08/01/2015
Here's my second article on yoga and weight loss:;
8 Ways Yoga can aid weight loss
1. Stimulate the vital force of the liver
The liver has many essential functions. It is an extremely powerful detoxifier and cleanser. It purifies your blood. It processes fats, both good and bad kinds. If the liver is healthy and strong it can dispose of bad fats and put good fats to work for you. It gives you energy by storing the glucose and making coenzyme Q10 that powers your muscles. By doing certain yoga postures you are strengthening the vital force of the liver in profound ways that will bring it to optimum functioning.
The best postures for the liver are mainly backbends:
• Bhujangasana (cobra pose)
• Dhanurasana (bow pose)
• Chakrasana (wheel pose)
• Matsyendrasana (spinal twist)
2. Activate the thyroid gland
The thyroid secretes a hormone that regulates our metabolism. One of the main factors that defines whether we have a high metabolism that burns a lot of fat is whether our thyroid is active or not. Many people who suffer from weight gain have hypothyroidism ("hypo-" meaning low). There are certain postures that help to correct this dysfunction:
• Sarvangasana (shoulder stand)
• Matsyasana (fish pose)
3. Create the right pH balance – Alkalize!
The ideal pH balance is about 7.35. And most people struggling with their weight are too acidic. If the body is too acidic (low pH), then the body will attempt to protect itself from the acid by storing fat and using it as a buffer. This is extremely dangerous because the visceral fat (the kind inside the organs and blood vessels) accumulates within the veins and arteries, narrowing the passage available for the blood and gradually obstructs the activity of the blood vessels. Some of the best postures to increase alkalinity are:
• Paschimottanasana (seated forward bend)
• Janushirasana (head to knee pose)
4. Find the right balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system.
A lot of overweight people’s bodies are under an immense amount of stress. Their nervous system is under pressure from lifestyle choices. They often sit at a desk out of the healing sun, under neon lighting. They breathe stale, air-conditioned air instead of fresh, clean, oxygen-rich air. They stare at a computer screen for hours instead of looking at nature. They often feel rushed to meet deadlines and busy schedules. And if the nervous system is under stress then it will set of a chain reaction in the rest of the body. The body needs to be relaxed and soothed. This requires finding the right balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. The best yoga postures for this are:
• Savasana (co**se pose)
• Viparita Karani (legs up the wall)
5. Activate the internal heat in the nervous system.
There are many people who think that going to a hot yoga class is the best way to lose weight. That is far from the truth. Ancient yogis never heated their caves or hermitage in the Himalayas to 40 degrees just so they could practice asanas in the morning. They created warmth in the body through generating internal heat by creating nerve tension/length. This is the best way. This automatically makes the body feel warmer. The best postures for this are:
• Paschimottanasana (seated forward bend)
• Anjaneyasana (lunge)
6. Move the body with strength.
Any yoga position that requires you to be active, either as you shorten or lengthen the muscles, will help with weight loss. If you build strong muscles they will be eating your fat stores even when you are resting. That is why strength work is very good for weight loss.
Arm balancing postures are great for this. Even basic arm balancing poses are great because they often engage every muscle, not just the arms or shoulders, but also the abdominals and legs.
Some great postures for this are:
• Bakasana (crane)
• Pincha Mayurasana (feathered peacock)
• Tolasana (scale pose)
• Chaturanga (plank)
7. Get your heart rate up.
Many people think that getting the heart rate up through extreme exertion is a good way to lose weight. But this can make a stressed nervous system even more exhausted, and lead to adrenal fatigue. What is much better for weight loss is getting the heart rate up for a very short burst and then dropping it right down, then getting it up and then dropping it down. This can certainly be achieved by an intelligent yoga practice. A few rounds of Surya Namaskar (sun salutation) will have your heart rate at an optimum level; without the tiring and jarring effects your body gets from jogging.
8. Cleansing the colon
Many people have food matter blocked up in their colon. This makes them bloated. Severe bloating can appear as obesity. There is a saying that, ‘disease begins in the gut.’ There is certainly some truth to that. Some people who consume a lot of meat or already struggle with a constipated colon. Drinking water free of chemicals like sodium fluoride and chlorine is essential because water will help flush the waste away, but the chemicals dumped into most western public water supplies can kill off good intestinal flora, and therefore should be avoided. Purchasing a good water filter is an excellent idea.
There are many yoga postures, mudras, and bandhas that cleanse the colon. Many are for the advanced practitioner. Some basic ones are:
• Utks'epa Mudra (bellow’s pose) to be done first thing in the morning upon waking
• Agnisara Mudra (fire pose)
