Everyone wants to look fit and perfect the extra belly fat can make someone look bad. Yoga is not just helpful for losing weight, but it also helps you in losing belly Fat.

Will Yoga Positions Help Lose Belly Fat?

Stubborn belly fat is very irritating; therefore you need to follow healthy diet along with daily exercises. Yoga helps in getting rid of belly fat but with combined exercises and healthy diet plans which should be free of health additives and junk food. Yoga helps you in strengthening your core and ab muscles and helps you boost up the metabolism of your body.

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12 Yoga Positions Contribute to Lose Belly Fat

1. Tadasana (Mountain Pose)

How to do:

• Stand by keeping your feet flat and heels slightly apart, but big toes should be in contact.
• Place your hands on your sides while palms facing towards your body and spine should be in upright position.
• Bring your palms in close contact while stretching your hands.
• Inhale while stretching your spine. Fold your hands and raise them above your head and stretch as much as possible.
• Hold your ankles and stand up on your toes while eyes are facing towards the ceiling. If it is hard to stand on your toes, try standing on your feet keeping them flat on the ground and eyes facing the ceiling.
• You should breathe normally while holding this pose for 25-30 seconds.
• Inhale and exhale while gradually relaxing your feet and bring them back on the floor.
• Repeat this pose for 5-10 times before you repeat it again.

Variations: You can place your arms parallel facing each other, stretch upwards or place them perpendicular towards the floor.

Benefits:

• There is an improvement in your body posture.
• This pose tightens the buttocks and abdomen muscles.
• Mountain pose strengthens the ankles, knees, and thighs of your body.
• Helps in relieving sciatica which is the pain that affects hips, back and outer side of legs.

Caution:

• People with lower blood pressure, headache and insomnia are contraindicated for performing this pose.

2. Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation)

How to do:

• Stand with your feet in close contact while expanding your chest and relaxing your shoulders.
• Inhale and lift your arms away from the sides. Moreover, bring your arms towards the chest while you exhale in a prayer position.
• Inhale while raising your hands and stretch them backward.
• Exhale and reach your forehead towards the knees while bending forward.
• Bend your left knee and start stretching your right leg in a backward direction with palms positioned on the floor.
• While extending your left leg, hold your breath which is referred to as plank posture.
• Keep your spine still while coming down to the floor where your chest, knees, and chin should contact the floor.
• Stretch forward while inhaling and then bend backward.
• Keep your hands firmly on the floor while exhaling and leaning forward.
• While you inhale, place your right leg forward positioned between the elbows and raise upwards.
• Inhale deeply while bringing your left foot forward.
• Stretch back at the waist level.
• Then finally return to your starting position.

Benefits:

• All parts along with internal organs get benefits from this pose starting from head to toes.
• It keeps you energized and healthy.

Caution:

• Women should not perform it during menstruation or pregnancy.
• People with high blood pressure, spinal problems, and cardiovascular diseases should avoid performing this pose.

3. Padahastasana (Stading Forward Bend)

How to do:

• Stand in the same Tadasana pose and keep your hands on each side of your body with feet in resting position and heels should touch each other.
• Your spine should be in erect position.
• Deeply inhale while lifting your hands upwards.
• Exhale while bending forward with the body lying parallel to the floor.
• Repeat inhale and exhale while completely turning forward with your body moving away from your hips.
• You should keep your palms straight and touch the floor, but your knees should not bend.
• Beginners can start by touching their toes or ankles while touching the floor.
• Hold your breath and pull your tummy in a while holding this position for 70-90 seconds.
• Exhale and lift your body in Tadasana pose while leaving your toes.
• Repeat this pose at least ten times with an interval break of around 10-15 seconds.
• Variations: Hold your toes by only keeping your shins or ankles or place your hands under the balls of your feet.

Benefits:

• This position helps in toning down your abdominal muscles which improve digestion.
• It helps in strengthening the wrist joints.
• Standing forward bend relieves physical and mental exhaustion from your body.

Caution:

• You should Master UTTANASANA before you starts practicing Padahastasana because it is less challenging.
• Individuals with spinal disc disorders should not perform this pose.

4. Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend)

How to do:

• Sit down on the floor in Padmasana or Sukahasana pose.
• With your spine erect and legs stretched out towards your front, your feet should point towards the ceiling.
• Deeply inhale and reach your hands over your head, but your elbows should not bend. Try to stretch your spine as much as possible.
• Bend forward from your thigh level and exhale. Bring down your hands and reach your toes with your head resting on the knees. Beginners can touch the legs or ankles.
• As soon as you touch your toes, keep holding them and pull them back until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings.
• Breathe in a while pulling your tummy in and hold this position for 70-90 seconds in the beginning.
• Exhale while bringing your body upwards and relieve your toes away from your fingers to return to the PadmaSana or Sukhasana pose.
• Repeat this pose 5-10 times initially and increase up to 25-30 times or more.
• Variations: You can also stretch one leg at a time.

Benefits:

• Helps in reducing the fat in the abdomen area and relieving stress.
• Helps in balancing the menstrual cycle.

 

Caution:

• People with spinal disc disorders, individuals suffering from diarrhea or asthma and individuals who recently went through abdominal surgery should avoid doing this pose.

5. Pavanamuktasana (Wind Relieving Pose)

How to do:

• Lie down on your back with arms placed on sides and legs stretched with heels joining.
• Bend at knee level and start exhaling while bringing your knees towards the chest.
• Apply pressure using your thighs on the abdomen.
• Place your hands under your thighs to hold the knees in position.
• Start breathing deeply and hold this position for 70-90 seconds.
• Release your knees while exhaling and bring your hands on the sides of your body.
• Repeat this yoga pose 5-6 times with a gap of 15-20 seconds between each cycle.

 

Benefits:

• Helps in toning down the thighs, hips and ab muscles.
• Helps in balancing the ph. Levels of the body which promote the stomach health and enhances the metabolism.

Caution:

• Individuals with heart issues, blood pressure, spinal disc disorders and pregnant women should avoid doing this pose.

6. Naukasana (Boat Pose)

How to do:

• Lay down on your back with arms placed on your sides and legs stretched but not apart.
• Inhale and raise your legs while positioning them in a straight direction.
• Stretch your toes and feet while raising your legs as high as possible without causing your knees to bend and touch your toes by lifting your arms creating a 45-degree angle to your body.
• Breathe normally while holding this pose for 15-20 seconds.
• Release and then exhale. Repeat this posture for 5-6 times with a gap of 15-20 seconds between each pose.

Benefits:

• This posture strengthens the back and leg muscles of your body.
• This yoga pose strengthens the arms, thighs, and shoulders.
• Helps to reduce the belly fat at waist level.
• This pose leads to improvement in the health of digestive organs within your body.

Caution:

• People with heart issues, diarrhea, blood pressure problems, insomnia, and headache, should refrain from practicing this pose and also the pregnant ladies.

7. Ushtrasana (Camel Pose)

How to do:

• Sit in a pose on Vajrasana.
• Slowly lift your body at the level of knees so that your whole body is sitting on the support of your knees.
• Heels should be placed perpendicular to the ground.
• Deeply exhale and arch your back with hands placed behind your back and touch your ankles one by one.
• Bring your head in the backward direction and also stretch in the same direction until you feel a stretch at belly level.
• Hold this pose for 25-30 seconds initially and take it to 60-70seconds while you breathe normally.
• Exhale and slowly relax and return to Vajrasana pose.
• Repeat this 5-10 times with an interval of 15-20 seconds in between.

 

Benefits:

• Improves the posture while strengthening the back muscles.
• Helps in getting rid of menstrual discomfort, fatigue and back pain.

 

Caution:

• People with heart diseases, back and neck injury, high blood pressure, migraine, and insomnia should avoid practicing this pose.

