Yoga for Weight Loss

You are well acquainted with the emotional and psychological benefits of Yoga. As a lifestyle practice, it has been known to relieve stress, keep your mental focus and induce relaxation. Yoga practitioners also insist that regular Yoga practice has made them more able to make better decisions and clear mental blocks that have inhibited them from achieving their life goals. Furthermore, its physical benefits especially in terms of making the body more flexible and supple has also been well-documented. Balance and posture is improved. When flexibility is enhanced, the body is able to perform movements with fewer propensities for strain and injury.

An oft-repeated question, however, is this: Can you achieve weight loss with Yoga? The truth of the matter is that you can’t expect to lose significant amounts of weight if you rely in Yoga alone as your preferred fitness regimen. However, there are types of Yoga exercises that produce more calorie-burn and you should enroll in these classes if you want to use Yoga to enhance your fat loss regimen. For maximum weight loss benefits, however, you need to combine Yoga with a traditional exercise program such as an aerobic or cardiovascular routine on most days of the week. Fusing running, dancing or brisk walking with Yoga routines will definitely help you lose those excess pounds.

If you’re shopping around for a class that will help you achieve weight loss with Yoga, opt for the more dynamic forms of the workout rather than the traditional forms. The movements in these Yoga types are more vigorous, and hence burns more calories. Power Vinyasa Yoga, created by Baron Baptiste, is a form of dynamic Yoga practiced in a studio heated to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Poses flow from one to the other and the movements together with the heated studio results in elevating your heart rate, burning more calories. Ashtanga Yoga, considered as one of the oldest Yoga forms, is beneficial for weight loss. Asanas or poses are held for at least five breaths to strengthen and elongate the muscle groups. With standing and seated poses, balancing poses, backbends and inversions, muscles are made stronger thus aiding in fat loss. While a gentle Yoga practice, Hatha Yoga is considered ideal for those who seek to lose weight but can’t do so because of joint problems. The overweight or obese are able to burn calories without fear of injury as they move through the poses. Bikram Yoga, like Power Vinyasa Yoga, is also practiced in a studio heated to high temperatures. Toxins are removed as calories are burned through this Yoga practice. In Bikram Yoga, poses are held for certain number of seconds. They do not flow from one pose to another.

Weight loss with Yoga can be achieved if the poses are practiced consistently and regularly in conjunction with a healthy diet and cardiovascular exercise regimen. If you plan on doing Yoga in heated rooms, make sure you are well-hydrated before going into the session. Anytime you feel dizzy, stop and rest and return only when you feel better.