How To Make Lower Belly Flabby Pooch Smaller With Yoga

By Patricia | January 19, 2009
Yoga To Burn Abdominal Flab

The lower abdomen is actually hard to tone. Accumulation of fat first starts building up in this location and is most resistant in getting rid of the same. Yoga is excellent for toning abdominal muscles. Different postures make your body move to different directions which develop flexible strength. Pranayama or rhythmic breathing allows more oxygen into the body and rhythmic vibrations associated with pranayama also tone your body.

You can start your yoga practice with 3-5 rounds of Sun Salutation or Surya Namaskar which consists of 12 poses. Each pose stretches the body in a different direction and exercises every part of the body.

Here are the 12 poses of Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation)

  1. Stand straight and bring your palms together in front of your chest in a prayer position.
  2. Inhaling raise your arms over your head keeping your palms together.
  3. Exhale and bend forward till your hands touch your feet.
  4. As you inhale, without shifting the position of the palms on the ground, slightly bend both the knees. Lowering your posterior, stretch the right leg straight back and rest it firmly on your toe. Arch back and lift your chin.
  5. Exhaling and without bending your arms, now stretch the left leg back into a plank position. Keep your spine and legs in a straight line and support your weight on your hands and feet.
  6. Holding your breath, lower your knees, your chest and then your forehead keeping your hips up and toes curled under.
  7. Inhaling stretch forward and bend back. Keep your arms straight.
  8. Exhale and press your toes and hands on the floor. Bending your head, lift your hips as high as possible.
  9. Inhale and stretch your left leg backwards and place the toes firmly on the ground. Lift your chin and look up.
  10. Now exhale and bend forward till your hands touch your feet.
  11. Inhale and stretch your arms above your head, bend your upper body backward from the hip and come up to the standing position. Pull your arms backward along with your upper body without bending your elbows and knees.
  12. Exhaling gently come back to the standing position.

Relax and do the second round and then the third round. As you can make out, each posture counteracts the previous one and is the best all-round exercise for the body.

The other yoga postures that you can also do are:

Paschimottanasana (The Posterior Stretch): Sit straight. Stretch your legs. Exhale and bend your trunk and head forward from the waist and hold the toes with both hands, your forehead resting on your knees. Maintain the pose and breathe normally. Inhale and return to the original position.

Pavanamuktasana (The Wind Relieving Pose): Lie flat on your back. Exhale, bend both your knees and hold the shins with locked hands just below your knee. Press your thighs towards your lower abdomen. Exhaling raise your head up and touch your forehead to the knees. Maintain this pose and breathe normally. Inhale and return to the original position.

Ardha Salabhasana (The Half-locust Pose): Lie flat on your stomach, arms on your sides, palms facing upward close to your and chin on the floor. Inhale and raise your right leg up backward as far as you can. Exhaling lower the leg and come back to the original position. Now repeat it with the left leg.

Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Dog Facing Upward Pose): Lie on your stomach with forehead on the floor, feet apart and hands close to the waist with elbows bent. Raise and extend your head, neck, torso, abdomen, thighs, knees and legs completely by gradually strengthening the arms. Maintain this pose by resting only on the arms and extended toes. Push chest forward and tighten the hip muscles. Maintain this pose and breathe normally. Exhale and return to the normal position.

Naukasana (The Boat Pose): Lie flat on your back. Stretch your arms above your head. Your upper arms should be close to your ears. Inhaling raise your arms, head, neck, shoulders, trunk and legs all together at an angle about 60 degrees to the floor. The arms should be held straight at the same level with your toes. Focus on your toes. Your body will be balancing on the posterior, the posture resembling like a boat. Maintain this posture holding your breath. As you exhale return to the original position.

Savasana (The Corpse Pose): This is a relaxation pose. Lie on your back, feet slightly apart, arms slightly away from your sides with palms curling upwards. Close your eyes. Relax all your body muscles and each and every part of your body. Breathe normally. Relax your mind and be fully aware of your breath. Stay in this position for 5 minutes. Slowly become aware of your body parts and open your eyes.

You can practice all these yoga postures or can do them selectively. You can only practice the Sun Salutation Pose which is a complete exercise. However, without fail, practice Kapalbhati (The Cleansing breath) for 10 minutes every day which will eventually make your lower abdomen smaller. Forcible expulsion of your breath through your nose contracts your abdomen. You also need to have a balanced diet.

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