Yoga for Weight Loss

What is obesity?

• Excess accumulation of fats (Resulting in increased weight)
• In today's technology dominated world, physical activity has decreased resulting in accumulation of fats.
• Consuming excessive calaries and not spending enough calaries.
• Obesity may become reason for various other diseases such as thyroid problems
• Obesity is result of imbalance of physical, mental and emotional energies

Obesity and Yoga

• Yoga works on all aspects of Obesity or excess weight (physical, emotional and mental)
• Regular practice of Yoga and controlled life style reduces obesity (weight is reduced).
• Yoga makes human being agile, efficient and slim.
• Yoga is suitable for people in any age group.
• Yoga helps achieve control over mind and behavior (one can easily control food habits and change life style to reduce the obesity.)
• Yoga has different effect on obesity, which is permanent in nature than other techniques for obesity reduction. Weight loss is permanent but one needs to practice few important techniques regularly.

Obesity Symptoms

• Obesity increases weight, reduces physical movements, and also brings in slowness in emotional and mental activities.
• Food intake increases.
• Obesity can result in frustration. Depression is often associated with excess weight gain.
• Laziness increases, reducing overall efficiency.
• Sometimes obesity can create obstruction to breathing process.
• Obesity may result in heart problems, diabetes or blood pressure.

Obesity Reasons - Food Habits

• Excess consumption of fats, calories and rich diet
• Eating food, which is sugar rich
• Consuming food all the time, which includes milk, butter, cheese, oily food, non-vegetarian food, tea, coffee, bakery products, rice etc.
• Not eating raw food, fruits, vegetables rich in fibers

Obesity because of physical problems

• Obesity can be hereditary
• Digestive disorders may result in obesity
• Improper functioning of Endocrine gland system such as thyroid disorders
• Problems in the nervous system
• Imbalance in emotional and mental activities

Obesity as a result of life style

• Lack of exercise
• No physical movement, driving cars and other vehicles
• Sitting and watching TV, movies, working on computers
• Consuming cold food from fridge all the time

Various ways to get rid of Obesity

Practice of Yoga, yoga poses, pranayama, cleansing techniques, meditation, and various exercises

• Regular exercise like running, swimming etc
• Yogasanas or yoga poses like Paschimotannasana, Saral Hasta Bhujangasana, Sarwangasana, Halasana, Dhanurasana, Veerasana, Trikonasana, Ardha Matsyendrasana, etc
• Along with Yogasanas Sun salutation is very effective for obesity reduction, also Pranayama, cleansing processes like agnisar, uddiyan bandha etc helps

Food Habits

• The lunch and dinner timings should be fixed
• The time difference 2 meals should be 4 hours
• Low fat meal, with fiber rich vegetables and fruits should be taken.
• Reduce fats, excess calories, sweets, milk, butter, cheese etc in meals.

Other Useful Habits

• Do not sleep for more than 6 to 7 hours
• Try to stop addictions such as smoking, drinking alcohol or any other drugs.
• Taking help from dietician, one should fix the daily diet schedule.
• If possible take massage and steam bath regularly.

Regular practice of Yoga can certainly reduce the obesity and weight loss, but one needs to learn specific Yoga Techniques, which are more effective for reducing the weight. We will be studying such techniques in this article, Yoga Vidya Dham has a separate Obesity Reduction Program, more than 5000 people have been benefited by this program.

Before knowing the Yoga let us first understand what obesity means.

First symptom of obesity is increase in weight; body loses its shape, due to accumulation of fats in various parts of body sometimes body balance is affected. The obese person has to spend extra energy for any movement, which results in reduction in overall movements; this reduction in overall activity further increases the weight, also the enthusiasm in any work goes down.

For a regular healthy life the weight has to be in certain limits, there is standard chart, which relates height and weight. If the difference is more than 10 % as mentioned in table then we may say that the person is obese. One can get a brief idea from this chart but not totally correct figures.

