Feedback on Yoga please!

vanessamcinnis
vanessamcinnis Posts: 204 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi there,

I'm thinking about trying out Yoga tomorrow. I've been googling benefits of Yoga and what it has to offer benefits wise etc. I'm just looking for any feedback on Yoga for people who do it. I'm still trying to lose weight/get more toned...I'm not far from this years weight loss goal. My goal this year is to reach 130 and I'm currently at 134. I just want to be happy with my body I want to be more toned...My stomach is the hardest to lose! I did cardio for one full year, then I started weight training January 2013. I've lost 21 pounds and over 20 inches all together since my weight loss journey. I enjoy doing weights but looking to add something extra to my exercise. Any feedback for yoga on losing weight/getting toned/ or just feeling better about yourself. Feedback would be much appreciated!

Thanks :)

Vanessa
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Replies

  • Barbonica
    Barbonica Posts: 337 Member
    There are different styles of yoga; you should research them and decide on which one meets your goals. I do yin yoga weekly - it is a very slow (stretching) style where you hold poses for upwards of 5 minutes at a time. I like it as an add on to my cardio and strength training because it adds balance to my cardio and strength training. The "flow" styles area much more energetic and get you sweating if you are looking for a workout in additional to improved flexibility. I am sure there are others more knowledgeable then me on the topic that could provide additional info.
  • lithezebra
    lithezebra Posts: 3,670 Member
    Yoga is great for strength.....however, I really do it for the flow, the movement and the enjoyment. More than flexibility, more than cardio, and even more than strength, I think that yoga is beneficial for mobility, keeping all of your joints functioning through their optimal range of motion. Doing weights improves my yoga experience, but I also can't do weights as often because I take a strenuous yoga class, so there's a bit of tradeoff, a tradeoff in which yoga wins out because I enjoy it.
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
    Yoga is great for strength.....however, I really do it for the flow, the movement and the enjoyment. More than flexibility, more than cardio, and even more than strength, I think that yoga is beneficial for mobility, keeping all of your joints functioning through their optimal range of motion. Doing weights improves my yoga experience, but I also can't do weights as often because I take a strenuous yoga class, so there's a bit of tradeoff, a tradeoff in which yoga wins out because I enjoy it.

    I agree with all of this. Yoga also helps with balance. If I were to only do weights, I would get very bored. Yoga adds an interesting element to break up the monotony and to help me with more than just basic strength. I didn't take yoga for a while, but was hitting the heavy (compound move) weights regularly. When I went back to yoga I realized that weights were not enough to maintain the type of strength (and flexibility) I previously had from yoga. Both are important (to me).
  • vanessamcinnis
    vanessamcinnis Posts: 204 Member
    Yoga is great for strength.....however, I really do it for the flow, the movement and the enjoyment. More than flexibility, more than cardio, and even more than strength, I think that yoga is beneficial for mobility, keeping all of your joints functioning through their optimal range of motion. Doing weights improves my yoga experience, but I also can't do weights as often because I take a strenuous yoga class, so there's a bit of tradeoff, a tradeoff in which yoga wins out because I enjoy it.

    Thank you! How often do you do weight training? I only do weight training 3 times a week
  • vanessamcinnis
    vanessamcinnis Posts: 204 Member
    Yoga is great for strength.....however, I really do it for the flow, the movement and the enjoyment. More than flexibility, more than cardio, and even more than strength, I think that yoga is beneficial for mobility, keeping all of your joints functioning through their optimal range of motion. Doing weights improves my yoga experience, but I also can't do weights as often because I take a strenuous yoga class, so there's a bit of tradeoff, a tradeoff in which yoga wins out because I enjoy it.

    I agree with all of this. Yoga also helps with balance. If I were to only do weights, I would get very bored. Yoga adds an interesting element to break up the monotony and to help me with more than just basic strength. I didn't take yoga for a while, but was hitting the heavy (compound move) weights regularly. When I went back to yoga I realized that weights were not enough to maintain the type of strength (and flexibility) I previously had from yoga.

