Yoga is a form of exercise that helps you cleanse the body and mind in the spiritual sense. One can get rid of stress and negative impressions that could have accumulated in the mind in the past. Activities like Pranayama are good for calming the mind. The added benefits of Yoga are improvement in your balance and flexibility and it will make you healthy.
Here are the reasons why yoga is defined as a science and as a system of knowledge:
Methodical: Yoga requires a procedure or a method that needs to be followed
Based on evidence: The experiences that come with Yoga validate the methods
Repeatable: For anyone who follows the procedure, the evidence is the same
Spirituality can give a person the strength to manage stressful situations. When Spirituality and Yoga are combined, inner peace travels outwards. You reach a point where you can understand, emit, and learn to receive the feelings like sharing, caring and love. One will get rid of your mental and physical fatigue at once.
One of the best ways to explore your core and consciousness is when you combine yoga and spirituality. As a result of this, one can find that ever-eluding peace of mind. The practice of yoga and meditation have proved to be a powerful combination and many enthusiasts practice it simultaneously by rounding their yoga routine with meditation. Spirituality gives a sense of inner strength to manage difficult situations and to keep smiling.
Today, everyone is advertising Yoga with an incredibly long list of benefits, but the real strength is this deep purpose of yoga is the ability to reunite oneself with their higher self. It is a way through which your body, breath and mind align and bring unparalleled clarity and peace of mind to you.
Cleaning comes as an indirect feature of Yoga. A messy environment can stress the mind. It’s not only about cleaning but also decluttering the environment. This requires you to follow the process of throwing away anything that isn’t of your use or if it doesn’t make you happy. This process, in a way, is a process to relax you and help you feel more confident, energized, motivated and so on. Once you start feeling this way, spirituality will come to you with more ease than ever.
Yoga needs to be practised regularly and it requires one to seek to become aware of the spirit, energy and spirituality. A person’s spirit is their consciousness and their driving force. If you are aware of this strong energy, you are on the right track.
Let go of all control. Spirituality isn’t a track to arrive you to where you want to go rather it always leads you where you need to go. Yoga, on the other hand, isn’t a tool to get rich, find love or get a better job. It will lead you to the path of realisation that there is no such thing in life as the perfect day or a perfect life in general. Problems will always exist and many people around you will be rude, angry or hateful. It teaches you to hang on to your positivity and remain calm.
If one isn’t able to start on their own, you can choose our yoga classes online. It is a journey your future self will thank you for. Yoga and spirituality would be the highest form of self-awareness.
The onset of the COVID pandemic marked the beginning of the Yoga trend around the globe.
Thousands of people, including many celebrities, took to social media to share their yoga postures, practices and shared weight loss poses for beginners. There are immense yoga benefits for health.
According to a recent survey, practicing Yoga has tremendously helped people sustain their mental health and stay optimistic.
Not only this, Yoga postures have been enthusiastically practiced in countries like the US and UK, where these exercises were rarely undertaken.
So, what has inspired so many people to jump back to this millennium-old practice and make it an indispensable part of their routines?
Well, this and many more questions will be answered as we move ahead with defining Yoga and its health benefits.
What is Yoga?
The literal meaning of the word ‘yoga’ derived from its Sanskrit roots is ‘union’. It’s the union of mind and body by the use of breath.
This word, yoga, which is now so much familiar to us, was first mentioned in ancient sacred texts called Rig Veda.
Yoga is among the six philosophy schools in Hinduism and is also a significant part of Buddhism and its meditation practices.
With time, Rishis(sages) redefined and developed yoga with their practices and experiences.
It is believed that Yoga originated in northern India some 5000 years ago.
Yoga is not just a collection of a few postures that can refresh you, but a whole different lifestyle, a whole different experience. Yoga is practised at physical, emotional and spiritual levels because of powerful yoga benefits for health.
Yoga Benefits for Health and some weight loss yoga poses for beginners
Yoga benefits for health are unimaginable. The ancient practice has so much to help with stability, flexibility, strength and balance.
A review that looked into the yoga benefits for health found that Yoga has helped a lot of practitioners in weight loss, blood pressure reduction and cholesterol control.
Here’s a list that highlights the Yoga benefits for health and some Yoga postures:
Daily Practice of Yoga changes the brain’s chemistry and boosts mood.
Improves posture and eradicates back pain.
Within 3 months of Yoga practice, depression level decreases by approximately 50%.
Yoga reduces anxiety levels by over 40%.
Yoga improves mental peace and stability.
Daily Practice of Yoga increases intuition and self-confidence.
Yoga helps sustain energy and zeal throughout the day.
Fun Fact – The oldest Yoga teacher, Tao Porchon-Lynch, died at the age of 101 in Feb 2020.
To enjoy the above-mentioned Yoga benefits, you must practice it consistently. A 15 minute daily Yoga practice is enough to improve the quality of your life.
The answer to the question asked at the beginning of the blog might now be very obvious, given the meaning and the benefits of Yoga.
3 Basic Weight Loss Yoga Poses For Beginners
Yoga can be intimidating for some people who have been avoiding exercises and gyms for all their lives.
Yoga becomes much easier and comfortable when practiced in the right way.
Many practitioners start their Yoga journey with complex yoga postures and practices that make things worse for them, leading to injuries and fatigue.
Here, we discuss 3 basic poses that every beginner should start with.
Downward Facing Dog
The downward dog strengthens the upper body, releases tension in the spine and stretches out the back. This posture also stretches the hamstrings and calves. This is one of the best weight loss yoga poses for beginners because it reduces your fat from calves and upper body.
