These Yoga Poses Will Normalize Your Appetite in 5 Minutes
Stress, hormones, and even intense
exercise can all make you overeat, which can soon snowball into a
full-blown bad habit. This harmful habit is destructive to your heart
and digestive health, plus it negates all the hard work you put into
your well-being and fitness.
To combat overeating and to regain control
over your own appetite, try one or more of these yoga postures, designed
specifically for said problem. Apart from normalizing your appetite,
these poses have tons of other health benefits and will make you feel
great. On top of that, doing these yoga asanas takes only a few minutes
tops.
1. Downward Facing Dog
Downward-facing dog is one of the most famous yoga positions for a good
reason, as it combines the benefits of a forward fold and engages the
abdominal muscles at the same time. Apart from preventing you from
overeating, it has the following health benefits:
balances blood pressure
engages the abdominal muscles
relieves lower back pain
promotes intestinal health
This pose is an overall body and mind strengthener.
How to do the pose:
Step 1. Start from an all fours position. Your knees should be directly
under your hips and hands should be at shoulder width. This alignment
ensures your weight will be spread equally throughout your body once
you’re in downward dog.
Step 2. As you breathe in naturally, slowly lift your knees and elbows
and straighten them, if possible, until your body looks like a downward
letter "V". Situate yourself comfortably in the posture, breathe in
slowly and mindfully, sucking your belly in and distributing the weight
equally through your legs and shoulders.
Hold this position for at least 10 cycles of breath, then slowly land
back on your knees and elbows.
Important note! A common mistake in downward dog is that people try to
straighten their legs and not their lower back. The most important thing
in this posture is a straight spine, so engage your belly and
straighten the spine as much as you can... and the legs can stay bent.
2. Plank Pose
Another “celebrity” yoga pose, the plank is an essential component to
most workout routines. Did you know that it can tame your naughty
appetite, too? Apart from that, planks are excellent full-body
strengtheners, as well as mood boosters and belly fat erasers.
How to do the pose:
Step 1. We recommend you start your plank from the downward facing dog
position. The trick in this pose is to start when you’re exhaling and
gradually moving your head and chest forward while simultaneously
engaging your core and buttocks even more. Eventually, your body will
form a sideways "L" position.
Step 2. Once you’re situated, make sure
your spine and legs form a straight line. To do that, you have to engage
your thighs and glutes quite a bit. Also, make sure to keep your neck
relaxed. To do that, spread and pull your shoulders down.
Hold this position as long as you can, start with around 5 breaths and
then evolve until you can hold it for 2-3 minutes.
When that becomes easy, you can move to a more difficult variation
called the side plank (see picture above). To do it, just move your
center of balance to one hand and lift the other. To maintain the
balance, move the leg that’s closer to the floor a bit forward like the
woman on the picture.
Also, don’t forget to repeat it on the other side.
3. Lotus Pose 
One of the most effective breathing and meditation poses is the famous
lotus position. It has several benefits: it can help you focus and
disconnect from the stresses of the world, concentrating on a deep
breath. This calming effect is also reflected in your emotional state
and appetite, calming and normalizing both.
How to do the pose:
Step 1. Sit down on the floor with your legs bent at your knees and
crisscrossed to form a comfortable seat. The goal here is for you to sit
comfortably and to have a straight spine.
Tip: if you did as instructed and still can’t straighten your back, grab
a pillow (or two) to sit on. This will lift you up and make it easier
to straighten your spine.
Step 2. The standard lotus requires for you to fold your legs so that
your feet stick out, like two lotus flowers. This posture can be hard on
your knees, though, as it requires extreme outward knee rotation.
That’s why many yoga teachers nowadays recommend spreading the knees
with the feet folded below them like the picture on the right shows.
You can hold this position for several minutes and simply focus on DEEP
breathing.
4. Cobra Pose
This wonderful pose activates the entire upper body and does wonders for
your spine. It can relieve neck and back pain and is very beneficial to
digestion, which is why it can normalize your urge to eat.
How to do the pose:
Step 1. Lie down on your stomach, legs straight and arms bent in the
elbows like a grasshopper. Your hands should be on the floor right next
to your ribcage. Breathe in, relax your shoulders and pull out your
neck. This position will ensure that you don’t hurt your neck.
Step 2. On an inhale, engage your abdominals, your side body muscles and
your back muscles as you slowly lift up your head, shoulders and upper
torso as high up as you can. Don’t worry if your arms won’t be straight
and remember that your torso should be doing all the work, and not your
arms.
Make sure to keep your shoulders relaxed and neck straight.
Hold the position for 5 breaths or as long as you can until you return
to your initial position.
5. Tree Pose 
This balancing posture will calm your nerves and your digestive system.
It is also beneficial for your posture and spine health.
How to do the pose:
Step 1. Stand up straight with your arms on your sides. As you breathe
in, raise one leg and put it on the other thigh. Can’t maintain the
balance with your leg on your thigh? No worries, you can always keep it
on your knee or slightly above the ankle. If you’re afraid of falling,
practice this pose by the wall.
Step 2. When it comes to your hands, you have many options: you can
either keep them together in front of your torso or lift them overhead
(try simply holding them up and then connecting them like on the left
picture). If none of those work for you, just rest them on your sides.
Hold as long as you’d like, slowly breathing and focusing on your breath
and don’t forget to repeat on the other side.
6. Half-Boat 
Boat positions come in different variations, and this specific one
targets digestion. The side effects of doing this pose is a toned belly
and thighs, and not only a happy digestive system.
How to do the pose:
Step 1. Sit up straight on the ground with your legs bent and parallel
to each other. Engage your core and lift your arms, palms facing up
until they’re parallel to the floor.
Step 2. When you’re ready, slowly lift your
legs as high as you can by engaging your abdominal muscles. It is
important to keep a straight lower back. No need to straighten your legs
in this variation.
Hold this position as long as you can, but don’t overdo it because it is
a very intense core exercise.
Tip: if you find that it is difficult for you to feel your core and
maintain a sense of balance in the posture, try engaging your inner
thighs or even holding a book between the legs to make you do so.
7. Plow Pose
Any inverted position is essential for digestive health. This position
is particularly beneficial to your pancreas and liver. Many people also
experience a sense of release in the lower back while doing this
position, so it’s a real multitasker.
We understand that this pose may look challenging, but it is much easier
than it looks and we will give you a few variations of it, so find one
suitable for you.
Important note: Women on the first few days of their period and people
who experience high blood pressure should avoid this posture.
How to do the pose:
Step 1. Lie down on your back with your arms parallel to your body. Use
your hands to support your lower back from the sides as you slowly lift
your legs overhead. Knees can be bent or straight, feet can reach the
floor or not.
Step 2. If you’re a beginner, support your lower back with your arms
like the woman on the lower picture. If you’re more confident, you can
move your hands towards your feet and maybe even touch them (see upper
picture).
Wherever you are, relax and make 5-10 breaths in this position.
8. Warrior Pose
From the many warrior positions, this is the one that targets increased
appetite, digestion, as well as balance and flexibility. Like all the
warrior positions, it also aims to boost your mood and confidence
How to do the pose:
Step 1. Stand up straight. Now take a big step back with one foot,
placing the foot at a 45º angle. The step should be just big enough for
your knee to create a 90º angle when bent.
Step 2. Once your legs are situated, stretch your hands straight
parallel to the earth like the woman on the picture. You can either look
straight or in the direction of the bent knee in this posture.
The goal of this posture is to stretch your side body as much as you
can, so stretch your hands and back leg as wide as possible to the
sides, just like a starfish. Hold the posture for 5-10 breaths and
repeat it on both sides.