New mommies might want to lose some belly fat and fit in shape once ready to exercise following childbirth. Here are yoga exercises that will help you shed the post-pregnancy belly fat and help in strengthening the abdominal or your core after undergoing a C-section delivery. New mommies can still lose excess belly fat by practicing these Yoga asanas.
7 Yoga asanas can help new mothers to strengthen themselves.
Chaturanga Dandasana or plank pose
Method: It is one of the 12 powerful Yoga poses that complete a Surya Namaskar or Sun Salutation. It is known as plank and can be done during a yoga session and at the gym. Hold
for at least 50 – 60 seconds to strengthen the abdominal area.
Benefits: It helps to align the whole body, and boosting the spine, muscles, arms, wrists, and tones the abdomen. It improves core strength, posture, and stability of your body. It reduces abdominal fat.
Bhujanasana or Cobra pose
Method: Lie down flat on your stomach and place your palms by the side of your chest, arms close to your body, and elbows pointing outwards. Inhale and raise your forehead, neck, and shoulders. Raise your trunk using the strength of your arms. Look upward while breathing normally. Make sure that your stomach touches the floor. Hold the pose for 5 seconds. Slowly lie back flat on your stomach. Turn your head to one side and rest your arms by the side of your body.
Benefits: The reclining back-bending asana called Bhujangasana or Cobra pose helps to strengthen the spine, butt, butt muscles, chest, abdomen, shoulders, and lungs, and improves blood circulation and stress in one’s body. It increases thyroid functioning and is helpful for people suffering from hypothyroidism since it stretches the neck and throat region. This asana helps to lose the fat around your stomach. It tones down the shoulder muscles, abdomen, and chest part. It reduces the stiffness of the lower back and strengthens the arms and shoulders.
Tadasana or Mountain Pose
Method: Stand firm on the ground with a small gap between your feet while deeply breathing (inhaling), raise your arms upward by interlocking your fingers. Now, stand on your toes by raising your heels simultaneously and notice the pressure of stretching from toes to fingers. Hold onto this position with slow and deep breathing. Breathe while exhaling and repeat the same pose at your convenience after relaxing.
Benefits: Tadasana is a deep breathing exercise providing strength and expansion to the lungs, which might increase height. This pose develops and activates the nerves of the body and gives energy to the vertebral column and heart. It regulates the menstrual cycle in women, cures problems related to indigestion in all practitioners, strengthens the arms and legs, helps to remove lethargy from the body, and reduces the flat feet problem. It is very effective for weight loss post-C-section delivery to improve body control, blood flow, and body posture.
Trikonasana or the Triangle Pose
Method: Stand straight on flat ground with your feet comfortably apart. Turn your right foot to face outside while keeping the heel inwards. Both heels should be in a straight line. Inhale and bend your body from your hip to the right and raise your left arm straight up. Meanwhile, your right hand can rest on your ankle on the mat if comfortable. Keeping your head in line with your torso, you can gaze up at your left palm if comfortable. Let the body relax a little while exhaling.
Benefits: This asana is a stretching exercise it helps to improve flexibility in your spine and pelvic region. It helps you develop strength and balance too. It treats the neck sprain, stimulating and transporting the blood flow throughout the veins and body reducing any risks of a block or stroke, stimulating the digestive system, and helping in the arrangement of the shoulders. It also relieves gastritis, indigestion, acidity, flatulence, and anxiety and reduces discomfort.
This pose helps to strengthen the lower body, arms, and chest by giving maximum stretch to the spine, hamstrings, and calves. It improves digestive disorders and relieves stress and anxiety found in women post-delivery.
Ustrasana or camel pose
Method: Kneel now on the Yoga mat and keep your knees and feet together. Lean in the backward direction by pushing your hips in the forward direction. Bend your head and the spine as backward and farther as possible without straining. Rest your hands on your feet and relax to hold onto the position for a few seconds before releasing.
Benefits: It not only improves respiration by opening up the chest but also improves digestion and elimination by expanding the abdominal region. It loosens the vertebrae and relieves lower back pain. This pose improves posture and reduces fat on the thighs. It helps you to send fresh blood to oxidize and detoxify it. It helps reduce belly area after C-section delivery.
Naukasana/Navasana or boat pose
Method: Sit on the floor with your legs spread straight in front of you. Keep your spine erect and hands resting beside your hips, bend your knees and lean back slightly. Raise both legs while inhaling and extending your hands forward. Place your toes at eye level and lengthen your spine. Hold the pose for 5 to 10 seconds and release the posture.
Benefits: It helps strengthen the core and hip flexors. It improves flexibility in the hip joints and legs. It improves digestion. It regulates blood flow at a sugar level and strengthens the abdominal muscles. It improves the health of all organs in the abdomen, especially the liver, pancreas, and kidneys. This yoga pose is very effective for weight loss post C–sec delivery. It reduces stomach fat and cures diseases related to digestion. It strengthens the belly area. It tones your stomach and thigh muscles.
Pranayama
Method: Start by sitting in a cross-legged position. Rest your hands on your knees and close your eyes. Keep your right thumb on your right nostril and close it. Inhale deeply from your left nostril for four counts. Now close your left nostril with your right-hand ring finger and hold it for 2 seconds. Hold your breath with both your nostrils closed. Take off your right thumb from your right nostril and exhale deeply through your right nostril.
Inhale from your right nostril for four counts keeping your ring finger on your left nostril. Now, close both nostrils for 2 seconds and exhale deeply with your left nostril. Repeat this process for 5 minutes. Concentrate on your breathing while doing it.
Benefits: Pranayama connects body and mind, supplies the body with oxygen, and removes toxins. It helps in sleep quality and mindfulness and reduces high blood pressure.
Anulom Vilom Pranayam has many benefits like improving the immune system, boosting memory, improving respiratory and cardiovascular health, and regulating blood pressure. This Yoga asana also improves sleep and helps to de-stress.
Pranayama is a simple breathing exercise that puts suitable pressure on the abdominal area and helps to lose belly fat post-C-section.
