Thursday, July 2, 2009

Yoga for obesity


Are you overweight? Running out of money after spending in weight loss programs? Still wondering how to reduce? Then you have clicked the right site which discusses the god-sent form of exercise, Yoga, to reduce weight naturally.
This ancient form of exercises began in ancient India many thousands of years ago. Once considered a lost art, it has slowly regained its prominence and popularity and has now spread far and wide from the lands of its origin. In fact yoga is even more relevant in our modern lives than ever before. It has been helpful in controlling various pains and diseases and found to be very effective in keeping the body fit.
Obesity is the excessively high amount of body fat in relation to lean body mass. It originates when the calorie intake is greater than the amount of energy the person burns. The root cause of Diabetes and other serious medical conditions is Obesity which has affected 60% of the American population.

Obesity may be caused by genetic factors, though some psychological, environmental, and some other factors also play a role. Obesity may run in the family or may be caused by lack of activity or a sedentary lifestyle. Some people also eat as a way to cope with some psychological disturbance. Other cases are due to binge eating or the feeling that one cannot control how much he is eating. Illnesses like depression and certain neurological ailments can also lead to overeating.

Obesity is highly preventable through proper diet, exercise and lifestyle change. Yoga Lifestyle is most suitable to facilitate treatment of overweight. The Yoga principle i.e Healthy Diet and the practice of the Asanas helps to balance the endocrine system, tone the abdominal organs, stimulate both the nervous and circulatory system, and reduce stress. Yoga also helps one to gain a better understanding of ones self, leading to acceptance and appreciation which will help eliminate the psychological reasons for Obesity. The practice of Yoga deals with all the aspects of an individual- the mind, body and spirit, giving a person control over his mind and body and making the effect is more permanent than other techniques.

Yoga definitely has an important role in obesity treatment. There are various yoga postures that specifically help in reducing body weight and restoring healthy conditions of the mind and body. Certain postures such as the fish posture and shoulder stand, specifically influences the thyroid gland, helping in converting fat to energy, resulting in increased muscle tone and better vitality. Also postures such as bending forward, backward twisting, etc., help in toning up the abdomen, hips and waist. When such postures are practiced several times regularly, it naturally leads to weight reduction.

Here, we wish to discuss some basic Asanas or Yoga Poses for Obesity

Sun Salutation or Surya Namaskara, has a profound effect in obesity management. Practicing Sun salutations regularly will help in toning up the muscles and internal organs, stimulates blood circulation and improves breathing, along with relaxing the mind. The practice of Sun salutation is a sequence of 7 asanas practiced in order which tones almost all of the muscles and also internal organs are stretched increasing blood & oxygen supply to these parts. Regular practice of sun salutation with breathing gives good exercise to the lungs.


Pawanamuktasana(Wind Liberating Pose)


This asana regulates the wind in the body. It brings the wind down, so that it can be easily exhausted through the anus. The wind then does not cause disorders in the stomach, and constipation is also relieved. It also helps in keeping away the diseases of the lungs and the heart. Obesity and excessive fat of the abdomen also diminish.

Keep your hands by the side of your body in a supine position. While inhaling, raise both your legs to 90 and bend them at the knees.
Make a finger-lock with both your hands around them, a little below the knees. While exhaling, bring your thighs close to the chest by contracting the abdominal muscles. Maintain this posture for a few seconds.
Then return to the original posture in the reverse order as Ardha Pavan Muktasana. Repeat the asana three to four times.

Shava Asana (Corpse pose)

Shava Asana (Corpse pose) allows you to mentally reach out to every part of your body and help it to relax. Those who have tried this technique for the first time have been truly amazed at the sense of deep relaxation that this magical Asana induces. The best part is that it doesn’t involve any complicated procedures. All the Shava Asana requires you to do is to lie on your back with your eyes closed and then slowly focus your mind on different parts of your body in order to make them relax.

