5 Best Pranayam for Weight Loss

Pranayam is breathing exercise designed to affect specific parts of the body. Various breathing techniques have been developed by Yogic Sages in Ancient Times. We discuss the 5 Best Pranayam for Weight Loss.

Pranayam is an essential part of Yoga. Right breathing techniques have been developed and recommended incorporating in the daily regime. The objective of Yoga as a complete health and wellness provider can only be achieved by including this essential step.

There are various Pranayam beginning from simple ones to rigorous ones. All of them have their specific objectives and thereby target specific organs in our body.

The common attribute of Pranayam is that they affect the organs internally quite unlike physical exercises. Their reach is via blood veins and the mechanism of working ensures affect on body parts from inside the body.

Most simple Pranayam begins with Anulom Vilom and graduate to rigorous ones like Bhastrika and Nadi Shodhan. Only simple ones should be practiced on your own by beginners while rigorous ones should be practiced under expert guidance only.

Please treat the recommendations of Pranayam as an established way to learn such techniques for gaining wellness. These recommendations are in no way meant to treat pre-existing diseases or anomaly. Do consult your medical practitioners before taking up the Pranayam journey.

Can we Lose Weight by Doing Pranayama?

One can lose weight by doing Pranayam regularly. Pranayam is a Breathing Exercise and it works in increasing the metabolism in our body. Enhanced metabolism helps in burning down fat helping in weight loss.Can we Lose Weight by Doing Pranayama?

In all Pranayam, there is an acceleration of metabolism in our body. The exchange of fresh oxygen reaches our blood and this oxygen enriched blood reaches each of our organs.

Enriched oxygen makes the cells effective in absorbing nutrients. Excess fat is burnt down into energy or excreted- via sweat from our skin. Thereby, the accumulation of fat is eliminated.

An enhanced metabolism works well in losing weight.

To illustrate the role of metabolism rate in your weight consider your daily diet schedule. Are you eating late- night dinners? Most probably yes. A lower metabolism while you sleep does not help in your weight loss regimen.

Metabolism is optimized when you have sufficient flow of oxygenated blood. Pranayam does exactly that and therefore is a great aid in losing weight.

You may also like to read how Yoga can help you in losing weight in one of my other articles here.

Pranayam can help you in reducing belly fat. It is a great far buster and will melt away fat accumulated around your belly permanently. Regular practice of Pranayam like Kapalbhati and Bhastrika are great in reducing belly fat.

Bhastrika increases the body temperature and is effective in burning fat. A late night party dinner must be followed up by Bhastrika in the morning. It will prevent any belly fat from building up around your waist.

Here is my detailed review on Bhastrika Pranayam for a quick refresher.

Pranayam like Kapalbhati actually works up the belly muscles. It’s affect is undoubtedly to reduce belly fat.

Which Pranayam is Best for Weight Loss?

The best Pranayam for Weight Loss is Kapalbhati Pranayam. Kapalbhati is the choice when it comes to choosing from 5 best Pranayam for Weight Loss.

Kapalbhati is designed to expel air forcefully and in the process, it works the digestive juices. Stagnant digestive juices are not as much effective in enhancing digestive system.

The digestive juice is churned during Kapalbhati Pranayam. It gets activated in the process breaking down whatever you eat in the most effective way.

Exhalation of air if from the navel. The navel moves and the movement is followed by various organs in our stomach. This movement. This causes the physical churning action in the stomach.

A regular practitioner of Kapalbhati is said to digest anything they eat!

A good digestion is the core requirement for weight loss. You gain weight only if the food you eat is not digested fully. The undigested food accumulates as unwanted fat in the body. Kapalbhati helps in reducing weight by activating the digestive juice and ensuring complete digestion of food.

Here is the link to my detailed article on Kapalbhati Pranayam for the reader’ benefit.

Can Anulom Vilom Lose Weight?

It is said that it all begins in the mind. Anulom Vilom Pranayam improves your will-power and thereby effective in losing weight.

The breathing with alternate nostrils in called Anulom Vilom. Inhalation and exhalation should be done in complete silence without any sound in this Pranayam.

Anulom Vilom Pranayam does not have a direct affect on metabolism or fat reduction. It is designed more for the Brain than the Belly.

However, your resolution to lose weight will be supported by Anulom Vilom Pranayam by a strong will-power.

Hence, remember to close your Pranayam session with Anulom Vilom to continue strongly in your weight loss program.

