15 Yoga Poses for Weight Loss – Lose Weight with Yoga

By Jola @YolaYoga | May 27, 2021

If you want to lose stubborn pounds and inches, you come to the right place. We will reveal in this article the top 15 Yoga Poses for Weight Loss. If you are a beginner on your journey of losing weight, then Yoga is a great place to start. Yoga will help you lose weight, feel better, strengthen and tone your muscles, and it will help you stay fit.

If you want to lose weight before we start, could you honestly answer these two questions:

1. Am I ready to change my lifestyle to lose weight?
2. Am I willing to commit to everyday yoga practice for the next 21 days?

If the answers to both of these questions are yes, then welcome aboard! You are ready for significant body and mind transformation!

Why Does Yoga Work for Weight Loss?

Yoga practice is not just physical stretches. Yoga also includes breathing exercises (pranayama), relaxation, and meditation. It works on many levels: physical, mental, and spiritual, and when practiced every day, it transforms the body and mind. That is why it is so important to stick to practice!

Yoga works holistically

When we think about weight loss, we often think about burning calories with high-intensity physical exercises and a low-fat diet. However, gaining weight usually means an imbalance that is caused by stress and lack of sleep. Yoga works for weight loss because it holistically brings balance on a physical, mental, and emotional level.

Yoga helps to lower stress and helps to relax

It is evident that Yoga poses burn calories. The most significant fact, however, is that yoga helps us to relieve stress! Perhaps this is the most important factor in helping to lose weight.

Study shows that yoga lowers cortisol levels – the stress hormone that may cause weight gain. 

Breathing exercises (pranayama) practiced with yoga poses have also been proven to relieve stress and promote relaxation. Study shows that regular yoga practice helps with emotional regulation, and improves sleep quality. All these above factors contribute to weight loss.

Yoga helps us with better food choices

The practice of Yoga increases self-awareness. As a result, we are more conscious about what we eat. That helps with healthier food choices. The cravings we have for food may vanish with yoga practice. Improved self-awareness could play a significant factor in losing weight

Yoga poses boost metabolism and burns calories

Yoga poses for weight loss, burns calories, and boosts metabolism. I have to admit I lost a lot of weight during the yoga program for weight loss. The key to fast results is to keep the practice consistent and commit to at least 30 minutes of yoga every day for at least 21 days. This is necessary to establish a routine that is hard to break. 

The sequence of 15 Yoga Poses For Weight Loss below is designed to burn calories and boost metabolism. For best results practice poses in the presented order and combine your practice with breathing exercises. End each session with relaxation and meditation. Remember to practice on an empty stomach – at least 2 hours after a meal.

Top 15 Yoga Poses for Weight Loss

1. Warrior I – Virabhadrasana I

• Stand at the front of your mat. Take a big step back with your right foot, align your heels, and square your hips. Turn your right foot slightly forward and make sure your left toes point straight ahead.

• Bend your left knee to a 90-degree angle so your left thigh is parallel to the floor. At the same time, press the right foot into the mat and keep straightening the right leg.

• Extend your arms overhead. If elbows are straight, then touch your palms together and look up. Spin your left rib forward to square off your chest with the front of the room. Repeat on the other side.

• Hold the position for 10 breaths and repeat on another side.

2. Warrior II – Virabhadrasana II

• Starting from the previous pose (Warrior I) turn your torso so it faces the sidewall of the room. Right toes to face forward and your left toes at a slightly in. Line up your front heel with the arch of your back foot.

• Keep your knee bent at a 90-degree angle. Press through the outer edge of your back foot and straighten the back leg.

• Raise arms to shoulder height and reach them forward and back. Keep your torso directly over your hips.
• Hold for 10 breaths and repeat on the other side.

3. Extended Side Angle – Parsvakonasana

• Starting from the previous pose (Warrior II) reach your front arm forward and place the elbow on the bended knee or place your hand on the outside of the front foot for a more intense stretch.
• Turn your top palm toward the front of the room and reach it forward alongside your ear.
• Open the chest towards the sidewall and look up.
• Hold for 10 breaths and switch the sides.

4.Triangle – Triconasana

• Begin with a comfortable wide stand. Turn your right foot 90 degrees out and your left foot slightly in. Bring the right heel in line with the left heel.

• On the exhalation shift your hips to the left and tilt your torso to the right while reaching to the right side as far as you can. Let your right palm come down to rest either on your thigh, shin, or on the floor. Reach straight up with your other hand. Keep the torso aligned with the hips. The back heel is pressing to the floor. Keep the knees straight and lift the kneecaps up. Gaze towards the raised hand.

• Lengthen through both sides of your waist. Bring awareness to the hip and side of the torso. Take 10 breaths. Repeat on the other side.

5. Half Moon – Ardha Chandrasana

• Start in the Triangle pose on the right side. Fix your vision at one point on the floor in front of your right foot and bend your right knee.

• Shift your weight onto your right leg, and straighten your right knee as you lift your left leg so it is parallel to the floor. Place your right hand on the ground or a block and extend your other hand straight up. Gaze first toward the floor. Later you can start turning the chest forward and gazing toward the top hand.

