The most common cause of obesity is overeating and lack of physical exercise. The problem becomes confounded when “mixed” with poor diet, improper lifestyle habits, alcohol, and eating late at night.
According to the World Health Organisation [WHO], there are more than one billion overweight adults in the world, with 300 million classified as obese.
Weight disadvantage
If you are overweight, you may not be able to enjoy life as other healthy people do. You may also find it difficult participating in sports, walking for health, or finding a comfortable seat at the movie theatre, or having an active sex life. Weight problems also increase the onset of diabetes, high blood pressure [hypertension] and heart disease.
Obesity occurs in two types of people. In stressful individuals, who eat hastily and/or in excess; two, individuals, who just eat out of sheer boredom. As people put on weight, either way, they tend to become less happy – because of their appearance.
Some people think that by taking insufficient food they can reduce their weight. This is a fallacy. When they start dieting, their body starts to slow down – in order to conserve energy and boost chances of survival. This is why weight loss tends to slow down as we continue to diet.
There are other factors too. Stress, or family genetics, and disorders of the hypothalamus, or a combination of both may cause overweight problems. Hypothalamus houses our appetite-controlling centre. A flaw in the hypothalamus can lead to craving for food. This can lead to obesity.
Yoga helps
Yoga is a great way to balance your mind, body, soul, and spirit. Holistic yoga practices provide an excellent means for maintaining balanced weight and overcoming obesity, provided you follow a daily yoga exercise programme, with healthy diet. Low-fat, plant-based diet, along with regular yoga exercise, is one of the best options you can think of – for safe weight loss.
Gentle yoga asanas [postures] followed by Surya Namaskar [Salutation to the Sun] are extremely useful for releasing stress, and regulating the flow of hormones that effect weight and fluid retention in our body. Sun Salutation exercise helps us in burning excess fat from the body. It also rejuvenates our body.
Important. One should do yoga exercises in tune with one’s comfort levels. You should never strain, or overdo things. Yoga works gradually. Which is why, yoga asanas help best in building up strength and vitality – slowly, but surely.
Yoga need not be intense or vigorous, or a big rush. It must be regular – at least 20-30 minutes a day. It is all the more better, if you enjoy the process, and get into the intensity of being through it – gently, and bit by bit.
When you combine yoga exercises with proper eating habits, along with the practice of relaxation techniques [meditation, or pranayama], there is no reason why you cannot overcome overweight problems – or, obesity – and, maintain acceptable weight levels.
The best thing to do is – speak to a yoga instructor, or enlist a trainer, or join a class where yoga practices are taught.