By Faye Martins
People are always looking for a new path to weight loss. 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 a meditation workout. However, medical studies 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 yoga is taught at a slower pace and aims to work the body and mind, more people stick with it rather than with high-energy workouts. For those students, yoga becomes more of a practice and lifestyle for keeping off or maintaining weight loss.
Yoga Exercises 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. These are just a few of the many variations, each focusing on a 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 how it connects to every part of the body, a more profound and 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 daily. 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 the latest scheme in the hopes of achieving the same amazing results. What exactly makes them so appealing? Why do the vast majority of them not work?
Common Elements
It is easy enough to spot a weight loss fad. Look for the following elements to help distinguish a gambit:
1. A lot of hype
2. A promise of magical results
3. Intentional omission of pertinent information
4. Tiny, yet voluminous, print
5. A disclaimer stating magical results might not happen.
Hardly anyone has not heard the famous tagline, “Results may vary.” At least the creators of gimmicks are honest about this point because results are unique in every activity.
The Maneuver to Assure Future Sales
There are several 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 blame. Lastly, if the seller provided a strategy that worked, 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 time, fuels the energy needed to benefit from a cardio workout. All of these can be accomplished with regular yoga exercises.
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, but a yogic workout also 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
Several different yoga classes will contribute to muscle strengthening and lengthening. Students can 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 significant factor, I think it is important to point you in the right direction. Firstly, Sun Salutations in the morning, Moon salutations in the evening, or a flowing Vinyasa session will burn calories steadily. Secondly, you have to decide the best time of day for you. Thirdly, start with one routine, and if you get bored, try another. Fourthly, remember that there are many different variations of the flows. Fifthly, practice holding postures instead of flowing if you feel you have low energy. Lastly, 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 – Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division
Please visit the following link to see our selection of Yoga instructor courses and continuing education courses for specialized Yoga certification.
https://aurawellnesscenter.com/store/
Are you interested in Meditation Teacher Training?
Click here to see our online Yoga Nidra teacher training course.
Are you an experienced teacher looking for YACEP credits or continuing education?
Subscribe to Our Newsletter for Special Discounts and New Products
Related Resources
52 Essential Principles of Yoga Philosophy to Deepen your Practice
by Rina Jakubowicz
A Relaxing Way to De-stress, Re-energize, and Find Balance
by: Gail Boorstein Grossman
YOGA: THE PATH TO HOLISTIC HEALTH
by B.K.S. Iyengar
TEACHING YOGA: Essential Foundations and Techniques
By Mark Stephens
See our testimonials to find out what our graduates have to say about teaching therapeutic yoga sessions and our selection of online yoga teacher training intensive courses. To see our complete selection of affordable yoga instructor certification programs, please click on the courses and products button in the navigation bar in the upper left section of this page.
Related 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. A systematic review of risk indices associated with the insulin resistance syndrome, cardiovascular disease, and possible protection with yoga. 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.
The amount of information in this one article is astounding. Thank you for explaining how yoga decompresses the spine.
Yoga becomes more of a practice and lifestyle for keeping off or maintaining the weight loss. Its really valuable post, thanks for sharing!
Medical studies prove that yoga is a great and effective way to lose weight. Thanks for posting this valuable article.