    I like weights but I already finished my program I'm doing so I started doing it over again...so it will get repetitive and perhaps boring...but I'm getting great results from it...I'm thinking weight training and yoga on my opposite days would work out perfect.
  • ztaitaifufu
    ztaitaifufu Posts: 77 Member
    if your midsection is your trouble area, yoga would definitely be really helpful for you! belly fat and high cortisol have a high correlation, and yoga is one of the best things you can do to lower your cortisol, at least exercise wise. like she said there are tons of different styles to try so you're sure to find something that fits your exercise personality : )
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
    Yoga is great for strength.....however, I really do it for the flow, the movement and the enjoyment. More than flexibility, more than cardio, and even more than strength, I think that yoga is beneficial for mobility, keeping all of your joints functioning through their optimal range of motion. Doing weights improves my yoga experience, but I also can't do weights as often because I take a strenuous yoga class, so there's a bit of tradeoff, a tradeoff in which yoga wins out because I enjoy it.

    I agree with all of this. Yoga also helps with balance. If I were to only do weights, I would get very bored. Yoga adds an interesting element to break up the monotony and to help me with more than just basic strength. I didn't take yoga for a while, but was hitting the heavy (compound move) weights regularly. When I went back to yoga I realized that weights were not enough to maintain the type of strength (and flexibility) I previously had from yoga.

    I like weights but I already finished my program I'm doing so I started doing it over again...so it will get repetitive and perhaps boring...but I'm getting great results from it...I'm thinking weight training and yoga on my opposite days would work out perfect.

    Yeah, that's what I do. I would never give up weights. Both are important. I feel like only yoga and only weights wouldn't be enough for me. I'm also a dancer. I lift weights 3 or 4 days a week. And take yoga maybe 3 times a week.
  • VpinkLotus
    VpinkLotus Posts: 849 Member
    I'm a yoga junkie. LOVE it. I love feeling flexible, I love that it def makes you stronger as holding up your own body weight is no joke. I love that it helps you to calm your mind. Basically I just love the way I feel during and after. I would say giive it a shot for sure! You may find you can't live without it like me :)
  • vanessamcinnis
    vanessamcinnis Posts: 204 Member
    Thanks so much for the feedback ! :) Has anyone noticed if they got really toned from it or lost weight? My sister loves it so I'm trying it with her tomorrow. She said she loves Yin, Hatha, she likes hot yoga the least...and yoga flow is fun but hard for her. I told her we should try them all out to see what I may like :)
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
    Thanks so much for the feedback ! :) Has anyone noticed if they got really toned from it or lost weight? My sister loves it so I'm trying it with her tomorrow. She said she loves Yin, Hatha, she likes hot yoga the least...and yoga flow is fun but hard for her. I told her we should try them all out to see what I may like :)
    You're not going to get "toned" from yoga, nor are you going to necessarily lose weight because of it.

    It IS fantastic for flexibility and part of a program that I follow. That being said, I lift heavy 3 days a week, maintain a deficit, and then do yoga to keep myself bendy and clear.

    ...but don't expect just doing yoga to make you lose weight or get "toned."
  • vanessamcinnis
    vanessamcinnis Posts: 204 Member
    Yoga is great for strength.....however, I really do it for the flow, the movement and the enjoyment. More than flexibility, more than cardio, and even more than strength, I think that yoga is beneficial for mobility, keeping all of your joints functioning through their optimal range of motion. Doing weights improves my yoga experience, but I also can't do weights as often because I take a strenuous yoga class, so there's a bit of tradeoff, a tradeoff in which yoga wins out because I enjoy it.

    I agree with all of this. Yoga also helps with balance. If I were to only do weights, I would get very bored. Yoga adds an interesting element to break up the monotony and to help me with more than just basic strength. I didn't take yoga for a while, but was hitting the heavy (compound move) weights regularly. When I went back to yoga I realized that weights were not enough to maintain the type of strength (and flexibility) I previously had from yoga.

    I like weights but I already finished my program I'm doing so I started doing it over again...so it will get repetitive and perhaps boring...but I'm getting great results from it...I'm thinking weight training and yoga on my opposite days would work out perfect.

    Yeah, that's what I do. I would never give up weights. Both are important. I feel like only yoga and only weights wouldn't be enough for me. I'm also a dancer. I lift weights 3 or 4 days a week. And take yoga maybe 3 times a week.

    Thanks I also own an elliptical and I love it. I also just got a dog Norman so I will be doing lots of walking with him burning some extra calories :)
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
    I like flow yoga, vinyasa, ashtanga, power yoga.
  • maryjaquiss
    maryjaquiss Posts: 307 Member
    I love yoga. I haven't really noticed much toning yet, but I've only been doing it for a short time (ashtanga, which is quite an athletic form - it certainly gets me sweating!). I'm working on improving my flexibility initially, and I'd imagine the strength side will take a lot longer. My first strength goal is to be able to push up from chaturanga into upwards facing dog without dropping my body to the floor (see below - the bottom two pictures). I can't say enough good stuff about yoga though - love the stretch you get with it!

