How Sun Salutation Can Help with Weight Loss

Shedding the extra pounds can be very tiring. Whether you sweat a lot in a gym or manage to follow some impossible diet, fat keeps coming back. However, when it comes to the power of yoga, you can rest assured to have permanent results. Especially, Sun Salutations for weight loss can make you get back to your ideal physique. The 12 steps of Sun Salutation is practised around the world to get rid of the extra weight. When practised religiously, it has tremendous effects on your body and mind. Scroll down to know how exactly it should be practised to lose stubborn fat.

Steps to Do Sun Salutations For Weight Loss

To achieve your goals, you must first learn them from a certified yoga instructor. For that, you can join yoga teacher training, Rishikesh, India. However, Sun Salutation consists of the following steps:

• Stand straight. Fold your hands to make a prayer
• Breathe in and join your palms together to raise them in the air. Then bend a little backward to stretch the spine.
• Breathe out. Bend forward while keeping your legs straight to touch both hands on the ground. It will stretch the hamstrings and calves muscles.
• While taking your right leg forward, bring your left knee to touch the ground. Look forward while your left leg is between your palms.
• Breathe in and take the left leg to the back as well.
• While breathing out, lift up your hips. Keep your chest low to make a triangular pose.
• Inhale while bringing your right foot forward. The left knee should be touching the ground. Look up while holding the position.
• Exhale and bring your left foot forward while having the support of the palms.
• Lift both hands and join them. Rise up and bend backwards a little.
• Stand straight to relax your body.

The above given is the one cycle of Sun Salutations for weight loss. Also, the given steps need to be followed in the exact order. However, the pace can vary according to your yoga practice.

How to Lose Weight Through Sun Salutations

Follow these tips to weight fat and gain a decent amount of muscle mass.

1. You need to be precise while practising Sun Salutations for weight loss.
2. Include some warm-up exercises to avoid any injury.
3. Practicing this on an empty stomach can be a plus point.
4. Have a gap of at least two hours between the meal and the yoga practice.
5. Have a slow start so that you can learn the proper form. Over time, the time required to complete one cycle will decrease.
6. Complete at least 12 cycles of Sun Salutation per day for weight loss.
7. Cool down with Savasana pose
8. Listening to soothing music can amplify the effect of yoga.

Also read: Detailed Syllabus For 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training

What to Expect from Sun Salutations Practice

There can be a number of positive changes that you witness with regular yoga practice. A few of them is as below.
1. Improved strength & flexibility
2. Better circulation of blood
3. Increased lung capacity
4. Mindfulness
5. Calm & composed mind
6. Spiritual Awakening

Sun Salutation can therefore help you lose weight. With regular practice, you can have a well-built body. Your overall flexibility, range of motion of the muscles, joint health, and mobility improves. If you are a beginner and want to level up your yoga knowledge, you can join 200 hour yoga teacher training in Rishikesh, India.

You learn to be mindful when you practice yoga. In turn, you enjoy a stress-free life. All your worries seem to fade away when you learn to be aware of your thoughts. Your life is full of bliss and calmness with the regular practice of yoga.

Read more: Why You Should Join Yoga Teacher Training in Rishikesh?

Improved Strength & flexibility

Sun salutations are performed with a number of repetitions. So, your body continuously moves which makes your limbs strong and flexible. Furthermore, the forward and backward bending motion ensures your body is in perfect balance. Better flexibility, agility, and mobility ensure you remain injury-free and in the best shape of your life.

Better circulation of blood

Practising Sun salutations increases the flow of blood in your vital organs. Since your whole body is moving, it increases the heartbeat. Furthermore, Sun salutations work on your cardiovascular system that leads to sweating. Thus, to cool you down, your body increases the flow of blood that removes any nerve blockage.

Increased lung capacity

Constant movement while practising Sun salutations fastens your breathing. Hence, it improves the functioning of your lungs and heart. With better lung performance, it becomes easier for your body to function. Moreover, your vital organs get enough oxygen to enhance your overall performance.

Mindfulness

Sun salutations are a mindful practice. You remain closely in touch with your body and breath. Moreover, you learn to control your breath until your body moves in a particular way. Hence, you never get detached from your body while practising Sun salutations. Practising Sun salutations mindfully increases your mental cognition and other abilities.

Calm & composed mind

It is very obvious that when you practice Sun salutations mindfully, you no longer think about other things. Hence, your mind focuses on a single element that increases your focus and attention. Thus, you get a calm and composed mind. With a calm mind, you get better insight into things rather than perceiving them mindlessly.

Spiritual awakening

With consistent practice of Sun salutations, a yoga practitioner moves into the realm of spiritual awakening. Further, he or she gains a strong mind and body that are in perfect sync with each other. You also get in touch with your inner being. Moreover, practising Sun salutations raises your awareness.

To help you enjoy the numerous benefits of sun salutations, yoga experts have come up with some easy-to-follow tips. These will ensure you not just do sun salutations the right way but also reap its awesome benefits.

The Right Way To Do Sun Salutation

The tips mentioned below would help you do the Surya Namaskar without any hassle.

WarmUp Properly

Before you start with sun salutations, it would be better if you do a little Sukshma Vyayama. These would help remove the restlessness of your body and also loosen up the muscles for the exercise.

Carry An Attitude Of Gratitude

As the name suggests, Sun salutation is a ritual to pay respects to the Sun god. Make sure you do these with an attitude of being thankful rather than just another workout. It will help you reap the maximum benefits of this yoga exercise.

Do In The Right Direction

Many first time practitioners of Surya Namaskar get confused about which direction they should do the Sun salutations. Yoga experts recommend you face the East direction when doing Sun salutations in the morning and the west direction when doing it in the evening.

Practice Gracefully

If you want to accomplish more rounds with the Sun Salutations, you should do so with grace. Confused? This means you should pick up the speed but not force or jerk yourself from one asana to the next. Let all these postures flow gently from one to another.

Be Aware

An important element of doing Surya Namaskar the right way is to remain aware. The sun salutations can be energetic if you follow a good pace and awareness of breath. With proper awareness, you would be able to feel the flow of the energy in the entire body.

Breath Naturally

When you are starting with sun salutations, do so with normal breathing. Remember, your breathing should not be forced but gentle and effortless. This will also help you maintain harmony in every body movement.

Include Mantra Chanting

Sun salutations, when combined with mantra chanting gives a powerful effect on your body and mind. Moreover, this also increases your awareness and gives a profound spiritual experience.

FAQs

Q1) How Does Surya Namaskar help in losing weight?

Sun Salutation is said to be a complete body workout for weight loss. Yoga experts say that doing 12 sets of Sun Salutation translates into doing 288 powerful yoga poses, which means you will definitely reduce some unwanted weight.

Q2) How much weight can you lose by doing Surya Namaskar?

It is a good idea to do at least 12 rounds of Surya Namaskars on a daily basis. However, as a beginner, you should go slow and steady. That way you will burn around 139 calories.

Q3) Is Surya namaskar better than walking?

Yes. Surya Namaskar is better than walking as walking helps in improving the functioning of the heart and the lungs, while Surya Namaskara does it better.