Yoga has become mainstream now, and it seems like everyone I know has tried it.
Many people do yoga for the fitness aspect of it while others continue to think of yoga more traditionally as a way to reflect upon oneself, meditate, and relieve stress.
I recently noticed that many celebrities, including Victoria’s Secret super models, practice yoga as their main form of fitness.
So, if so many slender people are practicing yoga, can yoga really keep the pounds off?
Yoga Doesn’t Burn Many Calories
A typical yoga workout may burn anywhere from 50 to 250 calories, on average. If you were to ride a bike or to go for a run for an hour, that could burn, on average, closer to 600 calories.
So, it is not the calorie burn in yoga that leads to fat loss, it is something else.
Yoga’s Magic Bullet
Perhaps the number one way yoga can help to slenderize is its ability to reduce stress.
- Yoga works on controlled breathing techniques.
- High intensity asanas (positions) are followed by periods of stretching. This helps the body relieve tension.
- Yoga is quietly concentrated which helps you to remove yourself from the stresses of everyday life.
- We often think so much about the needs of others, but yoga helps with centering (looking deeply within).
- Yoga ends in meditation to help calm and clear the mind.
All of this helps to reduce cortisol levels. High cortisol levels are linked to an increase in belly fat. Maintaining lower cortisol levels can help to reduce fat, maintain good health and metabolism.
I believe the main reason yoga helps with fat loss is because it makes you more mindful in everything you do. Mindful eating is the key to a healthy weight, and yoga can help us get there.
Real Life Fat Loss
Research shows that people are more likely to lose weight when starting a yoga routine. In my own experience, I feel more content, leaner, taller, calmer, confident, and more mindful when practicing yoga weekly.
Do you practice yoga, and if so, do you feel it helps you stay closer to your fat loss goals?
There has been an emergence of studies investigating yoga as a complementary intervention for cancer patients. Yoga is used for treatment of cancer patients to decrease depression, insomnia, pain, and fatigue and increase anxiety control.
I’ve never liked yoga, because all the classes I’d ever been to were quite advance and it started hurting in places where I didn’t even KNOW could hurt! But I tried the more relaxing yoga after my uncle trained to be a yogi, and you can actually really feel the benefits. I do find it quite time consuming and a little bit long though. So I really admire those who do it everyday.
I have never done yoga, but I have been thinking about finding new ways of dealing with stress. Thank you for this article, I think I may want to try it.
I practice yoga 2 to 3 times a week in a class, and try to do short sessions at home or while warming up or cooling down in other activities, mainly running.
It’s true that yoga doesn’t burn as many calories as cardio, and you certainly won’t build muscle like weight lifting. But I’ve found three areas where yoga has really helped me.
One, the standing sequences have improved my leg muscle strength and endurance. Two, I finally understand what it means to “use your core”. For years I thought I was focused on what the abs, glutes and the rest were doing, but yoga has got me to correctly build a core foundation. Finally, yoga is a great enabler for other activities. Since my balance and flexibility have improved, I’m able to do many other things in the gym or outside where I would have been limited before.
This is just the physical stuff, obviously the stress relief , mindfulness and meditation are another huge benefit.
Hmm. This is interesting. I don’t practice yoga as often as I should, but this could inspire me to start. I need to improve my flexibility and posture as well as reduce stress. Thanks for the info!
An interesting thought. I started doing yoga regularly last spring, it feels great – and to be honest I feel stronger, and more energetic, but what is interesting is that I saw my doctor two weeks ago, and he said I lost 10 pounds since I saw him 6 months ago.
I don’t have a scale at home, and I wasn’t trying to lose weight, so it came as a surprise to me. When my doctor asked if I had been working out, I said I was doing yoga and he laughed…