    1-_chaturanga-push-press-420x420.jpg
  • VpinkLotus
    VpinkLotus Posts: 849 Member
    Thanks so much for the feedback ! :) Has anyone noticed if they got really toned from it or lost weight? My sister loves it so I'm trying it with her tomorrow. She said she loves Yin, Hatha, she likes hot yoga the least...and yoga flow is fun but hard for her. I told her we should try them all out to see what I may like :)
    You're not going to get "toned" from yoga, nor are you going to necessarily lose weight because of it.

    It IS fantastic for flexibility and part of a program that I follow. That being said, I lift heavy 3 days a week, maintain a deficit, and then do yoga to keep myself bendy and clear.

    ...but don't expect just doing yoga to make you lose weight or get "toned."

    I agree with your sister. Hot is not my thing but yin is amazing and Hatha is what I do most days. I would say you probably won't lose weight from yoga alone. It will only do good things for you in that area though. It will HELP to trim things up but you need to be doing all the right things too. This is a wonderful book I love which is a memoir about how yoga can change your life and change the way you live your life ie: diet, etc. I highly reccomend it.


    http://www.amazon.com/enLIGHTened-Pounds-Pineapples-Beagle-Pointer/dp/1602396396/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1381080663&sr=1-1&keywords=yoga...how+i+lost
  • vanessamcinnis
    vanessamcinnis Posts: 204 Member
    Thanks so much for the feedback ! :) Has anyone noticed if they got really toned from it or lost weight? My sister loves it so I'm trying it with her tomorrow. She said she loves Yin, Hatha, she likes hot yoga the least...and yoga flow is fun but hard for her. I told her we should try them all out to see what I may like :)
    You're not going to get "toned" from yoga, nor are you going to necessarily lose weight because of it.

    It IS fantastic for flexibility and part of a program that I follow. That being said, I lift heavy 3 days a week, maintain a deficit, and then do yoga to keep myself bendy and clear.

    ...but don't expect just doing yoga to make you lose weight or get "toned."

    I agree with your sister. Hot is not my thing but yin is amazing and Hatha is what I do most days. I would say you probably won't lose weight from yoga alone. It will only do good things for you in that area though. It will HELP to trim things up but you need to be doing all the right things too. This is a wonderful book I love which is a memoir about how yoga can change your life and change the way you live your life ie: diet, etc. I highly reccomend it.


    http://www.amazon.com/enLIGHTened-Pounds-Pineapples-Beagle-Pointer/dp/1602396396/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1381080663&sr=1-1&keywords=yoga...how+i+lost

    Thanks ! I will have to check out this book
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    I love yoga. I do it primarily for relaxation and to improve my flexibility. To some degree for strength too, to complement my weight lifting.

    I would say it has not contributed to my weight loss much, if at all, and did not make me "toned". I did yoga for years before starting to lose weight and get fit, and didn't notice any visible differences at all. It will help you lose weight if it helps you create a calorie deficit. How much of a calorie burn you get really depends on what kind you do, and how intense it is. If you're looking for big calorie burns though, yoga isn't the first thing I'd suggest.

    I would say, do it if you enjoy it. Do it to improve flexibility. Do it to improve strength, especially if you're not interested in using weights. Do it to complement other forms of exercise, or if you are currently not exercising and want to try something not too strenuous. If you're looking for big calorie burns, or significant changes in body composition, you'll need to look at other kinds of exercise too.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    Weight loss is dependent on a calorie deficit. Exercise is for fitness - yoga in particular is great for flexibility but isn't going to spot reduce your stomach area.

    You will just have to keep focusing on reducing your body fat % (not necessarily your weight - just to note).
  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,025 Member
    Thanks so much for the feedback ! :) Has anyone noticed if they got really toned from it or lost weight? My sister loves it so I'm trying it with her tomorrow. She said she loves Yin, Hatha, she likes hot yoga the least...and yoga flow is fun but hard for her. I told her we should try them all out to see what I may like :)
    You're not going to get "toned" from yoga, nor are you going to necessarily lose weight because of it.

    It IS fantastic for flexibility and part of a program that I follow. That being said, I lift heavy 3 days a week, maintain a deficit, and then do yoga to keep myself bendy and clear.

    ...but don't expect just doing yoga to make you lose weight or get "toned."

