Do you want to lose weight, but not in the usual way of lifting weights or sweating at the gym? And you want to make your body flexible in the process? Then the ancient yoga practice of Surya Namaskar is the one for you!
Surya Namaskar has been recognized as one of the most wonderful and simple techniques of losing weight. It is ancient, powerful and something that has been practiced for many centuries. This makes the body flexible, fit and strong. Most experts have stated that Surya Namaskar also boosts metabolism and helps in building lean muscles. Hardly you find a workout these days that delivers such amazing results in a short time!
So, without making any delay, let’s start with the ways in which you can lose weight using this amazing and ancient yoga technique!
What is Surya Namaskar All About?
Surya Namaskar is also known as Salutation to the Sun in English. It is a common sequence of 12 body postures. Each of these asanas is performed by stretching first, the right side of the body, followed by the left side. This causes a round of Salutation to the Sun. 12 rounds, ie a set of 24 asanas should be done. These asanas have phenomenal impact on the throat, chest, heart, stomach, intestine and legs. In simpler words, Salutation to the Sun or Surya Namaskar is a full body workout in itself. The postures in Surya Namaskar vary from flexion and bending to stretch muscles while continuously inhaling and exhaling rhythmically. For this, the yoga experts have called Surya Namaskar’s power yoga base. Power Yoga simply aims to achieve more health benefits in less time. So,
Like any other asana, Surya Namaskar should be practiced on an empty stomach. It is recommended to keep an interval of at least two hours between eating and performing the namaskar. The ideal time to practice Surya Namaskar is during the early morning and this should be carried out facing the rising sun. Surya Namaskar aims to align your mind, body and soul. The 12 asanas are performed rhythmically in a sequence and need to be synchronized with your breathing. And now for the details on the Surya Namaskar calorie burn.
How to make Surya Namaskar to lose weight?
In order to lose some weight with the help of Surya Namaskar, incorporate the following steps into your daily schedule. This should definitely be of some use!
1. Learn all the steps that fall into Surya Namaskar. There are twelve poses in total and you need to perform them accurately. It is important to learn how to make Surya Namaskar the right way if you want to lose weight. It will take you from about 30 minutes to an entire hour to complete all the poses at once.
2. You need to perform the steps every day at the same time. This will help you to lose weight faster. If you would like to stay motivated during the yoga routine, try gentle and gentle music. Make sure it is not something too loud or funky. Classical music would be a great choice in this case.
3. You should perform the steps at a slow and steady pace. If you have just started learning about yoga, it would take about 15 days to perfect all the poses. This will also allow you to build strength and stay slimmer faster than you think!
4. Once you’ve built enough strength, increase the number of spins you make! You can practice Surya Namaskar for about six days a week and do a total of 12 rounds.
5. You should finish your practice with 5 minutes of stretching exercises or relaxation poses like Shavasana.
Calorie Burned In Surya Namaskar:
Studies have shown that a minute of Salute to the Sun helps burn calories 3.79. Through research, it has been shown that a full round of Surya Namaskar takes approximately 3 minutes and 40 seconds to complete. Therefore, the calories burned in 1 Surya Namaskar can be up to 13.91 calories. This result may, however, vary from person to person, depending on their respective body weight and other attributes.
It is a known fact that one pound of fat equals 3,500 calories. So if you want to reduce about one pound every week, you should burn about 250-500 calories per day. Using these numbers, an average-weight individual should perform.
Yoga beginners usually start with four rounds of Surya Namaskar which start it burning about 55 calories. The count should be increased gradually keeping in mind your body capacity. 12 rounds of Surya Namaskar burn about 156 calories which is equivalent to doing rigorous exercise in the gym for an hour. Some yoga experts even practice 100 namaskars in each session. However, you should strictly refrain from overdoing the asanas. Count your ideal Surya Namaskar for burning calories should be considered given your heart rate, stamina and strength. Since the postures in Salutation to the Sun can be improvised, depending on the individual body type, it can be started by anyone who wants to lose calories quickly. However,
Tips to remember:
There are also some tips that you can remember while practicing Surya Namaskar regularly. This will definitely help you lose weight fast!
1. Try to practice Surya Namaskar in the morning. Your stomach is empty during the early hours of the morning and according to yoga experts- you should not consume anything for about 4 to 5 hours before Surya Namaskar.
2. Each round of Surya Namaskar will burn a total of 10 calories. This way you can easily burn about 145 calories in a forty minute routine.
3. You should be running all the moves slowly. Remember to be funny. Do not slow it down too much.
4. Before you begin, do a couple of warm-ups. This will help you ease into the yoga routine and prevent injury.
5. You could sing the Surya Namaskar mantra if listening to music is not your thing.
6. If you want quick results, do six sets of Surya Namaskar. This will make your body flexible and build strength. 108 rounds should be more than enough to shed extra pounds. However, do not strain yourself while you practice. Yoga is not supposed to make you feel stressed or tense.
Surya Namaskar or Salute to the Sun is not just practiced to burn calories. It offers a number of other benefits like improving muscle flexibility, strengthening the quadriceps, back and upper body, increasing respiratory capacity, improving cardiovascular function and stimulating the digestive system. It also gives relief from mental tension, stress and emotional anxiety. To summarize, Surya Namaskar is the mantra to stay quiet, healthy and fit.
Yoga has existed since time immemorial, and nothing can be wiser than opting for it to reduce weight!
