Do yoga to control your weight! Dilate the stomach wall half an hour before eating

Recently, Prince William and Prince Harry of the United Kingdom attended a polo match. Prince William took off his shoes and started doing yoga directly on the grass. He could do cat pose, twists, planks... Yoga has a large number of followers around the world. According to some research reports, doing yoga has great benefits for health. Doctors in the United States who specialize in medical yoga say that for weight control, which is what women care about most, simply performing yoga poses that "expand the stomach wall" can increase the feeling of fullness and achieve the effect of weight control.

Yoga "stomach wall expansion" posture makes people feel full

Why does the "stomach wall expansion" yoga pose have an effect on weight control? In his new book, Medical Yoga, American physician Loren Fishman, MD, says that many yoga poses expand the stomach wall, which is a factor in controlling weight. This statement may seem confusing to you at first, because most people think that expanding the stomach wall will make the stomach bigger, allowing it to hold more food.

However, Dr. Lauren Fishman believes that the stomach's distension receptors report to the appetite center in the brain through the vagus nerve. When you stimulate the stomach's distension receptors, it triggers a signal telling the appetite center that you have eaten enough. Therefore, rather than increasing your appetite, this short-term expansion can make you feel fuller and eat less.

Yoga can improve body awareness and help lose weight

Currently, the academic community is conducting a lot of research on the benefits of yoga in controlling weight. Although no clear evidence has been obtained so far to prove that yoga is beneficial for people who need to lose weight or try to avoid gaining weight, several research reports show that there will be more and more evidence supporting yoga in the future. A study of 15,550 adults aged 53 to 57 concluded that regular yoga practice over several years was associated with reduced weight gain, especially in overweight individuals.

Yoga can help with weight management because it increases your confidence, sense of well-being, and overall physical health; it also provides a stabilizing force that helps you better control your impulses. In addition, it can increase body awareness, clearly control what and how much we eat, and only eat healthy foods. Losing weight requires reducing calorie intake, so improving body awareness is helpful for weight loss.

● Yoga exercises to expand the stomach wall●

The following yoga exercises are recommended to "expand the stomach wall" to reduce food intake. It is recommended to do them half an hour to one hour before meals and on an empty stomach:

Warrior pose. (Photo provided by Sancai Culture)

★Warrior Pose 1 and/or 3 – Suppressing the Appetite Nerve★

How it works: This position stimulates the dilator receptors in the stomach and near the duodenum, sending inhibitory signals to the appetite center of the brain via vagal nerve fibers.

Posture breakdown: Standing. Spread your legs about 140 cm apart, one in front of the other, and raise your arms horizontally with your palms facing down. Breathe twice. Turn your left foot outward 90 degrees and your right foot inward 30 degrees while raising your arms vertically upward. Straighten your legs and rotate your hips so your navel is facing the same direction as your left foot. Bend your left knee to a right angle, straighten your calf, and keep your thigh horizontal. Stretch your fingers as far as possible toward the sky, especially your thumb. Breathe evenly for 60 seconds. Reverse sequence to return to standing position.

The above instruction is for Warrior I. To proceed to Warrior III, bend your left knee and lean forward, keeping your back straight. Then move your body up and forward, straightening your left knee and raising your right leg horizontally. Stretch from your heels to your fingertips, especially the backs of your hands. Look straight ahead. Maintain this position for 30 seconds. Then reverse the pose, lowering your leg back to the mat, and repeat on the other side.

Warrior III. (Photo provided by Sancai Culture)

Warrior III. (Photo provided by Sancai Culture)

[Variations of Warrior III]

Hands-to-feet pose: bend your elbows outwards, not towards your calves

Easier version of Hand-to-Foot Pose: Place your palms, wrists, and elbows on the front seat of a chair and slowly lower yourself down, keeping your back straight.

An easier version of Hands to Feet pose. (Photo provided by Sancai Culture)

Seated Half Twist 1 – Twisting the stomach helps reduce appetite

Pose breakdown: Sit down, bend your right knee, keep your thigh flat on the floor, and bring your right foot toward your left hip. Place your left foot across the outside of your right thigh, with the sole of your foot flat on the ground. Twist your body to the left and raise your right hand over your left knee, moving your right armpit to above your left knee. Stretch your left hand behind your body in a counterclockwise direction. At the same time, bend your right elbow and stretch your right hand behind your back to find your left hand, until your left hand grabs your right hand behind your back. The left shoulder will be retracted in a counter-clockwise direction to allow the left hand to reach further back. Contract your right shoulder as well, and use your shoulder blade to push your right upper ribs and chest forward and to the left. Lift your entire chest upward, away from your hips, thighs, and lumbar spine. Look straight ahead or over your left shoulder.

Seated half twist. (Photo provided by Sancai Culture)