Yoga and Weight Loss

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WishfulShrinking331
WishfulShrinking331 Posts: 244 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Do the two go hand in hand at all? Has anyone actually had any results with this form of exercise? What are some routines you guys used?

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  • SwimTheButterfly
    SwimTheButterfly Posts: 265 Member
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    I've done Birkrams before. It helped so much. Each 90 minutes of hot yoga burns 654 calories!
  • onefourone
    onefourone Posts: 212
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    bump
  • CRSE1214
    CRSE1214 Posts: 196 Member
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    bump been thinking of Yoga for beginners for flexibility mostly
  • Front_Runner
    Front_Runner Posts: 175
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    Yes! Yoga can contribute to weight loss - but not in and of itself (obviously). If you're looking for a higher paced class - that might get your heart up a bit - look for an Asthanga Class. Also Vinyasa Flow Classes might get your heart rate going - and be a little less intense. IF you are new to yoga, however - I recommend starting with the basics. A good foundation I always recommend is Iyengar. Poses are held a lot longer, and you may not get a "cardio" type workout - but you will gain strength, flexibility, and with a good instructor - you will gain a HUGE sense of body awareness and balance. Once you are comfortable with a basic foundation in Iyengar, that's when I would perhaps branch out to other styles if you're interested.
  • tageekly
    tageekly Posts: 3,755 Member
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    Absolutely! Vinyasa or Power Yoga is a great workout!

    If you can't get to a studio or class there are a couple DVDs I would recommend:

    Bob Harper's Yoga for the Warrior is a great burn - one of my highest in vinyasa yoga. And Rodney Yee's Power Yoga is really nice too.

    I try to do yoga at least twice a week because it not only burns calories but builds strength - my legs from Warrior Poses and arms from Chaturanga are so much stronger than before I started yoga!
  • Erinslove
    Erinslove Posts: 139
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    I do hot yoga (Baron Baptiste) and it kicks *kitten*! It is such a difficult workout. A real calorie torcher. I highly recommend it to be a part of your weight loss regimen.
  • hedgiie
    hedgiie Posts: 1,245 Member
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    i have various yoga routine a instructions and use them at least twice per week.
    though i lost 7lbs in 2 months but i don't think that it's due to yoga i think the dieting and cardio, but i think if i do yoga alone, i won't lose weight. still i do yoga since i think it fix my back problems and improved my flexibility too so i plan to continue yoga in a regular basis.
  • Front_Runner
    Front_Runner Posts: 175
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    I've done Birkrams before. It helped so much. Each 90 minutes of hot yoga burns 654 calories!

    Bikram is a fine practice - done in a heated room (Bikram refers to them as Torture Chambers - lol). You loose a lot of water weight with all the sweating, but that's not the main goal of this practice. You gain balance, flexibility, strength, and general health. It's not for everyone, but many people love this practice. My friend swears by it! Just stay hydrated before and after class... and take your time. It is very "in vogue" and you want to be sure you have a good "offical" Bikram approved studio (in my opinion).
  • CeeJourney
    CeeJourney Posts: 149 Member
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    Bump!
  • bluebird321
    bluebird321 Posts: 732 Member
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    Yoga helped me lose weight, but in an indirect way. Regular practice helps to suppress my appetite plus the depth of the poses lets me know what i've been eating, how much water i've had. The practice is much easier for me since i've lost weight and the keeps me motivated.

    Yes, I do Bikram also.
  • AngelikaLumiere
    AngelikaLumiere Posts: 862 Member
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    The lower zone exercises like walking and yoga, actually burn more stored fat than other exercises, but strength and aerobic are good for metabolism and toning (avoiding the hanging skin, etc) I have been doing some yoga since the beginning of my journey. about once or twice a week, along with the other types of exercise and walking.
  • SwimKitty
    SwimKitty Posts: 122 Member
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    Yoga relieves stress. Too much stress (cortisol) can make it more difficult to lose weight.

    If you'd like to try all kinds of yoga, including yoga for weight loss (including beginners) and fat burning, there are plenty of free, full length yoga sessions on Yoga Zone YouTube :

    http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=yoga+zone&oq=yoga+zone&aq=f&aqi=g10&aql=&gs_sm=3&gs_upl=1828l3155l0l4076l9l9l0l2l2l0l65l379l7l7l0
  • miss_p90x
    miss_p90x Posts: 97 Member
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    bump
  • southernyogini
    southernyogini Posts: 55 Member
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    Yes I believe you can loose weight with yoga.If its the right kind of yoga. When I practiced Ashtanga yoga 3 days a week I saw a drop in my weight but how I felt was even better. Once I began practicing 6 days a week I saw a huge difference and was in the best shape of my life. I had fallen off of ashtanga yoga for some time. I was in a teacher training and working too much. I am re-dedicating myself to a daily ashtanga practice along with watching my food choices. I think the combo is a good one. But that is just my personal experience.
    I also teach vinyasa which also burns a good bit of calories.

    More than anything yoga is all over mind/body awareness. That goes off the mat after a good practice. It makes you more mindful of what your body is telling you. Which helps with eating habit.

    But a good side note is that my teacher has now lost all her baby weight within four months with ashtanga, walking a few days a week and her vegetarian diet.
    So it is possible. Good luck!
  • irenep22
    irenep22 Posts: 59
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    Bump
  • ReneeIngram11
    ReneeIngram11 Posts: 6
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    Yoga plays very important role in weight loss. It also helps to relieve stress.
  • shakybabe
    shakybabe Posts: 1,578 Member
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    I started on Yoga mat exercises shortly after developing Ataxia in my early 30's. I couldn't do many to start with but built up until I reached the point I could do a larger selection. This was just using the Wii Fit game originally.

    I didn't lose much weight at first but also had a wheat intolerance I wasn't aware of. The yoga did help my bodies sense of where it is in space (proprioception) which was affected by the Ataxia and make me very shaky and I did manage to build up to the point I could add some cardio based games. Once I discovered the wheat intolerance too and dropped that combined with a bit more vigorous cardio and the yoga the weight started to drop off in the middle of last year.

    Mainly I do it for the back stretches and core muscle strengthening and it has improved my mobility and stamina I don't get exhausted as quickly either.
  • TrainersRoom
    TrainersRoom Posts: 28
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    Yoga is a precious pragmatic science evolved over thousands of years, which is dealing with physical, moral, mental and spiritual well being for man. The term Yoga is derived from Sanskrit meaning to bind, join, attach and yoke and it will increase one’s concentration and attention.

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