Yoga And Weight Loss

 Yoga and Weight Loss: Is there a connection?

The practice of yoga is centuries old and involves contorting the body into all types of different positions to help increase overall flexibility and maintain and even increase muscle tone.

In addition to the visible physical benefits, yoga can be helpful in assisting the lowering of blood pressure through its relaxing and meditative benefits.

 But, do yoga and weight loss go together? Can you actually lose weight just by practicing it on a regular basis?

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The quick answer is…MAYBE. If significant weight loss is your goal, you may not want to make yoga the foundation of your exercise program. Some tout its weight loss benefits because of its ability to tone and even build some muscle, especially of the poses are held for longer periods of time, but overall, yoga does not usually significantly raise the heart rate enough to cause significant fat loss.

Most health and fitness experts agree that the heart rate must be elevated significantly for a specific duration to burn and measureable amount weight. Therefore, the connection between yoga and weight loss is not great.
Having said that, there ARE several types of yoga that involve a more rigorous routine that may be helpful in helping someone achieve at least some of their weight loss goals.

Any type of yoga that allows for constant movement is called VINYASA or Flow Yoga. Power Yoga is a fairly new style of vinyasa yoga where the practitioner is moving pretty much the entire time while performing the workout.

 Rather than focusing on relaxed and meditative movements and holding poses for extended periods, Power Yoga is a much faster paced workout and is recommended for those who are already quite fit and in good shape because of its ability to significantly increase heart rate.

This type of workout completed 3-4 times per week may be exceptionally beneficial in helping some lose weight consistently. Power Yoga is also a great choice for those who are not interested in the spiritual or meditative practices of traditional yoga.
Another type of vinyasa yoga which helps bridge the gap between yoga and weight loss is called ASHTANGA which means 8 Limbs in Sanskrit.

 This form is also very rigorous and includes many types of poses that will provide an intense total body workout and one moves from one pose into the next without stopping at all.

Perhaps the most intense form of yoga is called HOT YOGA or Bikram Yoga as its creation is credit to an Indian Yoga teacher named Bikram Choudhury. This style is performed much like the styles above with the one difference in that it is performed in a heated room.

The heat of room can be quite intense, often in the 100 degree range and is not recommended for beginners because of the intensity of the workout. Hot Yoga is a rigorous sweat inducing form of yoga and has been show to be quite effective at helping those who practice it lose weight.

While the above exercises do prove a link between yoga and weight loss, it is widely accepted that weight loss is only a secondary benefit at best of this Eastern born meditative art.

Those who are looking for significant weight loss might be better off focusing on traditional cardiovascular exercises such as running or biking. Yoga is a fantastic exercise though, and is extremely effective at helping to improve your health.

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