"Mindful Meltdown: Harnessing the Power of Yoga Nidra for Weight Loss in 2024"

Introduction:

Our modern world has seen a drastic growth in weight gain in the last 100 years.   A lot of people have suddenly realized that the modern lifestyle has made them overweight.  This has given rise to a variety of fad diets, intense work out programs that have flooded the market promising quick results with minimal effort.  However, the individual looking for a weight loss program is often confused and at times is influenced more by advertisements than sound judgement as to the right approach to weight loss.  One aspect that gets overlooked is the realm of the mind—guided meditation/yoga nidra.  Individuals make great efforts to lose weight with different exercise programs but very little focus is directed towards the mental side of things.  There is lack of insight to maintaining adequate consistent motivation level, setting goals, persistence, taking care of emotional eating, and exercising self-discipline/will power using Yog Nidra and Guided meditation..

Weight Loss from a Holistic Perspective


 The body-mind connection is an intricate relationship that plays a major role in achieving weight loss goals.  The old saying, “A sound mind in a sound body”, sums it all up.  As per yoga philosophy the body is the gross manifestation of the “panch koshas” and the mind the subtle.  Both influence one another.   For e.g., if you are overweight, then you become sluggish. You are unable to focus on things.  Your love for food may become the prime reason for living.  You call yourself a foodie.  So, in order to reverse the weight gain the first step is to be in the right frame of mind.  Yoga nidra/guided meditation can be instrumental in getting you there.  Mind you, nothing is effortless.  Just like you are initially unable to move a large boulder but if you start to rock it slowly then as it gains momentum you can roll it over.  Similarly, the right mental approach and program will help you lose weight.

Benefits of using guided meditation/Yoga nidra for weight loss

Yoga nidra/guided meditation is a very effective supplementary technique to help individuals lose weight.  Countless studies have been done on the effects of meditation on mental, physical, and spiritual well being of us mortals.  Time and again, it has been proven that meditation can help people transform into better beings.  If you would like to know more, please refer to my article: https://www.marathonyogis.blog/2023/06/the-transformative-power-of-guided.html.  So, to lose weight, there are five aspects given below that require your attention.  We will go through each and see how yoga nidra and guided meditation is instrumental in helping achieve your weight loss goals.

1.     Motivation

The first aspect that needs attention is motivation.  People today understand the importance of keeping fit and from time to time they get motivated but that motivation is short-lived and individuals give up soon.  What they require is an inner push, a consistent effort making sure they do not give up at the “times of weakness”.  Meditation, especially in the form of guided meditation for beginners is a great way to remain motivated.  An expert guided meditation instructor can help you to visualize feeling great both while performing the exercise and post-exercise.  Using end goal visualization, being thin like their role model and that it is possible and within their reach, is a great way of keeping individuals motivated.

2.     Goal setting

When attempting weight loss, the best way is to create achievable milestones.  Use a computer or a goal book to pen down or type your goals for the next 3 to 6 months.  Goals are not rigid goals.  They need to be flexible.  If you over achieve, you increase the level of toughness about a notch and if you under achieve, you make it easier.  After a week or two, you can come back to your goal book and make changes as per what you have achieved or not achieved.  The role of your daily or weekly guided meditation would be to remind you that this is your goal.  This is more powerful than keeping your goal pasted on the wall, although that will help too.  Moreover, meditation tends to work on a subconscious level and the push you get is actually amazing.

3.     Patience and Persistence

Weight gain does not happen in a day, so how can weight loss.  It takes time and effort to reverse weight gain.   You need to maintain a positive mindset and persistent effort to achieve your goal.  Again, guided meditation/weight loss sessions can help you cultivate patience and persistence so that goals can be achieved.  The biggest challenge for anyone is when exercises become routine and boring, this is where guided meditation sessions can help you stay focused and imagery visualization can be used to make the daily routine more interesting and enjoyable.

4.     Self-discipline/Will power

Anyone noteworthy who has ever achieved anything substantial has been through self-discipline and sheer will power.   It is very easy to advise people to be self-disciplined but to practice it is a different story.  For e.g. the act of getting out of bed to exercise is one of the most difficult tasks.  On the night before any exercise day, they are pumped to get up and may do so for a day or two but then fail to get up a few days later.  The fight between getting up and exercising and staying in a comfy bed is extremely overpowering and most people choose the latter.  Go for a focused guided meditation session at least once a week utilizing imagery getting up early and enjoying it which will help you run out the door every morning.

5.     Yog Nidra practises for Emotional Eating

When it comes to food, our civilization has been spoilt for choice.  Our satisfaction quotient has been linked to eating tasty food.  Every mini celebration brings with it mouth watering dishes. The love for these dishes can be instrumental in derailing many people’s weight loss programs.  Guided meditation imagery can help you become aware of the ill-effects of tasty food on a subconscious level.  Moreover, it can help develop a better relationship with healthy food and curb compulsive eating and food addictions.  Food addiction can be due to stress, which can lead to weight gain in many individuals.  Meditation helps regulate cortisol levels and reduces stress which in turn helps with food addictions and hence weight loss.

Conclusion:

Weight loss is a journey that transcends mere physical transformations.  By incorporating guided meditation and yoga nidra into your daily routine, you can tap into the vast potential of your mind and align it with your weight loss goals.  Yoga nidra and guided meditation can help you stay motivated and on top of your goals, cultivate a sense of self discipline, and encourage healthy eating habits.  Having said that this is not a shortcut to success, but it will give you an edge over others because guided meditation will help you conquer your mind and if you are able to subdue the mind you can achieve anything-weight loss.


Suggested Reading:

  1. The transforamative power of Guided Meditation: https://www.marathonyogis.blog/2023/06/the-transformative-power-of-guided.html
  2. How to Start Running: https://www.marathonyogis.blog/2023/05/how-to-start-running-beginners-guide.html
  3. HIDE: Halving the intake and doubling the exercie: https://www.marathonyogis.blog/2023/07/the-weight-loss-equation-hide-halving.html
  4. A leathal combination of running and yoga: https://www.marathonyogis.blog/2020/04/weight-loss-with-runog.html
Rajeev Sharma is the founder of marathonyogis. He was no stranger to yoga being born and brought up in Dehradun near Haridwar and influenced by his Paternal Grandfather, who himself a practitioner of Yoga and Pranayama, was closely associated with Swami Dayanand Saraswati. The turbulence of teenage life made him search for a meaning in life. His quest for inner peace and harmony and self improvement led him to discover Yoga in 1996. His voracious appetite to learn more made him earn his Bachelor of Education degree in Yoga from Panjab University. Yoga became a way of life-in essence the true religion. He had been teaching yoga on weekends in offices and coaching a marathon team. He continued the practice of yoga and moved into the corporate world. In 2013 he decided that it was time to move on to his true calling. He renounced his corporate life to spend more time on his personal practice and his running, yoga, and weightloss coaching. A passionate mountain lover Rajeev loves the rigor of Mountain Biking & Trail Running and the calm of Mountain Walks & Yoga.

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