Belly Fat? Try These Yoga Asanas For a Flat Stomach

With junk food and a sedentary lifestyle come a lot of health problems. The most common is belly fat. You should know that belly fat goes deeper than an extra layer of fat on your abdominal organs. It can also cause serious problems in the functioning of your kidneys, liver, and heart. Luckily there are some yoga asanas that can get you out of this problem.

Let us first understand what belly fat is.

What is Belly Fat?

Belly fat is more dangerous as it is having an extra layer of fat on your abdominals, known as Visceral fat. This form of fat lies deep inside your abdomen, surrounding the internal organs. Too much of belly fat can lead to hypertension, diabetes, and even death in severe cases. Fortunately, there are some yoga exercises to help you get rid of this extra layer of fat.

How Can Yoga Help Me Lose Belly Fat?

Burning extra calories through physical activity is the first step to lose belly fat. Yoga might not be as strenuous as a gym workout. However, there are enough studies to prove that yoga helps in weight loss.

In the case of belly fat, a major reason is over consumption of foods high in sugar content. Yoga helps you become mindful of what to eat and what to avoid. This helps you gain control over unhealthy eating habits. There are some yoga styles that can help you do this. You should practice yoga asanas to keep belly fat away. These also strengthen the abdominal muscles.

Yoga Asanas to Cut Belly Fat

It is time we check out the yoga poses that can help you lose belly fat.

1. Boat Pose

In the Boat pose you balance the body on the sitting bones. You lift both legs and upper body off the floor. This creates a contraction in the abdominal muscles and organs. Boat pose creates enough pressure for the belly to burn excess fat.

Steps to Practice

• Start with the seated position on the floor.

• Keep both knees bent. 

• Make sure both feet are flat on the floor.

• Let your torso fall back. Do not round your spine.

• Keep both legs straight at a 45-degree angle.

• Keep your torso as upright as possible to form a V-shape with your legs.

• Roll back your shoulders. Straighten your arms. 

• Keep them parallel to the floor.

• Keep both palms facing up.

• Try to maintain balance on your sitting bones.

• Try lifting your chest to support this balance.

• Hold the position for 5 deep breaths.

• Exhale. Release both legs.

• Inhale and sit up.

Note: Straighten your legs at a 45-degree angle without losing the integrity of your upper body.

2. Plank Pose

You practice the Plank pose by balancing your body on both arms and toes. Your palms and belly face the floor. It is one of the best yoga asanas to get a flat stomach. Plank pose tightens your stomach muscles. This yoga pose targets the entire abdominal region to burn off extra belly fat.

Steps to Practice

• Come on all fours on the yoga mat in the Tabletop position.

• Keep your shoulders over your wrists. Spread your fingers.

• Press both hands into the floor. Firm your upper arms.

• Draw your lower belly in and up.

• Extend one leg back with the toes tucked in. 

• Repeat the same with your other leg.

• Form a straight line with your body. Do so from head to heels.

• Slide down your shoulder blades along the spine.

• Firm your shoulders into the back.

• Press the space between both shoulder blades.

• Engage your thigh muscles. Lengthen your tailbone towards your heels.

• Push the floor away with both palms of your hands.

• Draw your legs together without moving them. It creates more core strength and stability.

• Look towards the floor slightly forward.  Relax your jaw.

• Hold this pose for 5 breaths.

Note: Come out of this pose by pushing yourself back into the Downward Facing Dog pose. You can also lower your knees and rest in the Child’s pose.

3. Downward-Facing Dog pose

The most popular of all the yoga asanas is the Downward Facing Dog pose. This yoga asana requires you to balance the entire body on your arms and feet. You can hold this yoga pose by engaging the core muscles which burns extra fat.

Steps to Practice

• Start in the Tabletop position on the yoga mat. 

• Keep your shoulders over both wrists and hips over your knees.

• Press both hands into the yoga mat. Tuck your toes under.

• Send your hips up towards the ceiling.

• Make sure your feet remain hip-width apart.

• Slightly bend your knees. 

• Tilt your hips upward. Lengthen your spine.

• Keep both heels down. Straighten your legs.

• Rotate your shoulder blades outwards and up.

• Create some space in the upper back. Make sure both biceps face forward.

• Let your head hang heavy. Look back towards your feet.

• Actively press into your hands. Engage the tricep muscles.

• Breathe. Tilt your hips up. Straighten your spine.

Note: Straighten your legs without compromising the position of your hips.

Conclusion

Belly fat does leads to a lot of health problems. Some of them are curable while others fatal. Join a certified yoga school to know the best yoga asanas that can cut belly fat.