Can Yoga Help You Get Rid of Love Handles?

Yoga Journal

Many beginning yoga students are drawn to yoga because they've heard it does wonders for a person's physique. Even though most serious practitioners eventually abandon their goals of changing flab to fab in favor of a more holistic approach to health, there's nothing wrong with targeting a specific muscle area you know is weak or tight. One of the hardest and most requested parts of the body to transform are the side waist or "love handles."

Although there may not be a quick fix for yogis who are concerned with toning their "love handles," there are clear advantages to working this part of the body. The side waist muscles (also called the flank muscles), along with the front abdominal, lower back, and buttock muscles, are crucial in supporting and stabilizing the lower back and pelvis.

This can be achieved through the practice of Trikonasana (Triangle Pose). If done correctly in Iyengar style, the line of the torso from the side waist to the armpit should be flat, not rounded up toward the ceiling. It is the contraction of the flank muscles that keeps it flat, working to tone and strengthen.

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Posted by Online Editor Erica Rodefer