Yoga has tremendous health benefits, right from making your body extremely flexible to keeping problems like a joint and muscle ache at bay, yoga has the answer to almost all health issues. One of the leading health issues that mankind is facing currently is obesity. Excessive fat deposit on our bodies is associated with gamut diseases and conditions like diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol, etc.

We can say that obesity, if not kept under check can turn into an epidemic. It also brings along body image issues that can lead to mental problems like depression. And no matter how many shortcuts you try for losing weight the real and healthy weight loss is gradual. Apart from a high protein, fiber-rich diet, you can opt for yoga to lose weight. There are various yoga poses that can help you burn fat and tone your body.

We spoke to Dr. Deepak Hadagali who is a leading yoga therapist and asked him about the effectiveness of yoga for weight loss. He said, 'Yoga is much more than just a weight-loss program, it has helped many people shed extra pounds, even some who have spent years trying to slim down in other ways without success. Studies show that a complete yoga program—asana, breathing techniques, and meditation—can peel off the pounds.'

He goes ahead to say,  "'Samatwam Yogamuchyate' which literally means balance of body, mind, buddhi (Intelligence) is yoga, the imbalance of all these products adds up an extra calories to the body (by means of fat) by imbalance of hormones called cortisol i.e when you’re anxious and overwhelmed your body releases a stress hormone called cortisol. This increases your blood sugar level, which can cause your body to store excess sugar as fat.

Yoga helps to balance our bodies and practicing proper yoga asanas, breathing techniques, meditation is also important to maintain balance intake of food.The whole foundation of yoga is built on mindfulness and being fully present in your body.' Dr. Hadagali suggests these yogasanas that can help you lose weight:

Surya Namaskar: There are about 12 ways to do Surya Namaskar. The idea is to stand in a praying pose outdoors in the sun while forming different poses. To do the most basic pose, you must stand at the edge of your mat, keep your feet close together and balance your weight equally on both feet. While doing this breath in to expand your chest and relax your shoulders and while breathing in, you have to lift both arms up from the sides and as you exhale, bring your palms together in front of the chest in prayer position.

There is another way you could do this pose which involves stretching the whole body up from the heels to the tips of the fingers. You have to do the basic pose and while breathing in, your arms up and back in a way that your biceps remain close to your ears. For better results pull the pelvis forward and ensure that you reach up with your fingers rather than going backward.

Ardha Kati Chakrasana: It is an easy pose to ace. You have to raise your right arm up sideways while inhaling slowly and when your hand reaches halfway at the horizontal level, turn your palm upwards. After this continue raising your arm with a deep inhalation, vertically until your biceps touch the right ear, palm facing the left side. Now, stretch the right arm upwards and while breathing out bend the trunk slowly towards your left.

The left palm must slide down along the left thigh. Make sure to not bend the right elbow or the knees. Try to maintain for about a minute while breathing normally. Come back to vertical position and while inhaling, stretch the right arm up. When you feel the pull along a straight line from the waist up to the fingers, bring the right arm down as you exhale back to your position. Repeat the whole procedure on the left side too.

Trikonasana: This is a yoga asana that even Narendra Modi believes in. On the occasion of international yoga day 2015, Narendra Modi had shared the benefits of performing Trikonasana and steps to perform the yoga pose.

Pranayama: Surya Bhedan pranayama, Bhramari, and Bhastrika which are variations of Pranayam are extremely helpful in losing weight. Nadi Shodhan Pranayam is also known to help cut those extra pounds. Here's a video of how to perform this yoga pose.

Meditation: Meditation is very much essential as it helps control the mind and stops you from craving of junk foods which in turn helps dodge those extra pounds.

Padahastasan, Bhujangasan, Dhanurasan, Navasan are a few other yoga asanas that are excellent in burning fat. However, it is always advisable to perform yoga asanas under professional supervision.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 20, 2018 06:37 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).