Lose Weight with Kapalbhati Pranayama – For Belly Fat

KapalbhatiAll of us have heard about the benefiting factors of practicing yoga. Yoga, which is originated in India, has been proven to offer a number of physical as well as mental health benefits such as happiness, inner peace, concentration, a good immunity system and overall health. One common health benefit of yoga is weight loss. Many people practice yoga to achieve a fit body and flexibility. An effective yoga and the most popular yoga practice for weight loss is kapalbhati. Baba Ramdev, who is the most respected yoga mentor of India, is responsible to spread this effective and beneficial technique.

How Kapabhati Helps in Weight Loss

Although yoga is not a quick fix solution, regularly practicing it can help you achieve a long term benefit. Kapabhati, if practiced regularly, can help you in achieving permanent weight loss results. How exactly does kapalbhati help in the same? Let’s find out.

Detoxification

Kapalbhati involves a vigorous breathing technique which helps in flushing out the toxins. This process helps in removing 80% of the toxins from our body. One of the most important body parts responsible for burning body fat is liver, which is cleaned thoroughly through this breathing technique. This exhaling process cleanses the liver and helps in effective fat burning and weight loss.

Increases Metabolic Rate

An increased metabolic rate rapidly burns fat and calories, which is achieved by practicing Kapalbhati regularly. It stimulates the functions of the endocrine organs, thus increasing the metabolic rate. A fast metabolism will aid in converting food and fat into energy, thus burning more calories and an increase in the fat burning process.

Reduces blood sugar level

When your metabolic rate increases, it helps in reducing blood sugar level. A controlled blood sugar level helps you watch your weight as well.

Reduces appetite

Serotonin is a hormone which is responsible for shutting down your food cravings and reduces appetite. Practicing regular kapalbhati helps in increasing the serotonin levels in your brain, keeping you away from fattening and heavy food items. It naturally reduces your appetite by stimulating your brain and causes less fat absorption.

Helps in burning abdominal fat

While you practice kapalbhati, the regular inhaling and exhaling process works your abdominal muscles, helping them to get tight. While you exhale, you contract your stomach and while you inhale, you relax it. This helps in toning of your waist and burning the excess belly fat.

Alternative Belly exercises –  First you need to know, exactly where you have fat on belly area, like you have Lower belly, side belly or upper belly.  According to that you can select right belly fat burning workouts from this list.

Right Technique for Kapalbhati

While there are a number of reasons through which kapalbhati can help you lose weight, it is really important that you practice this technique in the right manner. Doing it wrong may not help you achieve the desired results. Go through the following steps to practice kapalbhati in the correct manner.

  1. Sit erect on a flat surface with your spine straight and your palms on the knees, facing downwards.
  2. Let your breathing be spontaneous and in rhythm.
  3. Next, take a deep breath and exhale forcefully through your nostrils. Make sure that your abdominal muscles contract towards the inner side of your spinal cord.
  4. Loosen your stomach muscles. This will automatically let you inhale air through your nostrils.
  5. Now exhale again through your nostrils by pulling in your abdominal muscles.
  6. Inhale again by loosening your stomach. Repeat several times.

This is the correct technique of practicing kapalbhati. Remember that you would feel a little bit of soreness around your abdominal muscles initially but it will go away once you start practicing regularly.

How Much Kapalbhati to Do In a Day

For this technique to be effective for weight loss, it is really important to practice it for several times. But again, you should not overdo it given the risks and precautions associated with practicing kapabhati. So what is the accurate count for effective weight loss? You should start with 45- 50 repetitions of inhaling and exhaling rounds at the very beginning. One set of kapalbhati is 15 rounds of continuous inhaling and exhaling. You should practice 3 sets initially with a rest of 20 seconds in between sets. As you go on, keeping on increasing one set.

A healthy person is capable of doing 60 kapalbhati rounds in one minute and 300 in 5 minutes at a stretch. Initially, you would get tired in 2 to 3 minutes but regularly practicing it can help you do it for 5 minutes at a stretch. With regular practice, you can do it for 15 minutes once in a day, which is 900 rounds of kapalbhati.

Do you know?  Surya Namaskar Yoga can burn 400 calories in only 30 minutes practice. Yeah, that’s more than most of the exercises like cycling, football, etc. So learn the right way to practice Surya Namaskar to lose weight.

Best Time to Do Kapalbhati

Practicing kapalbhati is considered to be the most effective when you do it early in the morning and on an empty stomach. You should not eat anything because the body will use energy from the deposited fat and hence burn it. You can also perform kapalbhati 5 hours after you have had the last meal because the time gap will allow the stomach to digest the food and keep the body relaxing.

Precautions during Kapalbhati

As I mentioned earlier, there are a number of considerations and precautions in order to practice kapalbhati. You should be aware of the following precautions for the same:

  1. People suffering from high blood pressure should practice kapalbhati under expert guidance.
  2. Women who are on their menstruation cycle should not practice this yoga during their days.
  3. People suffering from cardiac problems and stroke should not practice this breathing exercise.
  4. It is important for people suffering from any kind of respiratory problems to consult their doctor before commencing this practice.
  5. It is also harmful for people with spinal problems.
  6. Pregnant women should not practice this yoga.

What Ramdev Baba Says About Kapalbhati

More Health Benefits of Kapalbhati

Apart from weight loss, kapalbhati provides a number of other health benefits which stay long term. The most important of all is mental health. You achieve mental peace and it helps you in improving concentration and focus.

  • Since kapalbhati primarily targets your abdomen and stomach, it also improves your pancreas, spleen, liver, intestines and kidneys. The yoga ensures that you achieve the benefits of healthy internal organs.
  • Since it regulates your blood sugar levels, it helps in combating diabetes and lowers the chances of getting it.
  • It helps in enhancing a glow to your face and makes your face radiant.
  • Respiratory diseases such as asthma and sinusitis are cured.
  • You can get rid of depression and it makes your mind more positive and optimistic.
  • Stomach related problems such as constipation and acidity are cured.
  • The heavy breathing technique helps in the cleansing of the lungs and liver.
  • It purifies blood and sends oxygen to the whole body.
  • It reduces the risk of developing hernias because it brings a flexible action in the diaphragm and makes it strong.
  • It improves the immunity system and reduces the chances of getting diseases.
  • It also lowers the chances of breast cancer.
  • The fat burning process is directly related to the third chakra which is known as the Manipura chakra, which stimulates it energy for overall body health benefits.

In this manner, kapalbhati can help in your overall health along with helping you to lose weight.

Acupressure can also help you with weight loss –  Acupressure technique is not much famous in India but its becoming famous. This Chinese Acupressure therapy also helps in weight loss and yeah that works.

Like Surya Namaskar, You must now be intrigued to practice this yoga pranayama every day for atleast 5 mintues, given its health and weight loss benefits.

If you practice it daily for 10 to 15 minutes with a proper diet, you could lose up to 2 to 4 kgs in a month.

Those of you, who are tired of the stubborn belly fat and have almost given up trying, should start practicing kapalbhati rounds daily. It will surely take time as yoga is all about having and achieving patience, but it will definitely give you the desired results. Kapalbhati is meant to work on your abdominal muscles, and thus regular practice will help you lose the stubborn belly fat.

Also View – Exercise to Reduce Hips and Thighs with Pictures.

NOTE - Friends, I am not dietitian or Doctor, I write information here on the basis of my own 25 kilo weight loss experience and sometimes from online research. Please take doctor advice before applying any tip, as each and every human body is different.

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