Yoga to Lose Weight

A yoga program of stretching, holding postures, deep breathing and relaxation can help with losing weight. Yoga burns calories and aids in developing awareness of your emotions and eating habits. People have melted away pounds with yoga after failing at attempts to lose weight by other methods, writes Dr. Timothy McCall, author of "Yoga As Medicine." Ask your doctor if practicing yoga would be helpful for you.

Feeling The Burn

Calories are readily burned in workouts such as Bikram hot yoga, where the room is heated to at least 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Warmed muscles stretch easily, so you sweat out toxins and melt away fat. Ashtanga yoga employs heat generated from within as you work through a rapid flow of poses. In a 90-minute session, a 150-lb. person can burn 716 calories with Bikram hot yoga, 526 calories with Ashtanga and 284 calories with Hatha style, according to HealthStatus.com. One pound of body fat equals about 3,500 calories, notes MayoClinic.com. If you keep burning more calories than you consume each day, you will shed pounds.

Relieving Stress

Hatha yoga burns fewer calories than hot yoga styles, but it still promotes weight loss by reducing cortisol, a stress-induced hormone. Cortisol stimulates the urge to eat and causes calories to convert into fat which settles around the abdomen, writes McCall. Reducing cortisol helps you preserve calmness of mind to focus on your weight management goals.

Upside Down Yoga

Inverted poses such as shoulder stand, plow, headstand and forward bends stimulate your thyroid gland, increasing metabolism for better calorie burning, according to "Yoga Journal." Tension in the neck and shoulders, as well as compression around the digestive area, is relieved by practicing inversions. If you are a beginner, have an instructor assist you in learning the headstand, shoulder stand and plow poses.

Twist Poses

As in wringing out a wash cloth, twist poses massage your kidneys and other internal organs, helping them remove excess fluids which contribute to weight gain, notes McCall. Twists reduce tension along the spine and promote healthy digestion and circulation, he adds.

Reminders

Taking a few deep breaths in a yoga pose will yield the maximum benefit. Focus on stretching but not straining your muscles, and end your session with relaxation pose. Have a yoga teacher help you decide which poses are best for your individual needs.