Yoga Therapy for Obesity

If we look around, there is a huge market for slimming treatment. We have all been “educated” to stay lean and slim. This could be for cosmetic reasons; there are also health related issues.

Yoga is absolutely a gift to humanity from our ancestors. I believe they were very advanced in their thoughts about future generations, intentionally or unintentionally taking into account the constraint of space and time. Yoga practice neither requires any machines nor much space. Yoga has the solution for a healthy life style. It is a complete package with wonderful cardio, dynamic workout, meditative posture and influence on one’s behavior and life style. Regular practice of asana, pranayama and kriya lead to a holistic life style.


Yoga Therapy

Obesity could be due to some hormonal malfunction of the endocrine glands. There should a proper balance between metabolic and hormonal function of the body.

Yoga has all the therapeutic benefits to reduce obesity and prevent related diseases. Yogic kriyas (cleaning) are of great benefit for internal cleansing of the entire digestive system. Kriyas like Vamana Dhauti ,Vastra Dhauti and Basti Kriya are a few techniques to cleanse the digestive tract and the rectum.

When the inner organic body is clean and healthy, the entire system functions properly. Kriyas are specially intended to get rid of the bodies of excess toxins and fat. Sage Thirumoolar advised that one should eat half the stomach full, drink water a quarter and leave the rest empty. This will keep the yogi or any human being in harmony and serenity with the body, mind and the soul.

Asana and Pranayama keep the whole body in a proper condition. Regular practice of asanas is useful to reduce fat in various parts of our bodies. This will help reduce weight and maintain the body in proper health in the long run.

Various postures, especially forward bending, twisting and backward bending, help reduce fat near abdomen, hips and other areas. One should learn all the correct methods with guidance from a proper Yoga teacher.


Regular practice of asana helps achieve ideal weight. Complimented by a proper diet, this is an important part of a healthy lifestyle to maintain a body weight in the long term.

We must realise that fast results are generally prone to relapse. Hence, we should not aim at fast results but maintain Yoga as part the life style. Eating more wisely and increasing physical activities are key.