Yoga is a good idea for keeping fit. It helps you relax and meditate properly, making you physically fit and keeping your mind more alert.
But it is not just limited to this because women can also engage in yoga to reduce belly fat after C-section delivery.
A bigger belly often accompanies the weight gained during pregnancy, and if you had a c-section delivery, you’d begin to wonder how possible it is to get rid of this unwanted fat.
In this article, we discuss seven yoga poses to reduce belly fat after c-section delivery, their method, and their health benefits.
Yoga To Reduce Belly Fat After C-Section Delivery
There are some common misconceptions surrounding childbirth, and one of them is that belly fat is permanent, especially when it involves a C-section delivery.
There’s no doubt that pregnant women experience many changes during pregnancy, changes that involve both the physical and mental state of the women.
This is a result of the hormonal changes that occur during this period, and such hormones sometimes lead to much weight gain.
Holding a human being in your belly for nine months is no child’s play. Your body goes through a rollercoaster of physical and emotional changes, and these changes themselves come with extra baggage.
Emotionally, you deal with mood swings, weird food cravings, anxiety, and even depression.
The physical baggage is evident in the weight you put on during the pregnancy, and while not all women put on noticeable weight, there’s always a change in body mass during this period.
As much as you’re happy to finally hold your little one after nine long months, you can’t help but notice the extra belly fat threatening your self-esteem, which may make you consider engaging in yoga to reduce Belly fat after C-section.
Yoga To Reduce Belly Fat After C-Section: Methods And Benefits
As a new mom who has just had a C-section delivery, you may be wondering if it’s possible to get rid of that belly fat since you’re still healing.
Getting rid of belly fat after going under the knife to deliver a baby is very realizable, especially if you’re actively involved in yoga to reduce Belly fat after C-section.
The benefits of these exercises cannot be overemphasized because you’re getting rid of belly fat and staying physically and mentally fit.
Below are some types of yoga to reduce Belly fat after a C-section and how they’re done.
1. Triangle Pose
This pose is also referred to as the Trikonasana pose. This Yoga pose is very helpful in reducing belly fat after C-section and slimming the waist.
Method
- Stand upright with both feet apart, and both heels turned inward and on a straight line.
- Ensure your heels are steady, and place your right hand on either your ankle or sheen, depending on which you can achieve.
- Raise your left hand above your body.
- Raise your neck and keep your gaze fixed on your left palm
- Keep your head well aligned with your torso and practice deep inhaling and exhaling deep breaths from time to time.
Benefits
- A triangle pose can help treat neck sprain
- It improves the flexibility of the spine
- It improves muscle flexibility in the shoulders
- It reduces the chances of having cramps in the lower back.
- It improves blood flow since the entire body is involved, reducing any risks of a block or stroke.
- This technique also relieves gastritis, indigestion, acidity, and flatulence while strengthening the ankles and palms, reducing accumulated stress and anxiety, and easing discomfort.
It is recommended for pregnant women since it shifts their center of gravity and stretches and opens the hips, which can help during delivery.
By giving maximum stretch to the spine, hamstrings, and calves, this pose helps to strengthen the lower body, arms, and chest.
2. Mountain Pose
A mountain pose or Tadasana is done with the woman standing upright on her feet and stretching for a while, taking in deep breaths to help her relax.
This Yoga pose is beneficial in reducing belly fat after C-section delivery as it helps improve body control and strength, tones the whole body, and improves blood flow and posture.
Method
- Stand with both feet apart with only a reasonable space between them.
- Straighten your hands above your head and interlock your fingers.
- In a slow but steady motion, stretch out your body and stand on your toes with your heels raised.
- Inhale deeply and hold while stretching out, and exhale when releasing your body from the stretch.
- Ensure your body is relaxed during this exercise to help you feel more comfortable.
- Repeat this for about 30 minutes.
There’s no ideal time for how long you should remain stretched on your toes, do this to your convenience but ensure your body is well stretched out and relaxed.
Benefits
The benefits of a mountain pose are numerous, but a few include
- It helps to increase height
- It activates the nerves of the body
- It reduces the tendency to have flat feet
- It fixes problems relating to indigestion
- It regulates the menstrual cycle of women
- It strengthens the torso and expands the lungs
- It also strengthens the vertebral column and heart and develops and activates the nerves throughout the body.
3. Cobra Pose
Also known as Bhujangasana, this Yoga pose is very helpful in reducing belly fat after C-section delivery. The pose involves the woman lying down in the form of a cobra.
Method
- Lay down on the yoga mat with your stomach flat on the ground.
- Keep both arms folded close to your body with your elbows folding outward
- Have your palms placed flat by the sides of your chest.
- Using your palms pressed to the ground, raise from your head down to your chest up, making sure that your stomach is still flat on the mat.
- Stay in this position for 5 seconds and practice taking deep breaths and exhaling.
- Lay down back slowly to allow you to relax for a while and go again.
Benefits
- It strengthens the spine
- It strengthens the abdomen
- It increases and enhances the butt cheeks
- It improves upper body strength
- It improves blood circulation and relaxes the lower back
- It increases thyroid functioning
- It is also helpful for people suffering from hypothyroidism since it stretches the neck and throat region.
