Yoga For Weight Loss: Who Knew?

by Keira Adams

Yoga is renowned for its power to relieve stress, increase flexibility, and build muscle tone. It is not, however, as well known for promoting weight loss. You may not have heard yoga mentioned in this context, but it can be a great way to burn off calories.

Yoga is not though of as a particularly active form of exercise. While it works out your muscles, it is rare to become terribly sweaty during yoga (unless you are doing Bikram yoga, but then the room will be heated). However, the fact that your muscles are being given a workout means your body is utilizing calories more effectively. This means that a regimen of aerobic exercise in tandem with yoga will produce better results than if you were not doing yoga alongside of aerobic exercise.

Yoga can also give you the discipline you need to stick to a diet and exercise program. Yoga reinforces the link between your body and your mind, increasing your desire to look after your body. This is very helpful for people who want to lose weight but have trouble getting motivated.

If you are looking to lose weight through yoga alone, you may want to seek out some of the newer styles of yoga. These forms of yoga can give you the traditional benefits of yoga along with a cardiovascular workout at the same time. Here’s a look at some of them.

Vinyasa – Vinyasa yoga is centered on shifting from one asana, or pose, to another while concentrating on your breathing. Sun Salutations are a common pose in Vinyasa yoga, but there are many other poses used also. This style is sometimes practiced in a heated room to promote sweating.

Ashtanga – This is an intricate approach to yoga, integrating six series of individual asanas. These increase gradually in complexity, so you should start at the beginning and learn as you go.

Power yoga – This modern adaptation of yoga mixes active, high-speed actions with yogic breathing. It’s more likely to increase your heart rate and work up a sweat than traditional yoga.

While they may not give you as much of a workout as aerobics, these non-traditional styles of yoga combine weight loss and cardiovascular benefits with the muscle building and flexibility training of yoga. And for those who don’t have the time to participate in two separate workout programs, they can be a great option.

It may seem at first glance that aerobics and yoga share little common ground. Nevertheless, conventional yoga can boost the benefits of cardiovascular exercise, and the newer styles of this ancient practice can be a great replacement for your usual aerobics. If you’re dissatisfied with the results you’re seeing from your normal exercise program, why not give yoga a try?

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