Being physically lean and slim is the reason most people try to lose pounds. The second is that overweight and obesity are risk factors for any number of diseases and affect longevity.
Often, people would have tried fad diets, procedures, pills and exercises that promise to restore the waistline. And usually these measures would have proven ineffective and even harmful at times, leading to mal-nourishment and illness.
Yoga has time-tested and logical solutions for sustainable weight loss. Fat accumulates, more often than not, due to psychological reasons or stress, followed or accompanied by overeating, lack of exercise, and under-oxidation. Yogic practices can incrementally and cumulatively remove these underlying causes, and so also the belly fat. Yoga even has a practice that’s equivalent to working out in the gym.
THE MAGIC OF SURYA ANULOM-VILOM
A particular method that has helped a large number of obese persons achieve normal weight is given in the book Integrated Approach of Yoga Therapy for Positive Health by Dr R Nagarathna and Dr HR Nagendra.* It is the Surya Anulom-vilom Pranayama.
“This practice increases the metabolic rate and hence burns calories similar to physical exercise. This works by increasing the sympathetic activation. It can be done sitting anywhere, while travelling, or even if you can’t exercise because of pain in the legs or body. The recommended schedule is to do 27 rounds of this Pranayama four times a day (before breakfast, lunch, dinner and before going to bed),” the authors reveal.
Surya Anulom-Vilom or Right-nostril Breathing (According to Yogic concepts, our right nostril represents the Sun)
• Sit comfortably and adopt ‘Nasika mudra’ with the right hand.
• Close the left nostril with the little and ring fingers of the mudra.
• Inhale and exhale through the right nostril only (to activate `Surya Nadi’).
• One cycle of inhalation and exhalation forms one round of Surya Anulom-vilom.
• Do this 27 times, and follow with nine rounds of regular Nadi Shuddhi Pranayama (Alternate-nostril breathing) described below. Do this entire exercise four times a day.
Caution: If you have hypertension or any heart disease, are underweight, or are Rajasik by temperament i.e. action-oriented and energetic, avoid this sequence. Such people can skip Surya Anulom-vilom and practise as many rounds of Nadi Shuddhi alone.
Nadi Shuddhi Pranayama or Alternate-nostril Breathing
• Sit comfortably and adopt Nasika mudra with the right hand.
• Close the right nostril with the right thumb and exhale.
• Inhale deeply through the left nostril, then close the left nostril with the little and ring fingers, release the right nostril and exhale through it.
• Now, inhale deeply through the right nostril, then close the right nostril with the thumb, release the left nostril and exhale through it. This completes one round of Nadi Shuddhi.
• Do nine rounds.
THE IDEAL YOGA FAT-BURNING PACKAGE:
• Surya Namaskar at sunrise. This practise is ideal as it combines Asana and Pranayama. The effect is enhanced when a) it is done facing the Sun, and b) done along with chanting a mantra and names of the Sun God, before each round.
• Regular walks early morning to increase fat oxidation. Oxygen is maximum around sunrise, and the air also is free of pollutants.
• Surya Anuloma-Viloma as described above.
• Diet control and quality of food, an obvious step in any weight-control plan. Ensure the food plan is endorsed by a nutritionist and suits your body type and health status. It should have bulk, fibre, and all essential nutrients.
Diet has another interesting connection with fat: Sita Devi Yogendra in her book Yoga Physical Education for Women** mentions the role of improper elimination when it comes to fat accumulation. “The best way to fight fat is first to fight constipation itself,” she writes, citing from the clinical experience of more than half-a-century at The Yoga Institute Santacruz. Apart from a diet that includes green leafy vegetables and avoids poor-quality items that would lead to constipation, she suggests weaning off laxatives and substituting them with “suitable Yoga physical exercises that take good care of the mid-trunk.”
• Kriyas or Cleansing techniques. Cleansing the digestive tract is another way to keep constipation at bay. For overweight, usual prescribed Kriyas are: a) Vamana Dhouti (cleansing the stomach through inducing vomiting); b) Cleaning the intestines through Basti (enema) or Laghu Shankha Prakshalana (drinking warm saline water, followed by a set of exercises to move the intestines); c) Jala Neti (nasal irrigation with saline water) to reduce kapha, which is an important factor in weight-gain according to Ayurveda.
RELAXATION IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN FORCE
Those interested can also take up ‘Dynamic Asanas’ (energising movements with speed and repetition). These are good for children, young adults and those who are lethargic.
However, these are not essential for weight-loss. Relaxing asanas that are done without jerks and are effortless also help in reducing weight. Besides, they bring in energy, relaxation and stability, and these are the things that matter finally, even in weight reduction.
Note: This article is meant for information only; please remember to learn all Yogic practices from a trained Yoga teacher first.
*Integrated Approach of Yoga Therapy for Positive Health, Swami Vivekananda Yoga Prakashana; first published in 2008; Nagarathna R., Medical Director, Arogyadhama Holistic Health Center, Bengaluru and Nagendra H.R., Founder-Chancellor, S-VYASA Yoga University
**Physical Education for Women, The Yoga Institute, Santacruz, Mumbai; first published in 1934; Mother Sita Devi Yogendra
The author is a journalist, cancer survivor and certified yoga teacher. She can be reached at [email protected].
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