This poses slowly and gradually tones down the muscles in the shoulder, abdomen, and chest, decreasing the lower back’s stiffness and strengthening the arms and shoulders.
4. Boat Pose
This pose is also known as Paripurna Navasana. It is considered very effective for weight loss post C–Sec delivery.
This pose is known to reduce belly fat, cure all kinds of digestion-related diseases, and strengthen the stomach region.
Method
- Sit on your yoga mat with your legs stretched out.
- Lean back and raise your legs, ensuring that your toes are at eye level.
- Stretch both hands on either side of your folded legs and inhale.
- Do this for 5 to 10 seconds, and relax your muscles before going again.
Benefits
- This pose strengthens the core and hip flexors
- It strengthens the spine and reduces lower back cramps
- It relaxes the limbs and improves blood flow.
- It stimulates the abdominal organs, improves digestion, and improves the body’s steadiness.
- It strengthens the muscles in the arms, thighs, and shoulders and improves the health of all the organs in the abdomen, especially the liver, pancreas, and kidneys.
5. Plank Pose
Also known as Chaturanga Dandasana. The plank pose is ubiquitous in many fitness centers. It can be done very quickly and has vast benefits for the body.
Method
- Lie down on your yoga mat with both arms by the sides and palms facing the ground.
- Use both palms to raise the body, supported by raised toes in the form of a plank.
- Stay in that position for at least 50 – 60 seconds to strengthen the abdominal area.
Benefits
- It strengthens the upper body
- This Yoga pose is beneficial in reducing belly fat
- It strengthens the spine
- It enhances the butt cheeks
- It enhances the torso and abdomen
- It improves blood and airflow around the body.
6. Camel Pose
This Yoga pose is beneficial in reducing belly fat after C-section delivery.
Method
- Kneel on the Yoga mat and keep your knees and feet together.
- Lean in the backward direction by pushing your hips forward.
- Gently bend your head and spine backward and farther as possible without straining your neck.
- Rest your hands on your feet, relax your back muscles, and hold onto the position for 30-60 seconds before releasing.
Benefits
- The pose stretches and strengthens the shoulder blades and back to open the hips and stretch deep hip muscles.
- The camel also improves respiration by opening up the chest
- It also improves digestion and elimination by expanding the abdominal area.
- It loosens up the vertebrae, relieves lower back pain, improves posture, and reduces fat on your thigh region.
- It sends fresh blood to the body’s organs and oxidizes and detoxifies it.
- This pose also helps massage all the organs and the kidney, but do this with the guidance of an expert.
7. Pranayama
Pranayama is a simple breathing exercise that reduces belly fat after a C-section delivery by applying pressure directly to the abdominal area.
Method
- Sit in a cross-legged position by resting your hands on your knees while keeping your eye closed.
- Your right thumb should be on your right nostril while closed. On four counts, Inhale deeply from the other nostril.
- Hold your left nostril closed for two seconds with your correct ring finger. At this point, you are holding your breath while closing your nostrils.
- Remove your right thumb from your right nostril and exhale deeply.
- Breathe deeply while keeping your ring finger on your left nostril. Close your right and left nostrils for two seconds, then exhale deeply with your left nostril.
- Repeat this process for 5 minutes. Please pay close attention to your breathing while doing it.
Benefits
- This pose connects the body and mind and supplies the body with oxygen while removing toxins.
- It improves one’s sleep quality, increasing mindfulness and reducing high blood pressure.
- It can generate up to 15% more nitric oxide using the humming sound “Aum,” This helps early recovery and healing from Covid-19, lowers stress, improves concentration, and eases anxiety.
- Anulom Vilom Pranayam has many health benefits like improving the immune system, boosting your memory, improving respiratory and cardiovascular health, and regulating blood pressure.
- This Yoga pose also improves sleep and helps to de-stress.
Diet Tips
According to a yoga expert Kavita Sonawane, it is unnecessary to have lots of ghee and oil after delivery.
Too much oily food can lead to weight gain. Women are encouraged to drink plenty of fluids during the breastfeeding phase to maintain their health.
In addition to a fluid-rich diet, the diet should also be whole grains, fruits, ash gourd, and vegetarian food high in prana (vital life energy).
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When To Start Yoga After A C-Section?
As important as yoga is, engaging in it immediately after a C-section delivery is risky. Unlike the natural way of delivery, a C-section delivery tends to lead to complications if not managed well post-operation.
For a natural delivery, you can resume exercises as soon as possible. Still, it is best to wait for 6 to 8 weeks post-operation for C-section delivery before continuing yoga.
This is because, by that time, the incisions must have healed up properly. In a situation where you feel very confident to continue with yoga in less than six weeks, consult with your OBGYN before going ahead with it.
Wind Up
Engaging in yoga to reduce Belly fat after C-section delivery is one of the many easy ways to get back in shape without stressing.
Other ways may include dieting, using abdominal binders, or hot water massage, but yoga is one sure way to not just get in shape physically but mentally and psychologically.
This exercise can help new moms adjust to a new life of added responsibilities and experience the added joy despite the physical and emotional pain a mom is going through.