This increase in weight is a gradual process. The weight doesn't increase suddenly. We may overlook this, as this increase is not noticeable initially. But beyond certain limits this overweight may become reason for various diseases like Hypertension, Diabetes, Heart problems. So we need to control the weight from the beginning.

For the daily work we spend calories, which we get from the food we eat. But if we take more calories and spend less then the calories are accumulated in the form of fats. Increase in fats reduces body movements, which again increases the weight. So as to reduce the fat one must control the food habits.

Weight can increase because of digestive problems. Useful part of the food is absorbed in blood during the digestion. If there are some problems in this process then it may result in accumulation of fats. If the digestive problem is cured then obesity can reduce.

Endocrine glands control various activities of body. A problem in the functioning of endocrine glands results in various physical problems, obesity can also be because of problems in functioning of endocrine gland system. There is strain on endocrine gland system during childbirth, menopause in case of women. So if proper care is not taken during these transformations, it may result in obesity.

Sometimes because of problems in nervous system, obesity increases and in that case the nervous system problem is to be treated to cure obesity.

Body and mind has complex relations between them, because of mental and emotional imbalance, endocrine gland systems is affected, which may result in obesity.

Yoga for Obesity & weight loss

PREPARATORY PRACTICE - Basic Yoga poses & movements

• Basic Movements (yoga sopan book)
• Preparatory Movements type 1 to 10 with fast speed
• Sun Salutations 32 rounds in 8 minutes

USEFUL PRACTICES

• Preparatory Movements type 1 to 10 with fast speed
• Sun Salutations 32 rounds in 8 minutes

Asana / Yoga poses / Yoga postures / Yoga positions

• Uttanpad Chakrasana (3 rounds)
• Sarwangasana (3 minutes)
• Halasana (1minute)
• Matsyasana (1 minute)
• Ardhamatsyendrasana (2 minutes on each side)
• Paschimottasana (1 minute)
• Akarna Dhanurasana (1 minute on wach side)
• Ushtrasana (2 minutes)
• Udarsanchalan (3 rounds)
• Trikonasana (1 minute on each side)
• Veerasana (1 minute on each side)
• Shavasana (when needed)

Cleasing Practices

• Agnisar 100 strokes total in 3 to 4 rounds
• Uddiyan Bandh 5 rounds ( each round 30 seconds)
• Kapalbhati 5 rounds (120 strokes per round)
• Vaman Dhouti (once a week )
• Laghoo Shankhaprakashlana (once a week)
• Full shankhaprakshalana (once a year)

Pranayama

• Suryabhedan Pranayama with Kumbhak for 10 minutes
• Bhastrika Pranayama with Kumbhak for 10 minutes

OPTIONAL PRACTISES

Asana / yoga poses/ positions /postures

• Bhujangasana
• Dhanurasana
• Vipritakarni
• Vakrasana
• Uttanpadasana
• Pawavanmuktasana
• Ardhpaschimottanasana
• Sulabh Ushtrasana
• Garudasana
• Parivart Trikonasana
• Patangasana

Pranayama

Anulom Viloma with or without Kumbhak, Right Nostrill Breathing

Cleasing Practices

Neti - Dand Dhouti - Vastra Dhouti - Nouli (all types)

Genral pracrices

Walking for 60 minutes

CONTRAINDICATONS

Shirshasana (Head stand) & Its Variations

FOOD HABITS

Suitable Normal Food with Less Fats & Carbohydrates but with High Fibres. Best food is Fruits (except banana, mango & grapes ) & Vegetables.

Avoid

Nonvegetarian Food, Milk & Milk Products (Skimmed milk can be taken), Rice, Oily & Spicy Food, Refined Foods, Fast Food, Preserved Food. Food in rich in calories, sugar

SPECIAL FOOD PROGRAMME FANEER

This is a specially designed food programme for reduction of weight. This includes the diet for three
days as follows;

• First Day - Only Fruits and Raw Vegitables (no other food to be taken)
• Second day - Only Water with Lemon Juice & Salt
• Third day - Only Juices & Soupes (liquid diet only)

DAILY PRACTICE PROGRAMS