Yoga for Weight Loss

Have you ever walked past a yoga class and seen people come out dripping wet, looking great, with lean muscle? You ask yourself, "Will yoga help me lose weight? All the celebrities are doing it and they look great, so it must work." Let me word it this way: Yoga is a positive part of your weight loss routine. Weight loss can be a by-product of yoga. When I say by-product, I mean that yoga is not the "sole" reason for weight loss, even though it is fantastic for the "soul." The largest benefit of yoga is calming the mind, and when we calm our mind, we become less stressed. Stress can stimulate weight gain, so the less stress we have, the less likely we are to gain weight.

Practicing any type of yoga will build strength, but some types may not raise your heart rate enough to make daily yoga the single form of exercise that you need to include in your weight loss regime. It depends on the type of yoga you select and how frequently you practice it. In order to lose weight, you must eat right and burn calories by doing exercise that raises your heart rate on a regular basis.

Different types of yoga have varying intensities. Types of yoga in which yoga poses are held for several minutes with rest in between each pose, , such as Iyengar, will build muscles and improve your posture, but will not "burn fat." The good news is that Iyengar yoga can be used to build muscle and strength, hence this increases your metabolism. This is a good example of yoga having an effect on weight loss.

If you have become a recent yoga fanatic and believe that it is the form of exercise that works for you, fantastic!! My advice is that you must do a vigorous, 90-minute yoga class at least three times a week. This is the minimum amount of work to see benefits in the body from a cardiovascular standpoint. Many people choose to combine yoga with running, walking or other aerobic exercise in order to reach their weight loss goals. I would encourage this combination, especially if you have more than 5 to 10 lbs. to lose.

What kind of yoga will help you lose weight?
1) Vinyasa-Style Yoga: Vinyasa is a flowing style of yoga based on the performance of a series of poses called Sun Salutations. Vinyasa includes many popular, athletic, sweat-drenched yoga styles. You can find Vinyasa yoga classes at your local gym and studios. It is the most popular of yoga practices.
2) Power Yoga: Power yoga is extremely popular, and one of the reasons is that it provides a very vigorous cardiovascular workout. You will walk out of a class drenched and feeling light and strong.
3) Ashtanga: Ashtanga yoga is a very vigorous style of practice with a few distinct advantages for those who want to lose weight. Most Ashtanga classes attract a very dedicated group. Many of these styles of classes are held early in the morning, and this is a great way to start your day and rev up your metabolism. Another advantage is that Ashtanga yoga is ideal for the home practitioners, and can be easily done on the road. The result is that many practitioners become very religious in their practice. Becoming routine or religious about any type of physical practice results in losing weight and leaning out your body.

I find that some of the other by-products or extensions of yoga that increase weight loss are:

1) Our bodies become cleaner and purer: We crave better foods, like vegetables, fruit, lean protein and healthy grains.
2) Yoga is a group setting, yet a solo practice: It helps to be in a group setting while working out. We avoid stopping, quitting or giving up. There is always group support and group support is always positive towards weight loss or body changing events.
3) Yoga creates a positive environment and positive thoughts about your body. When we create positive thoughts, we stimulate positive change. Positive body image is a great precursor to weight loss in the body

So enjoy the breath and stretch for now, and see how the positive benefits of yoga stimulate the positive benefits of weight loss.