Yoga For Belly Fat

When you are looking to get rid of belly fat, lots of people believe that cardiovascular exercise is the only way of burning fat, but this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Yoga can help you lose belly fat and tone your body in a much better way than cardio alone. But how can yoga help to get rid of belly fat?

Yoga is known for being extremely relaxing and calming for both your body and your mind.

Despite the calming practice of yoga, it is very good at toning your body and reigniting muscles that you may not be using. It is also great for strengthening your core muscles, which are found in your stomach. 

If you are unfamiliar with yoga or are unsure what poses can help you to burn belly fat, this article will take you through the best yoga poses for belly fat.

Get ready to feel more confident, energetic, and stronger!

How Can Yoga Help Belly Fat?

As yoga can help strengthen your core muscles, this can burn belly fat to leave you with a more toned stomach.

Yoga has been proven to help reduce stress levels, which can help you to focus on exercise and healthy eating, but less stress can help you to feel more confident. 

Your core muscles are important muscles in lots of other forms of exercise as they help your balance and stability in sports like running and cycling.

Your abs are part of these core muscles, so working them out with yoga can help you to have a flat tummy.

What Yoga Poses Can Help Belly Fat?

Find out more about what yoga poses can help you burn belly fat.

You can practice these yoga poses at home or in the gym, and they are suitable for both beginners and people who are more advanced in yoga.

It is essential to not force yourself into the movements as this could cause you an injury, so only do what you can and work yourself up to the full movements. 

The Plank 

The Plank is an extremely well-known yoga pose, and it is often used as a warm-up exercise.

As it is very well-known, it is very common to see many people doing it in gyms across the world. The plank helps to increase strength, flexibility, and endurance. 

To start the pose, lie face down on the mat and position your hands by your shoulders. At your own pace, lift your body off the mat and straighten your arms.

You should be balancing on your toes and there should be a straight line from your head to your feet. Make sure that your back isn't hunched over and that it remains straight. 

You can hold this position for as long as you can, and you can begin to increase the time that you hold it. Keep your core muscles engaged throughout the pose to help maintain your balance and stability.  

One Leg Downward Dog

If you are looking to strengthen your abdominal muscles, the One Leg Downward Dog can help to keep your core engaged to strengthen muscles.

To complete the position, you will need to position yourself in the Downward Dog position.

Begin in the Plank position, and then lift your hips to the ceiling, keeping your legs as straight as you can. 

When you are in this pose, straighten one of your legs out behind you and lift it up. Next, bring that leg forward and bend your knee up to your chest.

Then, return your leg to being straightened out behind you. Repeat these movements a maximum of 10 times and then swap to the other leg. 

If you struggle to do the movements 10 times on each leg, only do them as many times as you can. You can begin to work towards increasing the number of reps that you do but focus on executing the movements properly. 

The Bow

The Bow pose can be difficult if you are not used to using your core muscles, but it is a very good position for strengthening them and beginning to activate your muscles.

For the pose, you will need to lie on the mat with your face facing the floor. Bend your knees and then hold your ankles with your hands. 

Once you are in this position, inhale and then lift your chest and thigh as far as you can off the mat.

Hold this pose for a minimum of 30 seconds and a maximum of 90 seconds. If you struggle to reach 30 seconds, only hold it for as long as you can.

You can begin to work towards holding the pose for longer. 

When you release the pose, exhale and come back to your starting position. 

The Cobra

The Cobra pose helps to strengthen your core muscles as you are relying on those muscles to hold you up and keep you balanced.

To start the pose, lie face down on your mat and keep your face facing the floor. Position your hands by your shoulders.

Keep your feet flat so that you are not being held up by your toes. The tops of your feet should be touching the mat. 

While inhaling, lift your upper body off the floor and hold this position for around 30 seconds.

Do not force yourself to hold this position for longer than you can as this could strain your back. Keep your hands off the floor to help strengthen your core muscles. 

All of your balance and stability will come from your core muscles, so this pose is a great way to keep them engaged and strengthen them. 

The Camel

The Camel pose can be a difficult pose to master if you are a beginner, but the more that you practice, the easier you will start to find it.

If you suffer from any back pain or back problems, then this pose will be unsuitable for you. 

To start, begin by kneeling on your mat with your legs apart as wide as your hips. Position your hands on your lower back and make sure that your fingers are pointing downwards.

Once you are ready, slowly lean backward so that your back is arched, and place your hands on your ankles. If you are not used to flexibility, this pose may take some practice. 

You need to make sure that your spine is straight and only lean back as far as you can.

Do not force your body back further than it can go as this could cause you a serious back injury. You will also need to be careful not to strain your neck. 

The Side Plank

The Side Plank is just as effective as a traditional Plank pose at getting rid of unwanted belly fat.

You need to have good balance and stability to execute this pose, so the strength of your core muscles is important in making sure that you can hold the pose. 

To begin, start in a Downward Dog pose and then shift your left foot to your right foot.

Begin to tilt your body towards the right, so you are balanced on your right arm with your left arm pointing towards the ceiling. Place inside your left foot on top of the inside of your right foot. 

Hold this pose for between 15 and 30 seconds, but do not force yourself to hold it for longer.

Once you have finished holding this pose on the right, come back to the Downward Dog Position. Once you are back in the Downward Dog position, you can repeat this pose on the left. 

Cautions

These poses are all effective in strengthening your core muscles and getting rid of belly fat, but it is important not to push yourself too hard, especially if you are new to yoga.

If you do not have good flexibility, you should never force your body into positions that you are unable to do just yet. 

Instead, start off by practicing the poses slowly and gradually build up speed and intensity over time. This will ensure that you are able to safely complete these poses without straining your body. There are several yoga for flexibility that you can perform to help you in this aspect. 

If you feel any discomfort while doing these poses, stop immediately. Do not force yourself through the pain, instead practice at a lower level. 

Final Thoughts

To conclude, there are lots of different varieties of yoga poses that can help you to lose belly fat and strengthen your core muscles.

These poses help to activate your core muscles and begin to strengthen them, resulting in helping you to lose belly fat.

By strengthening your core muscles, you will be burning belly fat as you will be toning up your stomach. 

Although yoga is great for relaxation, it helps to tone your body and help you feel more confident about yourself.

Yoga is one of the most popular forms of exercise out there today, which means that there are plenty of yoga poses available to you when looking to get fit and get rid of unwanted belly fat.