    That's how I feel about it. I think that it is wonderful for a balanced exercise program in addition to resistance training and cardio, but in and of itself it really isn't enough.
  • yogicarl
    yogicarl Posts: 1,260 Member
    I'm not sure what you mean by "toned", but if you mean helping to maintain your muscular physique and (depending on what style of yoga you choose to follow) even increasing muscularity, certainly increasing strength, while reducing fat % under a calorie reduced diet, then yes - yoga can help you achieve these things.

    I practise Anusara style yoga (most like Ashtanga/Power styles) every day and supplement this with progressive bodyweight strength training. I find the two are a complimentary to each other.

    I also do some cardio: swimming, road cycling and stationary cycling at home to spinning DVDs because it helps me to stay in the fitness mind-set and increases the amount of calories I can eat up to, or not, each day. Being a shorty at 5'3", I find eating at a calorie deficit without a bit of cardio each day can be depressing.

    But yes, yoga will give back to you what you are willing to put in. Give it a go!
  • gamerkiwi
    gamerkiwi Posts: 93 Member
    Stretching and breathing and meditation are all very good for your health. You'll feel better, but it won't really do too much for your weight loss. Try it to see if you like it.
  • lithezebra
    lithezebra Posts: 3,670 Member
    Yoga is great for strength.....however, I really do it for the flow, the movement and the enjoyment. More than flexibility, more than cardio, and even more than strength, I think that yoga is beneficial for mobility, keeping all of your joints functioning through their optimal range of motion. Doing weights improves my yoga experience, but I also can't do weights as often because I take a strenuous yoga class, so there's a bit of tradeoff, a tradeoff in which yoga wins out because I enjoy it.

    Thank you! How often do you do weight training? I only do weight training 3 times a week

    I do it twice a week, and never on the day after a strenuous yoga class. The post about yoga and balance was right on!
  • DCMLeeds
    DCMLeeds Posts: 2
    Yoga was a lot more strenuous than I thought. I had an image of lots of relaxation and it being gentle. It really tests me but I love it. I am sure it has improved my strength, balance and the tone of my body. I always feel better after the session. I would recommend giving it a go. You may need to try a couple of classes before you find the right one for you. Worth it though.
  • agdyl
    agdyl Posts: 246 Member
    It's really interesting - I've lost weight twice in my adult life. The first time I did it (7 or so years ago) was with a personal trainer, lifted heavy, counted calories and restricted to 1500-1900 calories a day (my trainer wanted me to eat less, but I couldn't do it), and it worked, but I felt like I was starving to death, didn't know how on earth I was going to sustain it, and ended up injuring myself. I think I maintained my goal weight for all of 10 minutes after my injury and that was the end of that.

    This time, I'm back down to the same weight, but I've done only yoga (along with running and biking - which I've done for over a decade, regardless of weight/diet). I've been basically eating paleo/Whole30 since realizing that I'm sensitive to gluten and most dairy, but my overall caloric intake is up around 1700-2200 calories a day, and this time I'm never hungry and the weight has come off easily and feels permanently sustainable. Also interesting - the muscular definition in my arms is pretty much the same as it was when I lifted, and my abs look better than ever.

    Now I wouldn't say this is all yoga. I've done yoga for years, so it's diet and yoga. But since I don't lift and have good muscular definition - that's from the yoga. But obviously there are a lot of different styles of yoga out there. I like Forrest, Anusara, Ashtanga and some various Power classes for the most part and do more restorative and soft flow type classes when that's what I need. I also spend a lot of time in my personal practice working on arm balances and core strength. So ultimately, my yoga is basically a body weight training workout. I've practiced Bikram yoga before, but while it has benefits, you're not going to develop much upper body strength doing that.

    Also, interestingly, my mountain biking has really improved this year, despite doing more yoga and less biking than usual. I'm pretty sure this can be attributed to all the time I spend working on core strength and balance.

    But go and try a number of different classes and see what suits you.
  • lisal11
    lisal11 Posts: 59 Member
    I loved yoga. I did Bikram, power yoga and vinyasa flow classes (before I had kids and had more time). I have some Rodney Yee programs and home and he has the best voice ever.

    I agree adding other things to yoga helps; like lifting weights (which will improve your balance in yoga) or something recreational. My Bikram instructor lifted weights and rode a bike a lot and he had an amazing body.
  • 0OneTwo3
    0OneTwo3 Posts: 149 Member
    Any feedback for yoga on losing weight/getting toned/ or just feeling better about yourself.

