Will Yoga Help You Lose Weight?

Does yoga help you lose fat? It may be helpful in the short term, as it increases your strength and flexibility. As a part of an overall fitness program, yoga can benefit you in several ways, but it is not necessarily the right way for everybody. "When it comes to fat loss, you are going to lose calories doing yoga, just like any other type of exercise. However, the effects may be different."

Besides the physical benefits, there are also some psychological benefits that may motivate you to stick with a weight-loss program such as yoga. According to Kelly Lambert, PhD, author of the new book, Eat Every Other Day: Guided Meditation for Weight Loss and Anxiety Reduction, yoga increases attention to breath and body awareness. When you are mindful of what you are doing, your brain becomes more aware of your environment, which has a tendency to reduce stress. Additionally, high levels of cortisol are released when people are under stress, and this hormone has been associated with obesity. So, if you want to lose weight, consider also participating in guided meditation or relaxation exercises.

Bikram yoga (hot yoga), another form of yoga that increases focus and awareness, also has a calming effect. In particular, researchers have linked hot yoga to reduced cortisol levels. Hot yoga was first developed in the sixties by Bikram Choudhury, who studied the way meditation and hot yoga changed the way that practitioners felt, moved and thought. Today, bikram yoga is still practiced throughout the world by yoga enthusiasts, as well as people who want to reduce their body fat and improve their mental health.

Many forms of yoga have their own sets of benefits, such as Ashtanga yoga or power yoga. But, if you are looking for something a little more vigorous, or if you find it difficult to move through certain poses, then you may prefer vinyasa yoga or hot yoga. These styles of yoga will usually include a mix of yoga positions that help you stretch your muscles and become more aware of how you are moving throughout your pose.

The most common reason that people try vinyasa yoga and hot yoga is to burn off excess calories. During vinyasa yoga, there is much more emphasis on flowing through poses rather than focusing on one technique or posture. You will likely feel exhausted after class, even though you may not be physically. As your muscles become fatigued, they will burn more calories. By combining vinyasa yoga with other methods of staying fit, such as running, walking or playing sports, you will probably end up burning a few more calories than if you practiced the various yoga techniques individually.

Hot yoga also helps you focus on your breath, which in turn can help you shed extra pounds. When you are in a heated room, sometimes your mind wanders and you aren't aware of exactly how much you are exhaling or exhalinging. In a heated room, your lungs expand because of the increased temperature and you end up releasing carbon dioxide into the air. While you are in a heated room, however, your body won't release extra carbon dioxide, which means that your lungs aren't going to struggle as much to get rid of carbon dioxide. You can use this to your advantage and really push yourself when you are doing your deep breathing exercises.

Both types of yoga practice, however, are not appropriate for people who are severely overweight. The first thing that you should do if you are trying to lose body weight is to consult a physician and/or nutritionist to determine what your individual requirements are. Once you have determined what your particular needs are, then you can begin to choose the yoga exercise regimen that is best suited to your individual goals. Yoga is an ancient art that has been around for thousands of years and it is still one of the best types of exercise for those who wish to maintain their body weight.

One of the most interesting things about yoga is that it may help increase your body's endurance and metabolism, leading to more weight loss. A high-end yoga instructor/book should tell you which types of postures help boost your metabolism and which ones will prevent you from becoming overweight in the first place. High-end yoga books may also go into great detail about the science behind why some people are more susceptible to gaining weight than others. The bottom line is that yoga is a wonderful low-impact, effective, all-natural way to achieve the body you've always dreamed of.