Ever since we’ve had to sit in front of our screens for hours every day, and to be fair, even before the pandemic, our increasing weights have been one of our primary worries or concerns on our minds.

While it is true that high-intensity cardio workouts are the most recommended when it comes to weight loss, did you know that there are yoga asanas that can help you shed just as much, if not more, fat in a shorter period WHILE also helping your mental health?

Keep scrolling for a list of 6 effective yoga for weight loss and try to add them to your daily workout regime:

• Plank pose/Chaturanga Dandasana

This asana engages the abdominal and arm muscles, improves digestive function and boosts the metabolic rate. And so, practising it diligently and correctly will result in a well-toned abdomen and biceps. There are also different variations of this yoga for weight loss, such as the forearm plank pose side plank pose that can target and focus on other muscles.

• Shoulder stand pose/Sarvangasana

Something we all did as children, its countless advantages unbeknownst to us. This yoga for weight loss strengthens your upper body and boosts the digestive function to its optimal level, resulting in a higher metabolic rate. This asana also helps with the issues of the thyroid gland that may be causing an increase in weight.

• Warrior pose/Virabhadrasana

This asana is an excellent yoga for weight loss as it targets the thigh muscles, shoulder, upper back, and arm and belly muscles. It helps melt excess fat from those areas and strengthens and tones them. In addition to these benefits, it is an effective way of improving balance and focus. Again, different variations of this pose too are available, so you can with whichever one you are comfortable with.

• Downward Dog Pose/Adho Mukha Svanasana

This pose where your body makes an inverted V shape helps burn calories faster. Arm fat is one of the most difficult to shed, but practising the Adho Mukha Svanasana for at least a month will start to reduce the accumulated fat and effectively tone your arms. The asana also heals headaches and improves sleep quality.

• Triangle pose/Trikonasana

This yoga for weight loss will target the strip of fat around your belly and waist, burn it, slender it down, and help build muscle mass. Doing this pose daily will increase blood circulation and optimize all the working systems in the body- digestive, respiratory, and cardiovascular. More flexible hamstrings and toned thigh muscles are also among the benefits of this pose.

Even though it shouldn’t, our weight and appearance primarily affect our self-confidence, affecting how we interact with the world. You can practice these yoga asanas regularly to effectively shed the excess fat and tone and strengthen your muscles, which will lead to a boost in immunity.