This basic yoga sequence helped me lose 2.5 kilos in a month

For me, weight loss was all about doing cardio and HIIT but this yoga sequence has completely changed my perspective. Upward-facing-dog and downward-facing-dog makes for a powerful combination.
Yoga for hamstrings
Trust yoga to tone your legs. Image courtesy: Shutterstock
Nikita Bhardwaj Updated: 2 Jul 2020, 05:28 pm IST
  • 65

Who thinks yoga can’t give results in a quick time? Well, if I’m being honest, then I did have this thought process when it came to yoga.

High-intensity workout sessions were a regular part of my training. I could see the results in no time and hence, fell for it.

Yoga and I were poles apart simply because slow doesn’t suit me. When I don’t see results, I tend to lose patience and go on to other things.

However, a yoga instructor gave me this golden sequence, i.e., dynamic upward and downward facing dog that changed my view forever.

Here’ how I discovered this golden sequence
Recently I analyzed these few things:

1. My body was not responding to whatever training I was doing.
2. I was tired all the time.
3. Of course, my productivity got hampered.
4. I was bored with my routine.

Take a Poll

How do you keep track of your workouts?

Take a Poll

What is your favourite way to stay active during a working day?

But cutting out exercise from my daily life was simply not possible, thanks to the foodie that lives inside me. So, I stuck with my workout till I discussed my issues with a friend who strongly recommended that I try out yoga.

My first response was, “Nah! That’s a slow process. I might just end up gaining weight instead of losing it.”

butt exercise
Yoga will definitely make it happen. Image courtesy: Shutterstock

I was, obviously, highly mistaken.

My work required me to research more about yoga and hence, I ended up getting in touch with a master yoga instructor, Shraddha Iyer who teaches in yoga studios like Sarva and Diva Yoga. During the course of our conversation, I asked her whether yoga can lead to weight loss in a quick time.

First, she smiled and then informed me that, “Of course, it does and you should try it. You just need to know the correct poses.” She revealed this sequence and said it is the best formula to lose weight in no time.

So, I finally gave it a shot and ended up in extreme pain because of my own fault
A few days passed and one day, I realized that I won’t have enough time to do my entire exercise routine. It just struck me that I should give yoga a chance since Ms. Iyer had been so kind in revealing the secret sequence.

Due to lack of time, I pulled off this move very frantically. On my first day, I did 20 repetitions and 4 sets of upward and downward facing dog

This is what I did

Basically, this sequence is a combination of two of the most effective yoga asanas: upward facing dog and downward facing dog.

First, you come into a downward-facing dog, tighten your core, and then move to an upward facing dog. Hold it for two counts and move back to the downward facing dog.

I repeated this sequence continuously.

The very next day, I was in extreme pain.

Every inch of my body was in pain and I knew why. Well, it was my fault because pulling off so many in my first ever attempt was a stupid move.

But the next day, I took it slow and did 10 repetitions and 4 sets. In three days, the pain wasn’t there anymore but what this pain made me realize is that this pose actually hit almost every part of my body. And it made me happy because who doesn’t want a full-body workout with just one move?

And I managed to lose 2.5 kilos in almost a month!
After four to five days and a lot of resistance, I promised myself that I’ll take this ahead for 100 days and see what will happen. If I see results, that would be great but if I don’t, then I can just drop it. No harm, right?

But it seemed like this dynamic upward-and-downward-facing dog sequence had also taken this challenge very seriously.   

In fact, what my HIIT wasn’t able to pull off in 2 months, this one sequence managed to do it in 28 days. 

When I started, I was around 49 to 50 kgs. Now, I’m almost on my way to hit 47 kgs.

That’s not the best part, though. The best part is that my inches are also reducing which, everyone knows, is a hard nut to crack. Apart from this, here are all the benefits I’ve been enjoying:

  • My arms are firmer now, especially the upper arms.
  • My core frame is starting to show up.
  • My calves are getting toned.
  • My shoulders and collarbone have become more sculpted.
arms exercises
I actually felt stronger without lifting any weights. Image courtesy: Shutterstock

Well, that’s why I was impressed and decided that for a good 100 days, I’m not finishing my daily routine without doing 20 repetitions and 4 sets of this sequence. 

There was no magic trick involved because it is all about making those constant changes in the exercise pattern that I hadn’t done for almost 7 to 8 months. That made my body hit the weight loss stagnation. 

This experience made me understand two things – One is I’ll have to keep on mixing and matching my routine so that I don’t hit the standstill again. And two, yoga and HIIT are like a match made in heaven.

  • 65
Related Topics:
About the Author

Six-pack abs are all that Nikita needs, along with her daily dose of green tea. At Health Shots, she produces videos, podcasts, stories, and other kick-ass content. ...Read More

Next Story