Two Knee Spinal Twist
This weight loss yoga poses for beginner stretches and relieves tightness in your chest, spine, shoulders, muscles, lower back and hip. It rejuvenates you, adding more energy and freshness.
Warrior II
This last of the three poses is for stability and balance. With every practice, you get better with balance as you tone the hip, back, thighs, butt and shoulder muscles.
Different Types Of Yoga Postures
Yoga has something for everyone. From gentle stretches to sweating it out, there’s a guaranteed type of Yoga that works for you.
These different types reflect different styles of yoga, both for the body and the mind.
Following are the 5 types of Yoga that the practitioners popularly know:
1. Chair Yoga
As the name itself suggests, Chair Yoga is a gentle practice in which the postures are performed while seated on the floor or on a chair.
Chair Yoga is typically practised by people with physical disabilities or aged men and women. This weight loss yoga poses for beginners, old aged people or the physically disable category are the best to give a gentle start.
It targets increasing stability and flexibility. When standing postures are included, the chair can be used for improved balance.
Chair Yoga helps in increasing concentration, focus and decreasing stress and anxiety.
Certain breathing techniques like pranayama and meditative techniques are included in Chair Yoga.
Following are the 5 Chair Yoga poses that you can practice anywhere:
Seated Cat-Cow
Seated Twist
Seated Forward Fold
Seated Chair Opener
Chair Hip Opener
2. Vinyasa Yoga
Vinyasa Yoga is commonly referred to as Flow Yoga. It is one of the most popular Yoga types in the world.
Vinyasa is a breathing initiated practice that targets to increase balance and flexibility.
The word Vinyasa comes from two fragments, ‘vi’ meaning variation and ‘nyasa’ meaning within the prescribed limits.
Vinyasa connects one posture to another with breath. That’s the reason why it is characterized as flow yoga.
Following is a 13 step Vinyasa Practice to rejuvenate your body instantly:
The Check-In
Cat/Cow
Downward Dog
Plank Pose
Low Plank
Cobra
Low Lunge
Hamstring Stretch
Child’s Pose
Bridge Pose
Fig 4 Stretch
Supine Single Leg Stretch
Rest
3. Hatha Yoga
The word Hatha can be thought of as sun(ha) and tha(moon), meaning Yoga for Balance.
Hatha Yoga is a practice of physical yoga postures, characterised and the word Hatha is also referred to as ‘willful’ or ‘forceful’.
There are many Hatha Yoga poses that target different body parts.
We have selected some popular as well as easy postures to suit practitioners at different levels.
Here are 7 basic Hatha Yoga Poses:
Tadasana(Mountain Pose)
Vrikshasana(Tree Pose)
Uttanasana(Standing Forward Bend)
Setu Bandhasana(Bridge Pose)
Halasana(Plow Pose)
Sirsasana(Head Stand)
Sarvangasana(Shoulder Stand)
4. Ashtanga Yoga
The word Ashtanga can be broken into two parts, ‘Ashta’ meaning eight and ‘anga’ meaning limbs.
The Ashtanga Yoga system was recorded by Rishi(sage) Vaman in the manuscript Yoga Korunta.
There are 8 parts of Ashtanga, as evident from its name. These 8 Limbs, as they are often referred to as, are as follows:
The first four limbs are considered external cleansing practices, whereas the remaining four are internal.
5. Bikram Yoga
Bikram Yoga is a type of Hot Yoga that Bikram Choudhary devised.
Hot Yoga means that Yoga is practiced in a room at a temperature slightly higher than the body temperature(41 degrees celsius).
Bikram Yoga consists of 26 fixed postures that are practiced on a matted floor and mirrored room.
This Yoga became popular in the early 1970s and spread rapidly across the US and the western world.
The 26 Poses of Bikram Yoga include postures like,
Half Moon Pose
Balancing Stick Pose
Triangle Pose
Tree Pose
Toe Stand
Cobra Pose
Sit Up, etc.
Bikram Yoga sweats you; it is best suited for weight loss and toning. Bikram Yoga also increases flexibility, balance and endurance.
How To Start Yoga as a Beginner | How to start with weight loss poses for beginners?
The most sought after question that troubles many is, “How can I start practicing Yoga as a beginner?”
Well, there are many types and styles that can help you start practicing Yoga at home. The blog discussed some of the major styles as well.
But, many beginners feel intimidated to practice Yoga on their own.
The 5 primary reasons that can hold you back from starting Yoga are:
Fear of injury or fatigue
Irregular Posture
Improper Yoga flow and asanas
Lack of knowledge about different Yoga poses and practices
Time management problem
These are prevalent issues beginners face and are often overlooked while practicing Yoga.
Younker Activity Hub, a yoga class in Pune truly believes that every problem needs to be addressed and worked upon.
Overlooking these issues will worsen the situation resulting in delayed or no benefits.
To help you overcome this dilemma, Younker provides trained professionals assisting people in practicing Yoga in the most gentle, fun and exciting way possible.
Younker has both online and offline programs to help you practice Yoga.
The programs offered by Younker will change your perception of fitness, with realizing that gyms and supplements aren’t the only way to stay fit.
The Younker courses are intricately designed to suit every Yoga practitioner who aspires to maintain a healthy body.
Let go of all control. Spirituality isn’t a track to arrive you to where you want to go rather it always leads you where you need to go. Yoga, on the other hand, isn’t a tool to get rich, find love or get a better job. It will lead you to the path of realisation that there is no such thing in life as the perfect day or a perfect life in general. Problems will always exist and many people around you will be rude, angry or hateful. It teaches you to hang on to your positivity and remain calm.