5 Best Pranayama for Weight Loss

The court goes as follows:

1. Kapalbhati

2. Nadi Shodhan

3. Bhastrika

4. Anulom Vilom

5. Suryanamaskar

Yes, Suryanamaskar is not a Pranayam in pure terms. Rather, it is a complete package for Weight loss.

Here is the link to my other article on Suryanamaskar which weight loss enthusiasts will find useful.

Conclusion

Pranayam is breathing technique developed by Indian Sages millenniums ago. The breathing techniques are designed to affect the organs of the body internally. Higher amount of oxygenated blood is forced into the organs making them supple and healthy.

The higher metabolism rate ensure complete burning down of food we eat. In affect, it does not allow accumulation of fat and there is almost complete conversion to energy.

Pranayam exchanges fresh air and renders the blood rich. This is transported to various body parts strengthening their function. In affect, it enhances the metabolism thereby helping in losing weight.

Out of several breathing techniques, the five best ones for a weight loss program by choice are:

– Kapalbhati

– Nadi Shodhana

– Bhastrika

– Anulom Vilom

– Suryanamaskar

Though Suryanamaskar is technically not a Pranayam, but it is important to include it in unison with other Pranayam, given its proven effectiveness in weight loss.

Here’s a video link for beginners of Pranayam who want to better understand and utilize it in their weight loss program.

I hope that you will take full advantage in your weight loss program from what you have learned in this article. Do leave your comments in the comment box below. Your comments are an encouragement to me to research more of articles on health and wellness and bring them to you.

8 Replies to “5 Best Pranayam for Weight Loss”

  1. This article is very interesting as I’ve learnt something totally new. I never knew about Pranayama and that it was a method of breathing exercise.  It sounds really amazing and I shall be reading and looking up more information on this as I would really like to lose a bit of weight.  Does it take a bit of time to get the method correct so that you can lose weight? Are there also different videos available to learn from?

    1. Hi Ruth,

      Thanks for your review and comments. I am glad that you find it useful. My article has a video link below explaining the process. There are other Pranayama articles in on this website which you might find useful. They are all with video links explaining the process.

      It might take time to get it right initially. Anulom Vilom or breathing from alternate nostrils is one of the easiest Pranayam to start with. For Weight loss, Kapalbhati Pranayam – which is expelling air forcefully several times in a minute works best.

      I personally recommend to start with Anulom Vilom and then graduate over to Kapalbhati over a few weeks.

      All the Best to you in your wellness journey.

      Best Regards,

      Rohit

  2. 5 Best Pranayam for Weight Loss
    thanks for the content and what is interesting Regarding weight control,
    it’s interesting. I’ll give it a try. I need to find some time to do it. One can lose weight by doing Pranayam regularly. Pranayam is a Breathing Exercise and it works in increasing the metabolism in our body.
    Enhanced metabolism helps in burning down fat helping in weight loss that very intersting me.

    good luck

    1. Thanks for your review and comments Arisara,

      Pranayam helps in weight reduction by optimizing the metabolism.

      Do find some time to practise Pranayam. It is a proven technique and I am sure you will benefit out of it. Few minutes before going to bed would a great time to begin with.

      All the Best in your Wellness Journey!

  3. I had no idea that breathing techniques existed that could induce weight loss. After learning how Paranayam breathing can increase the body’s metabolism, it all began to make sense. 

    Until I read this, there were only two major options to lose weight. Eat less and exercise. This third is the surprise option I would never have figured out. Thanks for sharing.

    Edwin

    1. Thanks for the review and comments Edwin,

      Yes, Pranayam are breathing exercises and an essential part of Yoga. I am happy and proud to bring this so essential wellness technique out in the world and enlighten prospective benefactors with such an Ancient technique.

      Wish You A Healthy and Happy Life.

      Best Regards,

      Rohit

  4. I’ve never ever heard of the term Pranayam for weight loss. This is a wonderful insight and it’s great to learn something new. As we get older our metabolism slows down so this will be very useful. How ancient is this practice? I never thought breathing to lose weight was a thing. Thanks for this.

    1. Hi Oliver,

      Thanks for your review and comments. The practice of Pranayam was documented into text by Sage Patanjali in 2nd century BC. However, it was practiced even earlier.

      Great that my article stoked the fire of an relatively unknown area of attaining wellness.

      Stay Well, stay healthy.

      Best Regards,

      Rohit 

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