boat yoga. They are:

• Sit on the mat, by bending our knees for core activation.
• Stretching our legs to 45 degrees.
• Straightening our hands towards our legs.
• Breathe naturally.
• Hold this position as we can.
• Then release the pose & sit in a relaxed way.
• Repeat the same process for making boat pose.  

6. Shoulder Stand Pose

Shoulder stand pose is the queen of all the poses. It is a very important yoga pose as it balances the whole body on shoulders.

Shoulder stand pose maintains the thyroid gland, balance hormones, strengthens the heart & the respiratory system. It also increased our strength & flexibility of our body. Wrinkles can also be reduced by practicing this asana.

Steps for shoulder stand pose:

• Lying on the Yoga mat, with our hands by our sides.
• Pressing upper arms into the floor to lift our feet & lower back away from the floor.
• Spreading our palms across our back body, continue to lift the hips until they get over our shoulders.
• Make sure that, more weight it should be in our shoulder.
• Now, slowly-slowly gets the legs back down to the floor.
• Relaxed the body for a while.
• Then, repeat the process again as much as we can.

7. Tree Pose (Vrikshasana)

Tree pose is all about having a strong balance. It increases our balance, memory, focus & concentration. It also strengthens the ankles & the knees of our body.

The people who are suffering from sciatica can also get relief by practicing this tree pose. Whenever we do Yoga, the last pose should be a tree pose. This pose looks like a tree when we stand straight & perform this pose.

 

Steps for tree pose:

• Stand on a Yoga mat.
• Keep the right foot in rest, & place the left foot high up on our right thigh.  
• Your back should be straight & also make your right leg straight.   
• The body may have a tendency to bend forward when trying to balance. Try to balance yourself on one foot.
• Your hands should be pressed together at your heart to help with balance, then try lifting them above your head with your hands pointed towards the ceiling.
• Hold for 30 seconds, and repeat alternatively.

Losing weight becomes a very easy phenomenon when we start practicing these simple 5 minutes yoga poses. Along with just weight loss, the body becomes flexible and other muscles are toned up with poses.

So, open up your rolled mat and make some twists & turns with your body.