YOGA

reesepieces

So I am wondering exactly how yoga helps with weight loss. How does it help lose weight?

becomingsara

BUMP - I wanna know too! :0)

noble1987

I wanted to know the same question as I was thinkign of starting Yoga in a few weeks.

xxx

kld4239

I know for me I started with a gentle yoga class about 5 months ago once a week and it really helped me stretch and I'm actually 1/2" taller! Now I'm addicted and take a regular yoga class twice a week. It keeps me centered and forces me to stretch muscles that I never knew I even had :-) Be prepared to be sore afterwards though...

chris2991

I would talk to someone more qualified than me but yoga can be physical demanding so I would say yes

sioannone

Here is a great site :

http://ezinearticles.com/?Yoga-For-Weight-Loss---Fact-Or-Fiction?&id=3100124

I recently took a 90 minute yoga class and asked the same question. In short, although yoga (except Ashtanga or Power Yoga) is not a calorie burner, it does create a better link between mind and body. In turn encourages healthy eating and exercise habits. It, also, helps to reduce stress-driven eating and lowers stress hormones. I think it is great for off days.

AsaThorsWoman

The more you have balance, the more you can exert yourself in other workouts. The more you stretch your muscles, the more calories your body burns repairing them. It will also make you break a sweat and burn high amounts of calories.

pilotgirl2007

Yoga works a lot like pilates in the fact that it looks like you aren't doing much but its taking work to hold those poses and control your movement. While it isn't a huge calorie burn it helps to pull in the muscles and give a leaner look to your body not to mention increased range of motion for better performance in other activities such as running or cycling.

reesepieces

So does it work muscles too?

superwmn

It totally works muscles. I'm always so sore afterwards and am often SHAKING while holding poses from muscle fatigue. I don't do yoga daily, but I feel so good after I do it. Like I just left the spa.

Charmagne

yoginimary

Yoga doesn't have much of a calorie burn, it's true - but most classes are a combination of strength and stretching.

From what I've read, the main reason yoga would help you lose weight is the awareness aspect to it. When you are more mindful of your body, you will be more careful with what you put into it as well as how to gauge when you are full. It takes awhile for this aspect of yoga to come through to your daily life though.
http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/yoga-for-weight-loss

Hope that helps.

NotAllWhoWanderAreLost

yoga is great for rounding out a weight-loss program! One, it helps you cut stress, achieve mindfulness, self-awareness and a gentle self-loving attitude.Two, it helps you learn to "find your edge" to work with your breath and to not judge yourself, pro or con: that it is a PRACTICE and therefore, ongoing and ever changing. Three, it helps you focus on body positioning in stretches and poses while working totally to your edge, where you are active in the pose yet still able to breathe. Four, it challenges muscles all over your body to stretch and contract. To be able to balance! To be able to let go and relax! I really like the cycles of hard work and rest that are built into each session. I recommend it HIGHLY. It will also help you stretch out the muscles that you are using in other activities.

Oh mindfulness extends to what you are putting IN your body and how it makes you feel and also to how we are all connected all human BEINGS. Beings. Not Human Doings. We are not "worthy" because we DO, we are worthy because we ARE.

lessertess

Yoga doesn't have a high calorie burn so you can't count on it as cardio exercise. However, it does have a strength training aspect which will help build/maintain muscle. One primary benefit is that It shapes your muscles and provides toning. A long stretched leg will appear much leaner than one with shorter muscles. Another significan benefit is the body awareness and the ability to center and calm your mind.

DancingYogini

I don't know, I just took a 60 minute, level 2, hot yoga (bikram) class. According to a few sources it burns (for me, based on my gender and weight), 621 calories. It was pretty intense, and my heart rate got up there. There is also a class that is offered with weights. Now the beginner class I took on Monday night, was in a warm room and was a lot slower. Again, according to a few sites, it only burned 175 calories for the same 60 minutes. I think it does get you in a positive space, so you will make healthy choices in your life. I think you are less inclined to eat cr*ppy food if you are more mindful of your body, which is yoga's main goal.

MisdemeanorM

much in the same way weight lifting does. It builds and tones muscle. There are some classes that are basically just stretching and not even that much toning and some that are harder and are just as much muscle use and a good weight routine, using your own body weight at the weight. Some also really get going and can get your heart rate up, though you're still probably only looking at 300 cals that hour vs 400-500 in a cardio class (# based on my weight & HR). You can also control your cardio aspect a bit by HOW you breathe. Even "just" stretching though makes the rest of your workouts more efficient. Think how much better you can do your cardio squats and lunges and flys (etc) if you are flexible enough to get a full range of motion because you do yoga.

Azdak

I think the subject has been covered here, but just one note to correct a common misconception: you cannot make muscles "longer". You can increase flexibility by stretching ligaments and tendons, you can possibly increase the size of a muscle by doing resistance exercise, or you can reduce the size of a muscle that has been enlarged via resistance training by doing exercises that do not involve high resistance, but the actual length of the muscle fiber itself is genetically determined.

Lisa__Michelle

Yoga has been the best and HARDEST workout I have ever done. Running, weights, walking, aerobics do not even compare. When I do yoga, on the day after I am sore from my shoulders down and can't move. It is A LOT of work because there are a lot of moves which make you hold your own weight.

Lisa__Michelle

It totally works muscles. I'm always so sore afterwards and am often SHAKING while holding poses from muscle fatigue. I don't do yoga daily, but I feel so good after I do it. Like I just left the spa.

Charmagne

I have to agree with you totally! I just did the Jillian Michael's yoga DVD and I was SHAKING too. A lot of the poses I had to fall to the ground before time was up. You are building strength and flexibility. You are holding your whole body weight most of the time in different poses.

modernfemme

I'm not a yoga expert nor an instructor but I've been doing different types of yoga for years.

I lost 20 pounds just doing yoga, but not necessarily the stretching kind. I do a lot of Ana Brett's dvds that involve a lot of aerobic/fat loss driven ones that really make you work. You do hold difficult poses and it also includes variations of the typical push-ups that really helped me to lose inches.

The one thing about more traditional yoga is that I can't believe how toned my arms are and it's such a stress reliever, which I believe to be one of the main reasons I gain weight. I'm definitely an emotional eater.

So although hatha yoga may not be as cardiovascular as walking or running, I think it definitely helps you lose weight by helping you break habits, stress, and certainly helps you fit into your jeans by toning and strengthening.

Have fun!