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Yoga & Ayurveda-For Weight Loss

Obesity is one of the most dreaded lifestyle ailments today and is spreading like an epidemic all across the world. Owing to slavery to the taste buds and lethargic living conditions, being obese and overweight is affecting all age groups and either sex. The main problem with weight gain is that not only does it affect the confidence and mental stability of the obese person, overweight and obesity lays foundation of many other serious diseases. No doubt, weight loss is much sought after by one and all.   Weight Loss in Ayurvedic Dosha Types: According to Ayurveda philosophy, Kapha type of individual (having more of water and earth in their constitution) is more likely to gain weight easily. Although, the Vata types having more of air and ether, would generally be skinny and devoid of much fat. The fire types or Pitta dosha personalities who are generally gifted with proportional body weight, could be gaining weight just in case they lose their balance. In the case of weight gain or obesity, it is believed that the Kapha dosha gets accumulated which further slows down the fat metabolism and leads to the disease of obesity. Therefore, Ayurveda believes that of the three basic dosha types, those people who have more of Kapha dosha in their system generally have a low BMR and gain weight easily. Thus, for weight loss, the Kapha types need to be more strict and careful with themselves both in the terms of diet intake and undertaking exercise routine.

Yoga therapy for Weight Loss: Yoga therapy when undertaken along with Ayurvedic diet and lifestyle plan for weight loss, in the form of Yoga asanas, Yoga techniques and Pranayama, helps in providing considerable weight loss. Yoga asanas like Trikon asana, Bhujang asana, Surya Namaskar and deep breathing techniques like Bastrika pranayama and kapal bhati pranayama are some of the effective yoga poses for weight loss.

 
Yoga sessions work wonderfully well with Ayurvedic therapies for weight loss. These help to make you eat only what is needed for the body and the urge to eat more and frequently will disappear on its own. This is the reason why Ayurvedic weight loss program with Yoga practice is the most successful program. Once you are hooked on it you will stay with it, and the body slowly returns to its normal weight and keeps it.
 
Mudra Therapy for Weight Loss: Surya Mudra is another effective therapy recommended in Yoga for weight loss. The ring finger is made to settle at the root of the thumb, with the thumb exerting a little pressure on the ring finger. As this alignment tends to increase warmth in the body systems, it is generally recommended to be practiced for fifteen to twenty minutes daily.
 
Ayurvedic Analysis of Weight Gain and Obesity: Obesity or Aatisthula or Medho Roga as referred in Ayurveda text is regarded to be one among the eight ‘nindya prakruties’ (undesirable constitution) of the body. In the Ayurvedic texts, Charaka has described; obesity is one of them and is described as ‘Medoroga’. In an Obese person, individual Medas (Fat) is excessively nourished and remaining other Dhatus (tissues) get malnourished.

Ayurvedic Medicine for Weight Loss: Some Ayurvedic medicines and herbal medicinal formulations like Trifla churan, Mandoor bhasm, Swarnmakshik bhasm, guggulu and shilajit are available in the markets and can help in weight loss. Medicinal formulations like Medhohar guggul or Triushanaadi loha are generally prescribed. These should be taken under a qualified Ayurvedic doctor’s supervision. These would mainly help in weight loss provided other diet and lifestyle measures for weight loss are followed.
 
Ayurvedic Diet for Weight loss: Food items sweet in taste should be decreased in daily diet schedule and at the same time intake of diet components containing pungent, astringent and bitter tastes should be encouraged. Food items like oats, barley, honey, pulses like moong and arhar, and herbs like dried ginger, bitter gourd, aamla, soye etc. help in removing excess body fat and aid in weight loss.
 
Dr. Ramona Onissar
Practicing Ayurveda & Alternate Therapies at Cluj, Romania.
e-mail:ramonaonisor.satya@googlemail.com.
+40 740307343