Yoga Asanas (YA) to reduce belly fat and tone your abs in a simple way

Yoga Asanas (YA) to reduce belly fat and tone your abs in a simple way

There are many reasons why you may need to start a yoga practice. Although it is a popular form of physical exercise, yoga offers the additional benefits of calming the mind and inspiring healthy habits in other areas of life.

The physical benefits of yoga are many. When practiced regularly, yoga will help you build muscle tone, increase your flexibility, and improve overall mobility. In addition, it helps all body systems more efficiently, contributing to better metabolism and reduced stress.

Whether you come to your mat hoping to improve your physical, mental or emotional health, you will find that yoga is a great tool for getting in shape.

Having a mid cut is a common fitness goal for many people. If you've ever wondered if yoga can help you get rid of persistent belly fat, you're in luck! There are many yoga poses that can specifically target this area of ​​the body.

Read on to explore ways yoga can help tone your tummy and reduce belly fat. Then follow us through our guide to learn more about some specific yoga asanas (poses) that you can try at home and find out the results for yourself!

Is yoga good for losing abdominal fat?

To fully answer this question, it is important to consider all of the factors that lead to excess fat around the midsection. Levels of physical activity, stress, quality of sleep and eating habits can all play a role in clinging to the extra abdominal fat.

Yoga keeps you active

In today's world, it's too easy to settle into a sedentary lifestyle. Not having enough physical activity in your day can easily lead to excess abdominal fat in no time.

Many people who start a yoga practice are inspired to incorporate it into a routine. Staying active is one of the most important factors for losing weight, especially when it comes to the belly area. There are no shortcuts for losing inches from your abdomen, so choosing a fitness routine that you can stick to will help you stay consistent in your exercise.

Even if you have limited mobility or are a bit intimidated by some of the more intense gym workouts, yoga is a wonderful way to just get your body moving. It is low impact and fully adaptable to your own level, even for beginners. Even better, you can train in the comfort of your own home, so you have no excuse to jump on fitness!

Yoga and healthy eating

Food choices are also an important factor in maintaining a flat stomach. Experts agree that eating too much sugary and fatty food, as well as eating impulsively, helps gain extra weight.

Additionally, high levels of stress and anxiety often lead to distracted snacks. Before you know it, our jeans might be a little more difficult to button!

People who regularly practice yoga often find themselves making better choices regarding their diet and eating habits. This includes not only the actual foods they eat, but also conscious eating. Yoga helps to increase the presence of mind and body awareness. This means that you will be more likely to eat only when you are really hungry and to stop eating when you feel full.

Conscious eating is one of the most effective ways to avoid gaining extra weight or losing any persistent fat. Yoga is one of the best tools for developing a healthier relationship with food.

Improves sleep and reduces stress

Yet another reason why many of us end up adding extra padding to our belly area is lack of sleep and high stress.

Yoga can help significantly with these two problems. Practicing yoga several times a week will surely leave you more physically relaxed, to help you get a more restful sleep. You may also experience greater peace of mind, that you are able to calm your thoughts so that you fall asleep faster and sleep longer

Best yoga poses to reduce belly fat

1. Front bend (Uttanasana)

This pose benefits digestion and circulation while reducing stress. It helps warm up and stretch the body in preparation for a yoga practice and is included in many yoga sequences.

How to do:

Stand with your feet at a distance from hip width, as in mountain pose.

Inhale and reach your arms above. Bow while exhaling, placing your hands on the floor or on yoga blocks.

Release any tension at the back of your neck. Get out of the posture by going up slowly to get up.

2. Plank installation (Phalakasana)

The plank is another basic pose that works the whole body by engaging the arms, legs, back and core muscles. This pose helps improve posture and strengthens strength, focus and discipline.

How to do:

Come in a push-up position. If you feel discomfort in your wrists, move them slightly forward (a few inches) so that they are not directly stacked under your shoulders.

Spread your fingers and grab your mat. Reach the crown of your head forward and keep the neck long. Pull the navel inward and upward, and aim to maintain the natural curves of the spine.

Keep your legs active by lifting your kneecaps and give the impression that your heels are growing back in an imaginary wall behind you.

Hold your board as long as you can, keeping your breathing steady. Release with an exhalation, going down all the way down your carpet.

Beginner's tip: practice the plank on your knees, keeping the same alignment of the spine and the activation of the nucleus.

3. Installation of side plank (Vasisthasana)

This variation of plank tones the core, in particular the abdominal obliques. You will also strengthen your arms, legs, back and lateral body, while your chest and shoulders open.

How to do:

Start with a plank pose. Push down in your right hand and start opening your body to the left, rolling both heels to the right. Stack your left foot at the top of your right.

Extend your left hand to the sky while pressing in your right hand. Keep the legs active by squeezing them together.

Activate your entire trunk to stabilize your torso, especially lifting your right obliques to keep your hips lifted.

Stay at least five breaths before returning to the board and releasing. Repeat the posture on the left side.

Beginner's tip: try a modified side plank by bending the lower leg so that your shin is parallel to the long side of your mat. This will give you additional balance and support while your heart and obliques work to keep your torso lifted.

4. Extended cat pose (Utthita Marjaryasana)

Sometimes also called Bird Dog, this heart-centered pose will help reduce belly fat. You will feel your abs working as well as your arms, quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes and back.

How to do:

Start on your hands and knees in the table position.

Pull your navel up to light your heart. Push down in your right hand and your left shin. With an inspiration, extend your left arm forward and your right leg back.

Bend your right foot with your toes pointing towards the ground and pull on your kneecap to pull your quads. Reach the crown of your head forward to create a length in the back. Keep both hips level and maintain the natural curves of the spine, with no arch in the lower back.

Hold your arm and leg extended for a few breaths and release the pose with an exhalation, returning to your table top position. Repeat the posture with the opposite arm and leg extended.

5. Pose Revolution Chair (Parivrtta Utkatasana)

The chair pose strengthens the lower half of your body and strengthens endurance and concentration. This twisted variation facilitates weight loss by using the abdominal obliques and also stimulates the internal organs to improve digestion.

How to do:

Start by standing with your feet with your hands in a prayer position in front of your chest.

With an exhalation, bend your knees and lower your hips as if you were sitting in a chair behind you. Reach the crown of your head up and forward, lengthening the spine. Your seated bones should be pointing towards the ground, with no arch in the lower back.

On your next exhalation, engage your abs and twist your torso, bringing an elbow to hover over the opposite thigh. The elbow may rest lightly on the upper leg, but avoid using a torque to complete the twist.

Keep the two knees aligned with each other.

Hold your twist for a few breaths. Come back to the center on an inspiration and relax in a forward bend with an exhalation. Return to the standing position and repeat the twisting of the chair on the second side.