Yoga is well known for its breathing focus and meditative component. Many often practice yoga to increase flexibility and build strength. But yoga can also be effective for weight loss. Some types of yoga are more aerobic than others and burn more calories. Even if you are practicing a gentler style, other aspects of yoga may contribute to your ability to lose weight or at least not gain additional weight. The mind-body connection you develop can help you be more aware of your body and your eating habits.
Yoga Styles
Some styles of yoga by design burn more calories than others. Vinyasa or prana flow yoga is a constant flow from one pose to the next, making it more aerobic than other forms. Ashtanga yoga focuses on athletic strength and is quite challenging. Power yoga incorporates aspects of both vinyasa and ashtanga yoga and emphasizes the fitness component of yoga more than the meditative one. Although each yoga class is unique based on the instructor, classes labeled as vinyasa, ashtanga or power yoga generally burn more calories.
Mindful Eating
Practicing yoga increases your awareness of your body. This mindfulness can impact your relationship with food. The results of a study on mindful eating, published in 2009 in the "Journal of the American Dietetic Association," showed that there is a correlation between regular yoga practice and mindful eating. The study proposes that by being more aware of your feelings towards food, you may be able to either lose weight or at least maintain your weight.
Weight Gain Prevention
A different study found that yoga may prevent weight gain in those who are average weight, and may help those who are overweight to lose weight. The researchers of the study, which was led by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, acknowledged that many people do not practice yoga vigorously enough to burn calories. Instead, they attributed the result to less tangible effects of yoga, such as increased body awareness and greater inner strength.
Impact of Stress Reduction
Yoga has long been recognized as a useful tool for stress reduction. As explained in Yoga Journal, your cortisol levels rise when you are stressed. Increased cortisol levels can cause you to eat more than necessary. In addition, the extra calories you take in are more likely to be converted to fat in your body. You may not only feel less stressed from practicing yoga, but by reducing cortisol levels, you may be able to avoid unnecessary weight gain.
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