Yoga Asanas: To Control Mindless Munching

Why do many of us simply tend to eat and eat and eat.

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The answer to this uncontrolled munching lies in the fact that most of us are eating while distracted — when watching TV, talking with family or friends, or eating in the car. Another external factor influencing how much we eat is serving size: If a larger serving is in front of us, we tend to eat more no matter what.

Convenience and visibility of a food is another factor — if it’s easy to reach out and grab a food, we’ll be more likely to eat it. Even the way a room is lighted can cause us to eat more: Dim, soft lighting encourages us to prolong the eating experience and we eat more. Still other factors include stress, boredom or emotional reasons for eating. We do not rely on the internal cues, such as how hungry we are.

Yoga can go a long way in teaching asanas to control mindless munching by relating our body to hunger, cravings and eating behavior. Yoga will help you better associate with internal cues like “fullness”, instead of external cues like how much food is left on your plate. Listening to external cues leads to overeating.

Poses generally recommended include the Crab Pose, the Pigeon Pose, the Locust Pose, the Staff Pose, the Child's pose, the Downward Dog pose, plow pose and the Full Wind Pose, among others. Grounding postures like the Goddess Pose, Mountain Pose, and the Standing and Prayer Squats are also used to increase strength and fortitude.