8. Uttanpadasana (Raised Foot Pose)

How to do:

• Place a mat on the floor lying down on your back, while legs stretched and heels in contact with each other.
• Put your hands on sides of your body while palms are facing downwards.
• Inhale deeply and slowly exhale while tilting your head and touching your head on the floor.
• Keep your hands still in this position and breathe normally.
• Stretch as much as you can without stringing your back.
• Inhale deeply and raise your legs making a 45-degree angle to the floor.
• Hold this position for 20-30seconds and breathe normally.
• Deeply exhale and raise your legs making a 90-degree angle, hold this posture for 20-30 seconds.
• Inhale deeply and bring your feet in the initial position i.e. the supine position.
• Repeat this 10-20 times with a break of 15 seconds after each pose.

Benefits:

• This pose treats your stomach problems like constipation and acidity.
• Helps in improving the blood circulation along with functioning capability of reproductive organs.

Caution:

• People suffering from a muscle pull or spinal injuries should avoid practicing this pose.

9. Marjariasana (Cow Cat Pose or Cat Pose)

How to do:

• Kneel down on the floor and put forward your palms.
• Legs should be slightly apart but palms at shoulder length.
• Your trunk should lie parallel to the ground with thighs placed straight and vertical. Put your feet and lower leg on the floor.
• Relax your shoulder, back muscles, and your entire body.
• Exhale and pull your belly inwards with the head placed in between your shoulders while moving your back upwards.
• When you inhale, move your back in the opposite direction and bend your spine slightly downwards.
• Repeat this process with slow and deep breathing.

Benefits:

• Helps in the improvement of posture along with relieves tension in your lower back.

Caution:

• People with a head injury should not perform this pose.

10. Bhujangasana (Cobra PoseOBRA)

How to do:

• Lay down flat on your tummy with hands placed on your shoulders and legs stretched apart.
• Your toes and chin should be in contact with the floor.
• Slowly inhale and bend backward while raising your chest.
• Hold this position for 20-30 seconds according to your strength.
• Slowly exhale while bringing your body back to normal position.
• Repeat 5-10 times with a pause of 15-20 seconds between each attempt.

Benefits:

• Helps in strengthening your abs muscles which lead to reduced belly fat.
• Flexible and durable spine strengthens the upper body.

Caution:

• People suffering from a hernia, back and neck injury, pregnant ladies should not perform this yoga pose.

11. Dhanurasana (Bow Pose)

How to do:

• Lay down on your tummy with arms placed on each side of your body and legs stretched apart.
• Bend at your knee level and try reaching your arms and again back towards feet or ankles and hold them.
• Inhale while lifting your head, bend backward and lift your legs as high as you can.
• Hold this position for 20-30 seconds and try to breathe normally.
• Start exhaling and return to your normal position with legs stretched and arms placed on sides.
• Repeat 5-6 times with a pause in between for 15-20 seconds.

Benefits:

• Tightens and strengthens your core and abs muscles.
• Bow pose helps in stimulation of digestive system along with prevention of constipation within your body.
• Stretching promotes digestion and increases energy, therefore, helping you lose fat.

Caution:

• People suffering from a hernia, back and neck injury, pregnant ladies should not perform this yoga pose.

12. Shavasana (Corpse Pose)

How to do:

• You should lay down in a supine position with feet stretched or together according to your comfort.
• Rest your hands on each side of your body.
• Do not open your eyes.
• Exhale and inhale deeply and relax your body completely.
• Lie down till you breathe normally, and you have achieved complete body peace.

Benefits:

• Help reduce anxiety, insomnia and blood pressure.
• Helps you achieve a meditative and profound state of rest which contributes ti repair tissues and relief your stress.

Caution:

People with discomfort or back injury should avoid performing this pose. Pregnant ladies should also refrain from practicing this pose.

Healthy Diet Plan Helps to Enhance the Results 

Yoga is a method to find peace in your surrounding and lose weight in a hassle free manner. Along with practicing these yoga poses you should also concentrate on eating healthy foods so that you can achieve the desired results. In combination with these two practices, you should sleep well as sleeplessness can have an adverse impact on your abdominal health. Focus more on fruits and vegetables and consume less amount of sugar. Try to eat your dinner till 6-7pm and practice different yoga poses in your daily routine.