Yoga Exercises for Weight Loss

Poses and Exercises in Yoga for Weight Loss

yoga training for weight lossBy Faye Martins

People are always looking for a way to lose weight. Yoga is much more than a fitness program, but for now, let’s consider the physical aspects of classes that most people see in health clubs. Yoga is not necessarily the first thing people think of as the go to fitness plan to shed those pounds. It’s more widely considered a holistic get-in-shape exercise with meditation workout. However, there are medical studies that prove yoga is a great and effective way to lose weight. It does not necessarily happen at the speed of other high energy workout plans, but weight loss is experienced and the method is effective. In fact, because it is taught at a slower pace, and aims to work the body and mind, more people stick with it rather than the high-energy workouts. For those students, yoga becomes more of a practice and lifestyle for keeping off or maintaining the weight loss.

Yoga Exercises Really Work For Weight Loss

Your students can burn anywhere from 150 to over 300 calories after practicing yoga for an hour. With the various types of yoga, some practices help students lose weight more than others. Hot yoga is practiced in one hundred and five degree studios where students get to maximize the amount of calories being burned as they perspire. Ashtanga is another example known to be quite vigorous with many athletic poses. One is constantly moving, stretching and burning fat. This is just a few of the many variations focusing on its specific purpose but shedding calories all the same.

Lose Weight with Yoga

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center based in Seattle, Washington put out a 2005 study re-emphasizing through research that yoga keys into the mind body connection, which makes it an effective way to lose weight. The mental and physical connection is key. Because yoga focuses on the rhythm of one’s breathing, and the way it connects to every part of the body, a deeper and more significant habit develops in those who adopt yoga as a way of life. People look to improve their lives by having an all-around healthier lifestyle, which includes diet, eating less fattening snacks, and finding other ways to keep active on a daily basis. Yogis become more interested in their nutrition, and when that is combined with the calorie burning Vinyasa flow, weight loss will be only one of the many things they gain from Yoga.

Yoga Exercises For Weight Loss – A Gimmick?

There is a routine to weight loss gimmicks. Most people, though familiar with them, keep trying for the latest scheme in the hopes of achieving the same amazing results. What exactly makes them so appealing? Why is it that the vast majority of them do not work?

Common Elements

It is easy enough to spot a faker. Look for the following elements to help distinguish a gambit:

  •  A lot of hype
  • A promise of magical results
  • Intentional omission of pertinent information
  • Very small, yet voluminous, print
  • A disclaimer

Hardly anyone has not heard the famous tag line “results may vary.” At least the creators of gimmicks are honest on this point because results are unique in every activity.

The Maneuver to Assure Future Sales

There are a number of reasons these methods hope to rely on for their plans to prove unsuccessful. First, the buyer will continue to look for the magic. Second, there are always plenty of other reasons for failing to achieve mystical results upon which to fix blame. Last but not least, if the seller provided a stratagem that works, that would end their lucrative income stream.

What Does Work?

Those who have achieved successful weight loss will all agree on what it takes to get there. While extreme workouts and medications prove successful, these are not the only ways to get results. Boosting metabolism requires muscle work. Sweating is an excellent way to purify and detox the system. Low intensity aerobic metabolism, conducted over a period of time, fuels the energy needed to get the benefit of a cardio workout. All of these can be accomplished with regular yoga exercise.

One of the Best Weight Management Programs

Remarkably, yoga provides all the ways to focus on obtaining a wholesome and gradual loss of weight. Not only does it reduce the stress that tends to drive people to eat unconsciously, a yogic workout helps students gain a whole new understanding of their bodies, while developing a deeper appreciation of their mental powers.

Fitness Does Not Have to be Hard

There are a number of different yoga classes that will contribute to muscle strengthening and lengthening. Students are able to work the entire body in Ashtanga classes, and the combo classes of Yoga and Pilates, allow for heavy core workouts. There is no comparing these to high-intensity workouts, but this is not necessary to kick start the metabolism so that weight loss can continue even between workouts. Good instructors will work with students, at all levels, to assist in the right workout that will help them move forward in whatever goal they want to achieve without the hype, without the empty promises and with only beneficial results following.

What Do I Recommend?

Now that you have agreed that a lifestyle change is a major factor, I think it is important to point you in the right direction. Sun Salutations in the morning, Moon salutations in the evening, or a flowing Vinyasa session is going to steadily burn calories. You have to decide the best time of day for you. Start with one routine, and if you get bored, try another. Also keep in mind, there are many different variations of the flows. If you feel you have low energy, then practice holding postures instead of flowing. If you get tired of the same old routine, try walking and practicing pranayama, while you walk. My point is: Keep moving and do your best.

© Copyright 2011 – Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division

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Sources

Allen KL, Byrne SM, Blair EM, Davis EA. Why do some overweight children experience psychological problems? The role of weight and shape concern. Int J Pediatr Obes. 2006;1:239–247

Hedley AA, Ogden CL, Johnson CL, Carroll MD, Curtin LR, Flegal KM. Prevalence of overweight and obesity among US children, adolescents, and adults, 1999–2002. JAMA. 2004;291:2847–2850

Innes KE, Bourguignon C, Taylor AG. Risk indices associated with the insulin resistance syndrome, cardiovascular disease, and possible protection with yoga: a systematic review. J Am Board Fam Pract. 2005;18:491–519

Littman AJ, Kristal AR, White E.Int J Obes (Lond). 2005 May; 29(5):524-33.

Schmitz KH, Jacobs DR Jr, Leon AS, Schreiner PJ, Sternfeld B.Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2000 Nov; 24(11):1475-87.

Winett RA, Tate DF, Anderson ES, Wojcik JR, Winett SG.Prev Med. 2005 Aug; 41(2):629-41.

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