The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Losing Weight and Staying Fit with Yoga

By Susan Miller and Linda Hogan

How to enhance your life through yoga, even if you've never set foot on a mat before.

Have you heard everyone raving about the powers of yoga? Do you see advertisements for classes everywhere and wonder if it could help you? Are you curious to find out if your mind, body, and spirit could benefit from the ancient form of meditation and exercise?

Yoga has changed the lives of millions, and it can do the same for you. All you need to do is start with the right guide.

Yoga for Beginners teaches you everything you need to know, from what to wear to your first yoga class, to how to use yoga to lose weight, and even some basic yoga routines to get you started.

In addition, you'll discover:

How yoga can relieve stress

What yogic breathing does for your body

The power of yoga in aiding your eating habits

Why a life without exercise is dangerous

The best yoga equipment to start with

How to do many poses such as warrior, tree, mountain, and many others.

You don't have to be in the best shape of your life to get started. You don't have to have all the equipment or know every pose. You just have to be ready for a new start.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Susan Miller
• Release date: Jan 13, 2021
• ISBN: 9781393087465

Book preview

The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Losing Weight and Staying Fit with Yoga

Natural and Essential Yoga Poses to Develop Your Self-Awareness, Strengthen Your Body and Become Stress & Anxiety Free

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Table of Contents

Introduction

Order in A Chaotic World

The Origin of Yoga

So What Is Yoga?

How to Start Practicing Yoga

A Few Words about Self-Study Yoga

Chapter 1:  Why Yoga?

The Philosophical Limbs

Myths of Yoga

Myth 1: Yoga Is Only For the Young

Myth 2: Yogis Don't Eat Meat

Myth 3: Yogis Are Ultra-Spiritual

Myth 4: Yogis Don’t Bother With Having Sex

Myth 5: A ‘Real’ Yogi Is Someone That Can Do Advanced Postures

Myth 6: When you meditate, silence of mind should be automatic

Health Benefits of Yoga

Magnifies Blood Flow

Helps You to Live Pain Free

Significantly Enhances Flexibility

Drastically Reduces Blood Sugar Levels

Turbocharges the Immune System

Kills Stress, Before Stress Kills You

Builds Laser-like Focus

Reduces weight

Chapter 2: What to Wear For Yoga

Yoga Clothing

Socks

Shorts

Tops

Colors

Materials

Yoga Equipment

Yoga Mat

Yoga Towel

Water Bottle

Face Towel

Change of Clothes

Shortlist of Recommendations

Material Recommendations

Wardrobe Recommendations

Recommended Accessories

Choosing Yoga Equipment as a Beginner

Bolster For Yoga

Yoga Brick

Yoga Belt

Yoga Blanket

Yoga Chair

Hammock for Yoga

Chapter 3: Yoga For Weight Loss

The Weight Gain Epidemic

Portion Sizes Fit For A King

Lack of Movement Is the New Norm

Yoga for Overall Health and Weight Management

Yoga and Mindfulness

Yoga and Eating Habits

Yoga and Better Sleep

Yoga and Calorie Burning

How often should you do yoga if you want to lose weight?

Poses for Home Practice

Sun Salutations

Boat Pose

Plank Pose

Mountain Pose

Triangle Pose

Side Angle Pose

Shoulder Stand

Weight Loss Summarized

Improved Metabolism

Muscle Growth

The Body Is Cleansed

Eating Habits Change

Stress Is Relieved

Diet Advice for Beginner Yoga Practitioners

Why Is Nutrition So Important?

The Solution

Yoga and nutrition principles

Nutrition yoga and energy

Slimming and yoga

Conclusion

Chapter 4: Yoga, The Ultimate Stress Reliever

Improved Metabolism

Muscle Growth

The Body Is Cleansed

Eating Habits Change

Stress Is Relieved

Anxiety, Stress, and Other Misconceptions

Yoga, the Antidote to Stress and Anxiety

Yoga and Breath

Yoga and Pranayama

Pranayama

Prana

Do You Breathe Correctly?

The Relationship of Breathing and Feelings

Yoga and Digestion

Standing forward bend

Intense side stretch

Hero Pose

Knees to Chest

Wind Release Position

Chapter 5: Basic Yoga Routines

Some Important Advice for Beginners

Basic yoga rules

Sun Salutation, or Surya Namaskar

Who shouldn’t practice Sun Salutation?

Surya Namaskar, Version 1

Surya Namaskar, Version 2

Downward Dog

Chair Pose

Plough Pose

Pigeon Pose

Half Lord of the Fishes Pose

Mountain Pose

Tree Pose

Warrior Pose

Savasana, or Corpse Pose

Yoga for Beginners to Ease Knee Pain

Eagle Pose

Frog Pose

Chapter 6: Yoga, the Habit of a Lifetime

How to Turn Yoga into A Habit

Start With Simple Things

Consistency Is King

Genuinely Enjoy What You Are Doing and Be Proud Of Yourself

How to Get the Most Out Of Your Yoga Practice

Conclusion

Stress, Calmness, and the Final Escape

Yoga to Prevent or Repair Effects of Stress

References

Introduction

Yoga.

The word is synonymous with physical feats, acts of balance, and even social media selfies.

Despite being an art of movement, our modern day culture has relegated the importance of yoga to being an excellent tool for showing off, or being a means by which to be fashionable in a way that makes you look ‘different.’

The practice of yoga on a whole either feels too out of reach for some, while for others a yoga practice serves as an effective tool to look down on others or feel superior.

In truth, yoga is none of these things.

The art of yoga is an ancient practice that has stood the test of time. The practice of yoga serves the purpose of allowing the practitioner a means by which to improve their mindfulness, boost their physical wellbeing, and gain much needed control—even mastery—over their emotions. 

Yoga isn’t a religious practice. It’s not based around compulsion or guilt or exclusion. Yoga is a universal practice that welcomes everyone with open arms, embracing the yoga practitioner with the possibility of having a healthy mind, body, and soul.

As humans, we consist of three elements:

The Physical

The Mental

The Spiritual

Yoga aims to unify these three elements by encompassing the requirements of all of them into one practice.

Yogic exercises recharge the body with energy and help to:

●  Create a perfect equilibrium between all aspects of our being

●  Improve our overall focus

●  Teach us movements which encompass techniques that cause the body to self-heal from a lot of ailments

●  Flush toxins out from the organs and body efficiently

●  Build and strengthen the personal power of an individual.

●  Giving the practitioner a calmness that starts from within and flows outward through the physical body

●  Reduce stress in the body and the mind

Yoga is focused on controlling your mind and body in order to bring harmony to your soul. Engaging in yoga gives you both physical and mental health, which allows you to stay more relaxed and be free of anxiety or any other stress on your mind.

As well as honing your mental skills of calmness, yoga works on your physical wellbeing too, improving your lymphatic systems, flexibility, and muscle tone.

On the surface, yoga appears to be nothing more than a myriad of stretching exercises. But in reality, yoga is an all-encompassing health system, one that addresses not only the mind but the body, too.

In this book, we will be looking at easy to learn yet powerful yoga asanas (poses) and breathing exercises that build both strength and flexibility, while also bringing you a personal calm that you’ve never felt before.

This guide will show you how EASY it is to start yoga, and how quickly you can expect to gain benefits from your yoga practice.

Order in A Chaotic World

A great person once said The greatest power, is power over oneself.

But how many of us can actually boast having that type (or any significant type) of self-control and self mastery over our lives? Unfortunately, not many.

We can blame our surroundings for our shortcomings—the hectic nature of our lifestyles, work and family pressures, as well as poor ecology or weakened immunity.

But the truth of the matter is that