Yoga has been used for everything from increasing spirituality to selling yogurt, but one of its more beneficial side effects is its ability to boost the body’s metabolism. By building muscle through body weight training, yoga is able to increase the length of time it takes the body to process food and eventually help a person lose weight.
In this spirit, Yahoo Sports posted the top 10 yoga poses for boosting metabolism Saturday. They include: the twisted chair pose, the locust pose, the bow pose, the eagle pose, the crescent lunge pose, the bridge pose, the plow pose, the shoulder stand, the fish pose and the easy spinal twist.
Specifically, yoga practitioners looking to improve their digestive health might try the twisted chair or eagle pose, which help to build lean muscle in the legs. The digestive system can also be spurred by the easy spinal twist, which is used in weight loss efforts, Yahoo Sports said.
Another way to boost metabolism is by stimulating the thyroid gland. Yoga poses especially designed to create hormones that control metabolism are the bridge and plow pose. In the bridge pose, the chest is moved up toward the chin, massaging the thyroid and helping the body to burn more calories. The plow pose works as an inversion and raises circulation to the thyroid, increasing endorphins and calorie-burning hormones. The shoulder stand works in a similar manner, Yahoo noted.
Other poses, like the crescent lunge, help increase heart rate. The fish pose also relieves stress through the neck and shoulders.
The practice of Yoga originated in ancient India, “Yoga with Weights for Dummies” said.
