Yoga Health Secrets

Yoga for obesity and weight loss

The next posture for reducing abdominal fat is called THE TRIANGLE BEND.

1. Stand erect with your hands clasped together behind your back. Your feet should be far apart with your knees straight.

2. Inhale slowly and at the same time turn your torso, from the waist upwards, slightly to the right. Continue with your inhalation as you bend your head slowly until your forehead touches your right knee. Your hands should still be clasped behind your back. I have demonstrated the position in figure 38.

3. Remain in this position for as long as you comfortably can without exhaling, and when the impulse to exhale appears do so, at the same time slowly straightening up.

4. Repeat the movement to the other side, bending your head towards the left knee.

That is the Triangle Bend. Repeat it twice each way at first but when you are limbered up you can perform it up to half a dozen times. Did I hear some of you say ‘impossible’. I’ll admit that if you are very stiff, or very much overweight, the Triangle Bend may well seem so, but again I must ask you to practise it, without straining, and you will soon be pleasantly surprised at how easy this exercise really is. It reduces fat on the abdomen, waist, and thighs.

And now for another posture which has a similar name. This is TRIKONASANA or THE TRIANGLE POSTURE, and you may find it easier than the previous one. It is one of the most effective Yoga asanas for reducing fat round the waistline, the hips, the upper arms, and the thighs, and it should present little difficulty even to the beginner.

Trikonasana

1. Stand erect, feet far apart, and your arms extended sideways at shoulder level. This is the starting position as in figure 41.

2. While keeping your head in the same position (that is not turning it) bend slowly to the right until your right hand touches your right foot. You will have to bend your right knee a little to do this and at the same time your left leg should remain outstretched to maintain balance.

3. Your left arm should be gradually brought up and over your head as far as possible, as I have demonstrated in figure 42.

4. Remain in this position until you have completed your inhalation.

5. When the impulse to inhale appears do so and at the same time slowly return to the starting position. Repeat this exercise to the other side.

The most important feature of this exercise is the gradual increase of the stretch of the free arm, which should be brought over farther and farther each time you practise this exercise. It should be performed four times a day at first and when you become more flexible it can be performed up to a dozen times a day. The accent is on slow and rhythmical movement, as this exercise is much more beneficial to the health and the figure when performed slowly and gracefully. The breathing should also be carefully timed to coincide with the appropriate movements. Trjkonasana is not a very strenuous posture but all the same I do not advise it for women with any kind of internal disorders or for people suffering from hernia.