Yoga moves are ideal to get rid of stubborn love handles. Try these yoga poses to get rid of the extra padding on the sides of your waist, while you strengthen and stretch your core muscles. Additionally, these asanas will also help tone your arms, butt and thighs.
Standing chakrasana or wheel pose stretches your spine and helps you get rid of the extra fat around the waist. The bending and twisting action involved in this asana helps tone the muscles of your hips. Here is another yoga asana to tone you hips.
Ardha matsyendrasana or sitting half spinal twist is a very effective asana to burn fat from all your body parts, especially the love handles. It also helps burn fat around the torso and tighten the sagging abdomen.
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Steps to do the asana:
Sit up with your legs stretched out straight in front of you, keeping your feet together and your spine erect.
Bend your left leg and place the heel of your left foot beside your right hip.
Now,take the right leg over your left knee and place your left hand on your right knee, and your right hand behind you.Twist at the waist, shoulders and neck, in this sequence, to the right and look over the right shoulder.
Hold and continue with gentle long breaths, in and out.
To come back to the starting position, continue breathing out, release the right hand first (the hand behind you), release the waist, then chest, lastly the neck and sit up relaxed, yet straight.
Repeat on the other side. Breathing out, come back to the front and relax.
This pose is very effective to stretch the hamstrings, at the same time toning the back of your hips. It also helps tone your inner legs and thighs, giving them good shape. Try bhekasana or frog pose to tone your thighs and buttocks.
Steps to do the asana:
Lie down on your stomach. Bend your elbows and place your palms below your shoulders.
Now tuck your toes in and push the floor to straighten your elbows, such that your upper body along with your pelvis is lifted off the floor. Make sure your body is in the same alignment as it was while you were lying down.
Now slowly twist your upper body to the left as you release your left hand from the floor. Simultaneously turn your right foot to its outer edge and stack your left foot on the right foot. Don t let your hips or pelvis drop. Hold it in the same alignment as it was earlier.
Look up and stay in this position for five breaths.
Ardha chandrasana or half moon pose is a great asana to tone and stretch the muscles of your back and core. The added stretch on the sides of your tummy will aid in burning off the fat from your love handles.
Steps to do the asana:
Stand with your feet together on a yoga mat. Now, raise your hands above your head and clasp your palms together, extend the stretch by trying to reach for the ceiling.
Exhale, and slowly bend sideways from your hips, keeping your hands together. Remember not to bend forward and keep your elbows straight. You should feel a stretch from your fingertips to your thighs.
Hold this pose for as long as you can. Inhale and come back to the standing position.
This asana is excellent for toning the muscles that run across the sides of your waistline. The asana also boosts your metabolism, helping you burn stubborn fat at a faster pace. You may also want to read yoga asana to burn away belly fat.
Steps to do the asana:
Lie on your back, with bent knees and feet flat on the floor. Keep your arms by your sides with palms facing the floor.
Now using your arms, strength push your pelvis off the floor, towards the ceiling. Exhale while you do this.
Keep your body lifted, such that your neck and head are still flat on the floor and the rest of your body is in the air, similar to a bridge.
Hold this pose for five steady, consistent breaths and release slowly.
Yoga routine
For best results, you can repeat each of these postures three to five times daily. Also, make sure to keep the breathing slow and rhythmic while you do these asanas.
Tips
Although yoga is a gentle form of exercise, the potential for injury exists if these poses are not done correctly. Therefore, it is always best to learn the correct way of executing these poses from an instructor.
At the end of your yoga session, spend a few minutes lying down in corpse pose to cool the body.
Image source: Getty Images
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