Excess weight gain has become a phenomenon in today's age, when lifestyles have become sedentary, and food more liberal with extra calories. Today our children prefer T.V. over their friends and play, merely a reflection of their parents who also somewhere prefer T.V. over socializing or even over spending time with their children (if they spend some time surely some running around will help burn some calories). These are only a few factors, which have resulted in increasing amount of people with the problem of excess weight or obesity.

Stress, wrong food habits (i.e. irregular timings for food, unhealthy (junk) food), lack of exercise, thyroid problem etc. could be some of the reasons resulting in weight gain.

To lose weight, it is important to do so, not just by doing diets, or exercise programs, which are too tedious, which may yield results but which do not keep you that way. Sometimes after sudden loss of weight the skin sags making one feel worse. The best approach is to lose weight gradually and for good. Yoga offers a good solution to this problem. Yoga tones the body in a uniformed manner, unlike any " weight loss program" which claims to decrease your butts by this much inches and waist by this much, leading to side effects. Yoga can be practiced at any age to keep the body supple.

A plan to reduce weight naturally is:

Cleansing techniques:

• Kunjal Kriya (stomach wash and lung cleansing)
• Basti (colon cleansing - Enemas)
• Laghu Shankha Prakshalan (digestive system cleansing technique)
• Baghi(tiger exercise)
• Yoga Asans (postures)

If you wish to work on one body part more like the hips or abdomen or thighs or arms or legs or chest you can incorporate the asnas specific to your requirement in the above plan.

Yogic Asans to tighten the abdomen are:

Abdominal lift, Child pose, Cobra pose, Wind releasing pose, Yogic seal pose, Spinal twist, Lying on back pose - baat pose, Naval Move Asana (lying on back).

Yogic asans for arms and legs

Tree pose, Hero pose, Dog pose (face up), Dog pose (face down), Swinging lotus pose, Bridge pose (face up), Bridge pose (face down), Celebacy pose, Squat and rise pose.

Yoga plan to tighten the chest:

Triangle pose, Hero pose, Baat pose (lying on back), Cobra pose, Wind releasing pose, Dog pose (face upand down), Lumbar wheel pose, Spinal twist.

Yoga Asans to tone up thighs and hips:

Sun salute, Hero pose I + II, Triangle pose, Angle pose, Dog pose (face up), Dog pose (face down), Celebacy pose, Advanced wind releasing pose, Butterfly pose.

Pranayama (breathing exercises)

Yogic Breathing: Inhale. First blow your abdomen, and then expand the chest. While exhaling, first relax the chest and then the abdomen. Practise like this for 10 times.

Meditation and Relaxation

Focus your attention on your breathing, feel its temperature and keep your breathing, thoroughly equalised (i.e. inhale for 3 sec and exhale for 3 secs).

Naturopathic treatment

This can be done in conjunction with the above yogic exercise plan. For the naturopathic treatment you will need to consult an experienced naturopath.

Chromotherapy: refers to treatment of disease through sun-rays, directly or indirectly such as sun-charged water, oil etc.

• Green water: is neutral in nature and help to reduce excessive heat in the body.
• Yellow\orange water - 25ml or ½ cup of this should be taken twice after each major meal. It is beneficial for cases in which improper digestion and flatulence is there.

Hydro therapy: refers to the treatment of disease with water.

• Cold shower: It should be taken after whole body dry friction, and helps in dissolving and burning fat. It also helps in cases of cellulite.
• Steam/sauna / Hot foot bath: They all help to reduce fat by removing toxins and morbid matter from the body. Helps to dissolve fat.
• Enema: This is a method of cleaning the intestinal tract.
• Water intake: 8-12 glasses of water should be taken per day. Water should be taken at least ½ hour before meal .

Fasting: also helps in burning fat.

Dicto-therapy: Carbohydrates is one of the major source of weight gain. Breakfast may consist of food consisting of proteins and fat. Lunch should consist more of carbohydrates and dinner should have more of proteins. In addition increase of vitamins and minerals through vegetables and fruit will help you fill stomach and change quality of calories and reduce fat. Roughage taken in form of wheat/oat bran are highly beneficial to detoxify digestive system and help to reduce fat from body