Feedback on Yoga please!

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  • lithezebra
    lithezebra Posts: 3,670 Member
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    Still, go for it! You won't regret it.


    This :)
  • odonogc
    odonogc Posts: 223 Member
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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. :)
  • MinimalistShoeAddict
    MinimalistShoeAddict Posts: 1,946 Member
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    Personally I think Yoga helps me the most in the areas of balance and flexibility.

    Keep doing cardio (for burning calories and building cardiovascular endurance) and weight lifting (to build strength) in addition to your new Yoga program.

    Good luck!
  • underwater77
    underwater77 Posts: 331 Member
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    ]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 totally disagree with this statement. But yoga definitely varies by type and instructor and I seek out the challenge. Class leaves me drenched in sweat, winded, strong, and flexible.

    I have always been an athlete - I swam competitively my entire life and have since been active with swimming, spin, and other cardio exercises. I added a challenging Vinyasa Flow 6 days a week for 75 minutes and the change in my body is astounding. We do SO much core work and strength training (push-ups, planks, side planks, sit-ups of many varieties) within the practice. I had a very hard time getting weight off until I started practicing regularly, then the pounds started coming off significantly - where I needed them to. My heart rate sky rockets in class. It is by far the most challenging workout that I do, hands down.

    I also definitely think the balancing poses add to strength of the core as it is your core that allows you to balance in some of the challenging balancing poses, and nothing else.

    But far beyond those benefits, it has truly changed my outlook on life. I have allowed the practice to seep into other aspects of my life. My sleep is improved tenfold, my attitude is positive, and it truly did have such a positive impact on my life that I cannot imagine my life without it. I break the bank to be able to continue at my studio and it's worth every single cent.

    Anyway, I cannot speak highly enough about the benefits of yoga and I do hope that you give it a whirl, OP! The benefits are difficult to articulate fully.
  • vanessamcinnis
    vanessamcinnis Posts: 204 Member
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    Thank you so much for your feedback everyone :) I'm doing a 30 day trial so I'll see how it goes. I went to my first class yesterday. It's not really my thing and I'm pretty out of my comfort zone haha. But I'm going to keep going and try different yoga classes. I don't have a ton of weight to lose or anything....like I said before I'm only 4 pounds away from this years goal. I've already lost about 21 pounds. I'm a lot happier with my body now and do have some muscle definition. I find my back and legs have the most muscle now I was just stating that my stomach is the hardest to lose haha. I am pretty active. I exercise 6 days a week my rest day is on Saturdays. I do weights 3 times a week and run for a half hour on opposite days. I was just reading all the benefits of Yoga and they seem amazing and so positive I think it would help with my stress. I'm hoping I will enjoy yoga when I try it out more...My plan is to continue with my weight training and hopefully do yoga on my opposite days. Again thanks for the feedback :)
  • InnLim
    InnLim Posts: 2
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    I was doing yoga 3 times a week and felt fit and toned. I really enjoyed the yoga sessions and got a lot of benefit out of them. Recently, my life got hectic and I stopped going for classes. 2-3 months down the road, my body feels flabby, I don't feel so fit and I really miss my yoga classes. So, yes, yoga certainly tones the body up


    www.fatlossyoga.net
  • caramelgyrlk
    caramelgyrlk Posts: 1,112 Member
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    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.

    THIS....I take it 2 times a week and I love it.
  • Greywalk
    Greywalk Posts: 193 Member
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    Multiple ways of yoga. I use yoga primarily for flexibility and relaxation. However there is a yoga whose primary focus is weight loss. I don't do that one. I am 57 so flexibility is important to me. However that said there is benefit in the weight loss area of all types. Encourage you to research first, visit studios and do not commit until you find one that exactly fits you and whose teacher is encouraging and supportive.
  • CollieFit
    CollieFit Posts: 1,683 Member
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    There are different styles of yoga; you should research them and decide on which one meets your goals.

    Exactly that.

    Ashtanga is different to Yin is different to Shivananda is different to Iyengar is different to Bikram.... etc etc.

    Look into the different forms, pick one that meets your needs and find a good instructor.
  • CollieFit
    CollieFit Posts: 1,683 Member
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    ]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 totally disagree with this statement. But yoga definitely varies by type and instructor and I seek out the challenge. Class leaves me drenched in sweat, winded, strong, and flexible.

    I have always been an athlete - I swam competitively my entire life and have since been active with swimming, spin, and other cardio exercises. I added a challenging Vinyasa Flow 6 days a week for 75 minutes and the change in my body is astounding. We do SO much core work and strength training (push-ups, planks, side planks, sit-ups of many varieties) within the practice. I had a very hard time getting weight off until I started practicing regularly, then the pounds started coming off significantly - where I needed them to. My heart rate sky rockets in class. It is by far the most challenging workout that I do, hands down.

    I also definitely think the balancing poses add to strength of the core as it is your core that allows you to balance in some of the challenging balancing poses, and nothing else.

    But far beyond those benefits, it has truly changed my outlook on life. I have allowed the practice to seep into other aspects of my life. My sleep is improved tenfold, my attitude is positive, and it truly did have such a positive impact on my life that I cannot imagine my life without it. I break the bank to be able to continue at my studio and it's worth every single cent.

    Anyway, I cannot speak highly enough about the benefits of yoga and I do hope that you give it a whirl, OP! The benefits are difficult to articulate fully.

    That's all well and good but most yoga forms are nowhere near as challenging as Ashtanga or Bikram.

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