Sukhasan



This asana is performed by sitting with the sit-bones on the front edge of a firm cushion or folded blanket. The hips should be elevated 4-6 inches. Cross the legs inwards starting with the left leg in first and then the right leg. Allow the knees to separate, crossing the shins and sliding the feet under the opposite knee. Maintain a comfortable gap between the feet and pelvis.
Secondly, rest the palms on the knees. Begin to find balance over the pelvis. Come lightly forward onto the sit-bones preventing the body from leaning back and rounding the spine. Keep the bottom front ribs slightly pulled down as the sit-bones begin to reach down into the cushion. Discover the feeling of neither arching forward nor leaning back, but simply balancing the spine over the pelvis.
Now, you can feel the thighs roll outwards and the knees move down towards the ground. Then, inhale and lift up through the spine through the top of the head. Exhale and relax the shoulders. Broaden the chest and collar bones without becoming hard between the shoulder blades.
Relax and close the eyes. Very slightly, you can lower the chin without excessively tilting the head forward. Relax the facial muscles, the jaw, and the nostrils. Allow the tip of the tongue to touch the roof of the mouth at the back of the front teeth.
Moreover, breath slowly through the nostrils for as long as it is comfortable watching the rhythm of the breath. Maintain the sensation of grounding through the sitbones and hips as the spine lifts lighter. To exit, straighten the legs forward and give them a shake. Repeat crossing the legs the opposite way.

Halasana



Halasana is a very important asana as it relieves constipation, and improves digestion. It keeps healthy thyroid and parathyroid glands and helps in preventing diabetes mellitus.
Lie flat on the back with the arms straight and beside the body, palms facing downwards. Keeping the legs straight, slowly raise them to the vertical position above the body. Only use the stomach muscles to raise the legs. Do not use the arms. Simultaneously, bend the trunk upward, hip first. Slowly lower the legs over the head and touch the floor with toes of both feet. Keep the legs straight, bend the arms and place the hands on the back as in sarvangasana. Relax the body. Remain the final pose for a comfortable period of time
Matsyasana – It is commonly known as the ‘Fish pose’. It exercises the chest, tones the nerves of the neck and back. Performing the Fish Pose also expands the rib cage fully, increasing your lung capacity and aids in deep breathing. Doing the Fish Pose also relieves the stiffness of your neck and shoulder muscles.
Lie on your back on the floor with your knees bent, feet on the floor. Inhale, lift your pelvis slightly off the floor, and slide your hands, palms down, below your buttocks. Then rest your buttocks on the backs of your hands (and don’t lift them off your hands as you perform this pose). Be sure to tuck your forearms and elbows up close to the sides of your torso.
Inhale and press your forearms and elbows firmly against the floor. Next press your scapulas into your back and, with an inhale, lift your upper torso and head away from the floor. Then release your head back onto the floor. Depending on how high you arch your back and lift your chest, either the back of your head or its crown will rest on the floor. There should be a minimal amount of weight on your head to avoid crunching your neck. (For more about this, see the Beginners Tip below.)
You can keep your knees bent or straighten your legs out onto the floor. If you do the latter, keep your thighs active, and press out through the heels.
Stay for 15 to 30 seconds, breathing smoothly. With an exhalation lower your torso and head to the floor. Draw your thighs up into your belly and squeeze

Pranayama



Pranayama is very important technique in yoga which is control and extension of Prana or Vital energy or Life force. Kapalbhati, Bhasrika & fast breathing can be practiced by people suffering from obesity with good effects; these Pranayama techniques increase the lung capacity and help burning fats. Regular practice of Pranayama brings balance in the system in terms of Physical and Mental functions.
Agnisar

It helps in getting rid of the abdominal fat and stream line the digestive system. Fast movement of abdominal muscles in and out, is very good exercise to get rid of the accumulated fats in the abdominal region also it helps in streamlining Digestive system.
Sit on Padmaasana or Sukhasana in a well ventilated room free from any distractions. Keep the waist, back, neck and spine erect. For the beginners, you can sit on a chair or sit cross legged on the yoga mat keeping your back, neck and spine erect.
Inhale and fill your lungs to maximum capacity. Hold your breath and practice Moolbandh (Contracting the anus muscles upward towards the large intestines).
Exhale slowly. Now while holding your breath pull your abdomen muscles (navel) inwards towards your spine, then release your abdomen muscles. Without inhaling keep on doing this flapping movement for the stomach as long as you can hold breath. Keep holding the Moolbandh while you are flapping the abdomen muscles.
Release Moolbandh and inhale.
Practice this for 2-3 times. Gradually increase the repetitions.
Yoga positions or postures are especially useful to reduce the fats in various parts. Increase in weight is a gradual process. The weight doesn't increase suddenly. We may overlook this, as this increase is not noticeable initially. But beyond certain limits this overweight may become reason for various diseases like Hypertension, Diabetes, Heart problems. So we need to control the weight from the beginning. Controlling one’s diet by intake of more raw fruits, and vegetables and avoiding processed food along with regular practice of yoga, has helped many individuals in dealing with obesity the right way. Regular practice of Yoga can certainly reduce the obesity and weight loss

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