• While in pose flex your back heel and keep your neck in line with your spine. Take 10 breaths. To come out from position just bend the right knee and bring your back foot to the floor and come to the triangle.  Switch the sides.

Modifications: You can do this pose with the wall behind you for easier balance.

6. Warior III – Virabhadrasana III

• Stand at the front of your mat. Take a big step back with your right foot, align your heels, and square your hips. Turn your right foot slightly forward and make sure your left toes point straight ahead.

• Bend your front knee and lean forward 45 degrees over your front thigh. Engage your belly as you reach your arms forward alongside your ears. Pause there.

• Transfer your weight onto the front leg and lift your back leg.

• Your chest and arms are parallel to the ground. Flex through the lifted leg as if you’re trying to step on the wall behind you. Take 10 breaths and repeat on the other side.

7. Chair – Utkatasana

• Stand at the top of your mat.

• Bend your knees and drop your hips as if you’re sitting back in a chair.

• Reach your arms up alongside your ears. Lift your chest and look straight.

• Hold for 10 breaths.

8. Boat – Navasana

• Sit with the knees bent, heels in towards the buttock.

• With the hand holding the backs of the thighs just below the knees, lower the torso backward and slowly raise the feet to establish balance.

• when you are ready let go of your legs and straighten them. Stretch the arms alongside the knees.

• When in pose lengthen the spine all the way up through the neck, lower back bring forward, and lift the chest. Hold the position for 15 seconds and repeat after a short break.

9. Plank – Kumbhakasana

• Come to your hands and knees. Tighten your belly muscles so that your back is flat and parallel to the ground. Extend your legs behind you. Tuck your toes under so that you end up in a push-up position.

• Press the hands down evenly through all fingers. Straighten elbows and roll them out. Draw your lower belly in to avoid dropping your hips.

• Press your heels back as if you’re trying to step on the wall behind you. At the same time, draw your chest forward to lengthen your spine. Hold for 10 breaths. Repeat after a short break.

10. Bow – Dhanurasana

• To start lie facedown on your mat. Bring your forehead to the floor. Bend the knees and bring the heels toward the buttocks. Reach back and take hold of the ankles. Knees and heals should be parallel and kept apart.

• On the next inhalation press the legs into the hands lifting the lower half of the body. Then slowly extend the chin and raise the head, neck, and chest.

• Continue pressing the feet into palms and allow shoulders to release and arch the entire spine. Hold the position for 15-30 seconds.

11. Bridge – Setu Bandha Sarvangasana

• Lie on your back. Bend your knees. Place your feet flat on the ground, hip-distance apart and parallel to the side of the mat. Stack your knees directly over your ankles. Place your arms alongside you, palms face down.

• Inhale, press down into your feet to lift your hips up toward the ceiling.
• Roll your shoulders toward each other underneath you. Interlace your fingers. Open chest toward the ceiling. Engage buttocks. Hold for 10 breaths and repeat.

12. Shoulder Stand – Sarvangasana

Important Note: Do not do this pose if you have uncontrolled high blood pressure, hiatal hernia, neck injuries, recent surgeries, headache, eye or ear problems, or if you menstruate.

• Start by laying down on your back. Arms alongside the body on the floor. Bring both knees to the chest.

• Press down on the palms, inhale, hold your breath, and raise your legs up and overhead so they are parallel to the floor. Keeping the elbows in place put your palms against the lower back and raise both legs toward the ceiling. It is ok if the legs are at the angle first.

• While in pose bring awareness to the base of the throat. Hold the position for 10 breaths.

13. Fish – Matsyasana

This pose is recommended after Shoulder Stand.

• Begin by laying down on your back. Legs together. With both palms take a hold of the sides of the thighs.

• Place the weight on the elbows and without moving them sit halfway looking toward your feet. Tilt the pelvis forward and arch your lower back. Inhale and arch the upper spine. Exhale and bring the crown of your head to the floor.

• Maintain the expansion of the chest, feel the shoulders spread out, and breathe through the nose. Bring awareness to the throat area. stay in the pose for (20-60 seconds).

• To come out of the pose put the weight on the elbows. Inhale and lift your head and sit halfway looking toward your feet. Exhale and lower the back to the floor vertebra by vertebra.

14. Forward fold – Pascimotanasana

• Start in seating on the floor with legs straight in front of you. Inhale and reach your arms up alongside your ears.

• On an exhalation, hinge from the hips and start to reaching forward. Lead with your chest and do not round your back.

• When you can’t reach any further, let your hands come down either to the ground or the outside of your legs or clasp your feet. Hold the position for 10 breaths. Repeat after a short break.

15. Half Lord of the Fishes – Ardha Matsyendrasana

• Seat straight with legs extended in front of you. Bend your right knee and place your right foot over your left thigh and set it on the outside of your left leg.

• Bend your left leg and the heel toward right sit bone. Sit tall.

• Place your right hand behind you and lift left hand to the ceiling. As you exhale, twist to the right and bring your left elbow to the outside of your right knee.

• Repeat on the other side.

Let us know in the comments below how these yoga poses affected your body and mind.

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