You want a flat belly ONLY!!!! Now this is an injustice to your body and don’t you think that a flat belly with bulges on the back and hip make you funny. It is true that a pot belly is an epicenter of many complications in the body and getting rid of it will make you feel better, but if something helps you in improving your body system and function then you will never regain the belly fat and thus you will get long lasting benefits. Yoga has the potential to drastically change your body and it is a holistic approach towards becoming fit. The regular practice of various yoga poses with proper breathing technique makes you lose weight, lit up your face, tone up the body muscles, reduces stress level and thus improves mental health.
List of Fitness Goals in 2020, You Must Follow as a Beginner
Here we will discuss about 12 power yoga poses for flat belly which helps you in getting overall fitness too:
Surya Namaskar (Sun salutation)
Surya Namaskar or sun salutation is a set of twelve poses and gives a full body workout by stretching the muscles of the body and thus makes you flexible, improves blood circulation and heart health, enhance the oxygen level in the body, and detoxify the system and burn calories. Surya Namaskar is more beneficial when performed in morning while facing the sun as it keeps you focused and energized throughout the day. The steps of Surya Namaskar are
Pranamasan (prayer pose)
Stand straight with feet together and palms pressed to each other in the middle of the chest, fingers pointing upward and thumb closer to the chest like an Indian greeting “Namaste”. Breathe normally.
Hasta Uttanasana (Raised arm poses)
Raise your hands and bend your body in an arch in such a way that your face pointed towards the sky. Breathe in deeply.
Pada hastasana (hand to foot pose)
Change the arched position by bending forward till your head comes closer to the knee. Place your hands flat on the floor on either side. Breathe normally.
Aswan-Sanchalan Asana (Equestrian Pose)
Breathe in and stretch your left leg while balancing it on toes and raising the heels. Your left knee should be touching the floor. Bend your right leg to bring it closer to the chest. Place your hands flat on the floor on either side and lift your head towards the sky.
Parvatasana (Downward facing dog pose)
Breathe out and stretch your right leg so it comes side by side with your left leg. Raise your hip while balancing your limbs on toes and hands so that your body makes an inverted “V”. Keep your head down and stay in this pose for a few seconds.
Ashtanga Namaskar (Salute with Eight Parts)
Breathe in and bring down your hip, but keep it on the air a bit above the floor in such a way that eight parts of your body i.e. chin, chest, two knees and feet touch the floor.
Bhujangasana (Cobra pose)
Breathe out and lift your upper body while keeping the other parts at the same place as in the previous phase. Raise your head towards the sky and support your upper body by stretching your hands while palms facing flat to the floor.
Now repeat the steps 1 to 5 in reverse order means from parvatasana to Pranamasana. Repeat the sun salutation cycle for other leg in steps 4 – 9 to complete one round of it. It means you have to perform 24 steps to finish one sun salutation. You can relax for a few seconds before the repetition.
Vinyasa
Vinyasa is a set of three asanas which flow into one another, and gives you a perfect workout. It speeds up your heart rate, tone up your arms and belly. It begins with the downward facing dog pose followed by a cobra pose and planks pose. This series focuses on the muscles of the body while practicing proper breathing technique. The steps of this series are:
Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward facing dog)
Lie flat on your stomach while keeping hands and legs stretched. Bring your hands closer to the sideways of the chest and lift the body a bit as we do in push up. Balance your legs on toes and palms facing flat to the floor. Raise your hip high in upward direction and thus making an inverted ‘V’ from the body.
Bhujangasana (Cobra pose)
Lower down your upper body with the help of your hands. Let your lower body touch the ground while lifting the upper body and hands, making 45 degree angle to the ground. Raise your head towards the sky. Hold this pose for five breaths.
Kumbhaksana (plank pose)
Breathe out and bring your head down and lift your lower body. Support your raised body by placing your hands perpendicular to the ground and balanced the raised legs on the toes.
Go back to the first pose and repeat the cycle for five times and you can increase the reps when you get proficient in it.
Utkatasana (chair pose)
This exercise targets various muscle groups of the lower back, spine, hips and chest and strengthens them. It tones up the thighs, shape up the buttocks and melt down the fat deposits. Don’t try to do this pose if you have knee or back injury, insomnia or frequent headaches. The steps to do this exercise are
- Stand straight and fold your hands in the form of Namaste in front of you
- Bend your knees in such a way that you are sitting on a chair
- Raise your hands above your head
- Bend your torso a bit forward and hold the position
- To get back to the original position, bring down your hands and straighten your knees
Naukasana (Boat pose)
This exercise targets the back and abdominal muscles and tone up your limbs. It also strengthens the lower and upper body, enhance the stamina and cut down the belly fat. To perform this pose you have to do these steps
- Lie down flat on your back with feet together and hands straight beside your body
- Breathe in while lifting your chest and feet off the ground at the same time to an angle of ten degrees.
- Make a V shape with the body by maintain a straight back.
- Get back to the original position by bringing down the lower body and then the upper one.