    Losing weight - No.
    Getting "toned" - No.
    But feeling better- Definitely.

    There are some great health benefits to yoga. But its not the most optimal tool for changing your body-composition.
    Still, go for it! You won't regret it.
  • VpinkLotus
    VpinkLotus Posts: 849 Member

    Still, go for it! You won't regret it.


    This :)
  • odonogc
    odonogc Posts: 223 Member
    I lost all my weight (20 lb) just doing yoga and I'm pretty toned! I do it every day, so that is a LOT of pushups! I'm currently working on being able to hold a handstand in the middle of the room.
  • lithezebra
    lithezebra Posts: 3,670 Member
    Any feedback for yoga on losing weight/getting toned/ or just feeling better about yourself.

    Losing weight - No.
    Getting "toned" - No.
    But feeling better- Definitely.

    There are some great health benefits to yoga. But its not the most optimal tool for changing your body-composition.
    Still, go for it! You won't regret it.

    It won't hurt with losing weight, and it can make you much stronger, which is what I think actually causes people to be "toned." I do a lot of things that don't burn as many calories as I could possibly burn, because I enjoy them, because they're much better burners than being on the internet, and because if I'm doing yoga, for example, I'm not bored, I'm focused on something other than stress, and I'm not snacking.
  • cafeaulait7
    cafeaulait7 Posts: 2,459 Member
    Yeah, I think it can definitely 'tone' you, but it depends on what you were doing before. If you could already do all the pushups, etc, you were already 'toned' in those muscles :) Athletes who have nice leg muscles won't really notice more tone in the legs, but folks lacking muscle tone from inactivity in those muscles will definitely see some from yoga (depending on style).

    The stretch-only poses don't tone; they stretch :) And some of the balance poses don't challenge strength, even for couch potatoes.

    There are more advanced poses that will challenge strength of most anybody, but those aren't in your typical yoga class. If you hear of someone with great muscles saying they only do yoga, they are probably doing some of the more challenging stuff, imho.
  • agdyl
    agdyl Posts: 246 Member
    http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/yoga-for-weight-loss

    I tend to agree with this - I know I've seen a number of studies showing that yoga can help with weight loss, though the evidence does not really point to it being from caloric burn from the workout. You're going to burn some calories, but if that's all you are concerned with, you could just go for a run and it's more efficient in terms of time spent.

    I know personally, yoga has helped me with weight loss, but where it really helped was in changing my attitude towards myself. Basically, when I tried to diet in the past (pre-yoga) it was because I hated the way I looked. Dieting was miserable and even when I made it work, I couldn't keep it off. After really getting into yoga, I had a mental/spiritual breakthrough where I really started to just enjoy my life and feel truly grateful to be alive and as healthy as I am. And that made me want to feed my body the healthiest food that I can, and I've started to be mindful of how I feel when I eat various things. With that - I don't overeat (because it makes me feel awful), and I don't eat junk that also makes me feel awful, and I've lost weight and it's felt very natural and easy to sustain.

    I think that's what they are getting at with the article. It's not something easy to prove with a study, though when they do study it, they generally find some correlation with yoga contributing to at least a little weight loss or prevention of weight gain, though it's not really explained by just the calories burned. It's probably a combination of developing mindfulness, paying attention to your body and using yoga as a method of stress reduction (for those who tend to overeat when they are stressed). Things like that. My weight loss came from improving my diet, but yoga made it easy for me to improve my diet, where it was very difficult before. That said it's not like I went to a handful of yoga classes and the weight dropped off. I went to yoga classes to help heal various knee/back/shoulder injuries, and then discovered the spiritual aspect of it which made me feel more calm and happy, and then I started taking better care of my body and lost weight. There's no timeline for that process. It took me several years to get there - but it's not like I wasn't enjoying or benefiting from yoga before weight loss became a happy side effect. So I wouldn't promise that weight loss will come with regular yoga practice (at least immediately), but I wouldn't be surprised if it helps.

    Kind of the same thing with "muscle tone" - however you define that. If you are regularly doing a reasonably strenuous practice, that should maintain or develop a reasonable amount of muscle (obviously that also is going to have a lot of variation in personal preference and genetics...). But if your goal is to develop larger muscles and get more of a bodybuilder's physique - obviously that's what you should be doing to get that. Some of it is going to depend on your genetics and some of it is going to depend on the style and intensity of the yoga, but the bottom line is going to be that if you want to find out if it works for you, you'll have to try it out for yourself and see what happens. :)

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