Yoga

nebulinda
nebulinda Posts: 120 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I know that yoga is very popular, but I'm kind of skeptical of it's weight loss benefits. It seems really good for flexibility and relaxation, which are very important. But it doesn't seem to have much of a cardio or strength training aspect. I want to start getting into yoga, but I'm having a hard time getting excited about it. I can't afford to take classes or buy a lot of videos.

Replies

  • Tanya_IP
    Tanya_IP Posts: 62 Member
    ive tried yoga a lot and i hate it! I get frustrated when i cant do the moves/poses. I have heard of people losing weight doing it and they say they feel great doing it. Its just not for me
  • Spanaval
    Spanaval Posts: 1,200 Member
    IMO, it builds core strength. Back when I used to go to the gym, one of my yoga instructors was an otherwise very ordinary looking person. In nice shape, but not particularly well muscled. One of the personal trainers got dragged into her class by his GF one day, and he took a serious butt kicking. The guy looked like The Incredible Hulk, but not only did he not have the flexiblility or balance of our instructor, he did not have the core strength either. I don't know if it will help you lose weight, but pilates/yoga is a big part of my workout routine, and it really does help me do everything else better.
  • BigRich822
    BigRich822 Posts: 681
    I love doing yoga. It really does not help you burn a ton of calories but it definitely gets your heart rate going. After I am finished I feel better than I do at any given point during the day.
  • lizard053
    lizard053 Posts: 2,344 Member
    I LOVE yoga. Favorite exercise ever. The mind-body-spirit connection if fosters gets you more in touch with your wants and needs, so you learn to fuel your body better. Hence the benefit to weight loss. Plus, it's frequently a strengthening exercise too, nearly as good at shaping/slimming your body as weight lifting. So worth it! For a beginner, I'd say try AM/PM Yoga, by Gaiam with Rodney Yee and Patricia Walden. It's easy, relaxing, and a great way to begin and end your day. I still do it after many years!
  • kardsharp
    kardsharp Posts: 516 Member
    You should see my yoga teacher's arms. AMAZING!

    I may not lose weight with it but I sure gain muscle strength!

    Kristine
  • mixedfeelings
    mixedfeelings Posts: 904 Member
    I follow a routine at home, I've recorded a class on tv which I do every other day.

    Yoga is great for core strength which is important, but I find that I also burn a lot of calories, I use a hrm, for 52 minutes today I burned 375 calories. I always feel really energised afterwards too.
  • NateDad
    NateDad Posts: 55
    Depends a lot on what yoga you're doing. I was skeptical until I tried it. A lot of the moves take a ton of strength, actually. I'm doing P90X, and they do a ton of moves that really work your muscles. I sweat more with that DVD than any of the others, and my HRM says I burn usually around 850 calories.... so, yeah, it ain't easy.

    There's a lot of different styles of yoga classes, and they can all focus on different aspects of yoga - meditation, flexibility, difficult poses, and then there's ones that try to be a good workout in general (all yoga is a workout, but you can definitely make it harder or easier).

    So, don't discount it just because you think it's all standing on one leg or wrapping your legs into a pretzel. There's a lot to yoga that can make a good workout.
  • knowak82
    knowak82 Posts: 200 Member
    I do "Ana and Ravi Kundalini Yoga" DVDs at home (they have a TON of different ones), and I love them! The poses are not super hard to do, but I always feel like I've gotten a good workout from them when I'm done, and oddly enough, feel very "centered"...hahaha! I agree with the other posters who say that yoga is great for core strength!

    I am not the most flexible person in the world, and I can do most of the poses that are in the DVDs that I have.

    I was skeptical at first, but after having my first child, I lost about 30 pounds and hit a plateau...Ana and Ravi's "Fat Free Yoga" totally helped me to bust through my plateau and I have been a fan ever since.

    I also have the "Navel Power" which focuses on core strengthening, as well as the "Kundalini Yoga Cardio, Stretch, & Strengthen" which is actually a pretty good cardio workout :smile:

    I never thought I would say this, because I am sooooo not a tree hugging yogi (LOL:wink: ), but I really enjoy this type of yoga!!!

    Don't give up on yoga until you try at least a few of the different types that are out there!

    Good luck on your weight loss journey:happy:
  • irridia
    irridia Posts: 527 Member
    I sometimes do the core strength vid w/Rodney Yee. I yell obsenities at him... mostly during boat pose. Then I saw a vid from one of my favorite bellydancers, she has her students doing full on boat pose arms in the air too, doing bicicles. I called her a female dog, and that was withOUT actually trying to do it.

    I'm still really bound up in the shoulders and hips so I find most poses really diffcult, but in my spotty use of yoga I've gotten better than I was when I started. I just need to do it more. Most often I run out of time after my lifting to do my cardio and yoga. I'm on another restart w/lifting and am hella sore, once I get past that then I will try to at least do the cardio and yoga on non-lifting days... every day.
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
    I love yoga but I don't do it for weight loss. I do it for flexibility, balance, core strength, and relaxation. It's not much of a calorie burner. Some yoga styles (and instructors) are serious isometric workouts, particularly if you can do more advanced poses... If you're looking for a strenuous workout I would recommend pilates over yoga.
  • lizard053
    lizard053 Posts: 2,344 Member
    I love yoga but I don't do it for weight loss. I do it for flexibility, balance, core strength, and relaxation. It's not much of a calorie burner. Some yoga styles (and instructors) are serious isometric workouts, particularly if you can do more advanced poses... If you're looking for a strenuous workout I would recommend pilates over yoga.

    Depends on the type you're doing for how many calories you burn. Power yoga will burn far more calories than the more meditative styles (of which, Rodney Yee does both!).

    Have I mentioned that I totally love Rodney Yee? LOL! He just amazes me.
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
    Depends on the type you're doing for how many calories you burn. Power yoga will burn far more calories than the more meditative styles (of which, Rodney Yee does both!).

    Have I mentioned that I totally love Rodney Yee? LOL! He just amazes me.

    I've tried several versions of "Power yoga" and found that it is really more like yoga/pilates fusion... Lots of isometric stuff... Good times
  • lizard053
    lizard053 Posts: 2,344 Member
    Depends on the type you're doing for how many calories you burn. Power yoga will burn far more calories than the more meditative styles (of which, Rodney Yee does both!).

    Have I mentioned that I totally love Rodney Yee? LOL! He just amazes me.

    I've tried several versions of "Power yoga" and found that it is really more like yoga/pilates fusion... Lots of isometric stuff... Good times
    Well, considering pilates is derived from yoga, I can agree with that! LOL. But man, a good power yoga session really gets my heart pumping!
  • irridia
    irridia Posts: 527 Member
    Depends on the type you're doing for how many calories you burn. Power yoga will burn far more calories than the more meditative styles (of which, Rodney Yee does both!).

    Have I mentioned that I totally love Rodney Yee? LOL! He just amazes me.

    I've tried several versions of "Power yoga" and found that it is really more like yoga/pilates fusion... Lots of isometric stuff... Good times

    UGH! but I do it anyway because I really, really need the flexability and most of what I do is technically rehabilitation. AND I would be further along if i just stuck to it.
  • TKHappy
    TKHappy Posts: 659 Member
    I love yoga! I don't do it for the weight loss benefits though, I like it more for the stretching and relaxation! I just recently tried HOT yoga....it was fabulous!

    I occationaly take a class, otherwise I look up videos on Youtube, follow workouts from Magazines, and I have a few videos at home. :)

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