Top 3 Postures/ Asanas in Yoga for Reducing Weight and Increasing Stamina
Setu bandhasana (Bridge poses)
It targets the abdominal muscles along with the hip flexors and spine and tone up the muscles of arms and legs. It also reduces the fat deposits around the tummy and shapes it up. It is the best workout for neck pain and it also helps in improving digestion, stimulating thyroid hormone and rectifies kidney functions. Here are the steps to perform this exercise
- Lie down flat on your back with feet together and hands straight beside your body
- Raise your middle body by lifting your torso and bending your knee.
- Balance your lower body on your toes and keep your hands flat on the floor
- Hold this pose for five breaths
Kumbhakasana (plank pose)
This is the simplest but most effective among yoga poses. It works on your arms, shoulders, back, buttocks, thighs and ABS. It makes them strong and perfect shapes them up. It can be performed in these steps
- Lie straight on your stomach
- Bend your feet and place your hands near your face
- Push off the ground and raise your body an inches above the floor
- Balance your body on hands which are perpendicular to the floor and your toes.
- Hold this position as long as you can but you should feel the tightening of the abdominal muscles
- Keep your fingers close together
- Don’t hold this pose for too long as it can strain your wrist.
Virbhadrasana (Warrior pose)
This exercise works on the arms, shoulders, thighs and back muscles simultaneously. It enhances the stamina and treat back problems. The steps of this pose are
- Stand straight by placing your legs at a distance means left leg bent at right angle to the floor in front of the body and left leg stretched behind the body.
- Lift your hands up by stretching them upward
- Press your palms together in a Namaste and turn your torso to the right.
- Close your eyes and hold this position for 30 seconds
- Repeat the same procedure for the left side
- Stretch your abdominal muscles as much as possible
Second warrior poses
This pose is as much as effective like the first one it affects the tummy and legs, but a bit different than the former. It helps you in getting rid of your arm flabs. Steps for this pose
- Stand at a shoulder width distance
- Open your hands horizontally and parallel to the floor and palm facing the surface.
- Stretch your left leg while bending your right leg at the right angle.
- Hold this pose for 30 seconds
- Repeat the steps for the other side
Baddha Konasana (Cobbler’s pose)
It is the easy and simple yoga exercise which can be performed perfectly even by beginners. It targets the lower body, especially abdominal muscles and organs, inner thighs, knees and groin area. It has potential of curing asthma, infertility, depression and anxiety. Here are the following steps to perform this pose
- Sit down on the floor and keep your spine straight
- Bend your knees in such a way that your soles are facing each other
- Press your soles with your hands and hold this position for a minute.
Salabhasana (Locust pose)
This pose stretches the whole body ranging from the thorax to the abdomen, upper back, lower back and buttocks. Stretching of the entire body increases the strength, flexibility of the body while reducing the stress level. The steps of this pose are
- Lie down on your stomach and place your hands besides your body, palms facing downwards.
- Lift your legs up in the air without bending the knees while breathing in.
- Lift your torso and hands at the same time of rising of the legs.
- Hold this position for 30 seconds.
Ustrasana (Camel pose)
It targets the three difficult regions of the body which are also acting as storage of fats and these are the tummy, back and thighs. It also helps in increasing flexibility of chest, abdomen and neck muscles. This exercise can melt fat from almost any part of the body. The steps for this pose are
- Sit on your feet by bending your knees and keep your knees and calves together
- Hold your heel with your hands one after another
- Bend your upper body in an arched position with the head facing the sky.
- Hold this position for 30 seconds or more if possible
- Do it for 3 – 4 reps
- To come back in the original position, free your heels from your hands and bend your body forward in a slow motion.
Tadasana (Mountain pose)
This pose is very famous for its height increasing potential, but it also improves the blood circulation, therefore it is included as a warm up exercise in the yoga practices. The steps of this asana are
- Stand straight with feet together and hands placed close to the body in normal position.
- Bring your hands in front of you and press the palms together.
- Raise your hands above your head by keeping the palms joined together and stretch your body in an upward direction as much as you can.
- Lift your ankle and stand on your toes. If you feel difficulty in standing on toes, then you can stand with feet flat on the floor.
- Hold this position for a minute.
- Bring your feet and hands down slowly to get back into the original position.
Paschimottasana (Seated forward bend pose)
This pose is a tummy toner and also affects the muscles of hamstring, thighs and hips. This is a basic pose of Hatha yoga and very effective in curing digestive disorders as it improves the health of digestive organs. The steps of this pose are
- Sit on the floor with straight back and legs stretched in front of you
- Take a deep breath and raise your hands above your head without bending the elbow
- Breathe out and bend your upper body with arms still above the head. Try to touch the toes with your hands
- Your head should touch your knees and when you can feel your toes, then try to pull them backward. You will feel a stretch in your hamstrings.
- Hold this position for 30 seconds.
- Release your toes and rebound your body in the original position by pulling back the upper body in a sitting position.