There are some days when you just can’t control your cravings and go off-diet to satisfy your taste buds! And then you regret it later. But what if you discover a mantra that allows you to enjoy your cheat meal without feeling guilty about gaining weight?
Popular yoga instructor Sarvesh Shashi has total empathy for those who indulge in their cheat meal cravings.
So, he says in an Instagram post, “When you can’t cut calories from your diet, burn them off with tough but effective yoga poses, so you remember the next time to avoid binge eating!”
The yoga expert shared some effective yoga asanas for the days when you cheat on your diet. According to him, you shouldn’t at least skip yoga even if you skip your diet for a day, if weight loss is really on your mind.
Check out Sarvesh Shashi’s post on cheat meal!
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5 yoga asanas for your cheat meal day
1. Utkatasana
The word ‘utkata’ means intense or strong, and asana means posture. Also known as a chair pose, it involves sitting on an imaginary chair.
How to do it:
* Take a deep breath in and extend your arms upwards.
* Your elbows shouldn’t be bent, and your palms should be facing one another.
* Exhale now, and bend your knees until your thighs are nearly parallel to the ground.
* To assume the final position, straighten your back and lower your tailbone.
2. Dhanurasana
This is one of the 12 fundamental poses listed in Hatha Yoga. It is a Sanskrit term which means bow position in English, and its stance resembles an archer’s bow.
How to do it:
* Your feet should be slightly apart and almost parallel to your hips when you lay on your stomach.
* Your arms should be by your sides.
* Fold your knees slowly and place your hands on your ankles.
* Take a deep breath in, lift your chest off the floor, and raise your legs.
* Stretch it out now.
3. Setu Bandasana
Setu Bandasana, also known as shoulder supported bridge or simply bridge pose, is an inverted backbend pose used in Hatha Yoga and contemporary yoga as practice.
How to do it:
* With your feet flat on the ground and hip distance apart, lie on your back and bend both knees. With the palms downward, slide the arms alongside the body. The heels should be lightly touched with the fingertips.
* Place your feet firmly on the ground and exhale as you lift your hips and twist your spine off the ground. To keep the knees at hip distance apart, gently squeeze them together.
* Squeeze the shoulders and arms together to elevate the chest. To rise the hips higher, engage the legs.
* Take 4–8 breaths and hold them.
* To let go, exhale and lower your spine to the ground slowly.
4. Bhujangasana
In Hatha Yoga and contemporary yoga asanas, the cobra pose, also known as Bhujangasana, is a reclining, back-bending position. It is frequently done as part of the Surya Namaskar cycle of asanas, and can be one of your cheat meal strategies to offset your calorie intake.
How to do it:
* As you lay on your stomach, raise your head and trunk using your hands as supports.
* Your arms should be elbow-bent.
* Gently raise your head in an arched position.
* Ensure that your tummy is pressed firmly against the ground.
* Your toes should be pressed firmly into the ground.
* Hold the pose for 5 seconds.
5. Navasana
The yoga asana known as Navasana or Boat Pose, focuses on building core strength. It demands the practitioner to hold his or her body up so that it resembles the letter V.
How to do it:
* Put your legs straight in front of you, sit down on the floor. Put a little pressure with your hands on the ground behind your hips.
* Lean back slightly and lift through the top of the sternum, being careful not to curve your back. Using your sitting bones and tailbone as a tripod, distribute your weight evenly.
* Exhale, bend your knees, and while keeping your knees bent, elevate your thighs so they are slanted upward by roughly 45 degrees.
* If it’s possible, slowly straighten your knees while bringing the tips of your toes up toward your eyes. If it’s not possible, maintain a bent knee position with your lower leg parallel to the ground.
* Draw your shoulders back and stretch both arms forward, parallel to the floor with your palms facing in, keeping your heart open and your spine long. Maintain a flat, solid lower belly that isn’t too thick or hard.
* Breathe while pointing your toes. Try to hold the stance for 10 to 20 seconds before extending it gradually to one minute.
