Yahoo Finance Yoga poses that burn calories and boost your metabolism
Simple easy-to-do asanas to get you started on your New Year's Resolution
So you’ve decided to lose weight and get fit in the new decade. That’s great except you HATE the gym. We get it. Not everyone loves the idea of beginning their day to the beats of chest-thumping music in a closed space with testosterone-fuelled people around them. We get it. Sometimes all you need is a relaxed environment – a yoga class with calming vibes or an open garden – to start your day. You may not want to do battle ropes or never-ending reps of crunches but instead with a bunch of yoga poses.
The thing is you don’t have to practice hot yoga or power yoga to lose weight. These yoga poses – the kinds you can do at home or indeed in the park behind your house – don’t jist boost your metabolism but also help lose weight.
You don’t need us to wax eloquent on the benefits of yoga. It’s known to improve flexibility and cardiovascular capacity while simultaneously helping you reduce weight and balance metabolism.
An hour of basic yoga won’t just help you get your heart-rate up but also help you drop your blood pressure and boost your immune system. Depending on the intensity of your workout, single hour of yoga can help you lose anywhere between 180 and 600 calories. Isn’t that amazing?
Here are five yoga poses to help you lose weight
1. Utkatasana
Start by standing on a yoga mat with your back straight and feet together. Raise your hands to the ceiling with your palms facing each other, and bend your knees. Keep bending them till your thighs are parallel to the ground. It’s exactly like if you’d be sitting on a chair… except this pose is without a chair.
The idea is to keep your back straight so that it is also 90 degrees with your thighs. If you cannot do it freestyle, lean against a wall. Hold this position for 60 seconds while breathing deeply.
Utkatasana is great for weight lost because it helps burn calories from the largest muscle in the body: your glutes
2. Utthita Ashwa Sanchalanasana
From Utkatasana, stand up without dropping your arms. Inhale deeply as you stretch out your left leg behind you as you would in a lunge position. Arch your back backwards and hold this position for ten counts. Inhale and exhale normally as you count. Repeat with the other leg.
Utthita Ashwa Sanchalanasana helps workout the entire body and helps burn calories since your body is working to balance itself on one foot.
3. Setu Bandha Sarvangasana
Lie down on your back with your knees bent and feet hip-width apart. Make sure that your knees and ankles are in the same line and your feet are flat on the floor. With your arms on the floor by your side and palms facing the floor lift your buttocks, hips and back till your chest touches your chin. Hold this position for 45 to 60 seconds.
Setu Bandha Sarvangasana doesn’t just help tone your calves, thighs, back, and glutes. It also helps fire up your metabolism.
4. Halasana
Come back to the ground after Setu Bandha Sarvangasana. From this position you can go into Halasana. Inhale as you rise your legs in the air all the way to the ceiling. Hold this position briefly. Then push your legs over your head till your toes touch the ground above your head. Hold this position for 60 seconds as you breathe normally.
Halasana helps regulate the blood flow to your thyroid gland which regulates your body’s metabolism. It also helps burn calories as various parts of your bodies are stretched in this process.
5. Salamba Sarvangasana
Move from Halasana to Salamba Sarvangasana, which is the position you were in when your legs were pointed to the ceiling. Don’t bend your knees and hold this position for up to three minutes. Salamba Sarvangasana also stimulates the thyroid gland, which is responsible for the body’s metabolism.
