Yoga - Weight Loss

Renowned for its capacity to reduce stress, enhance flexibility and improve muscle tone and strength, yoga is not so well known for its contributions to weight loss. Most people don't think of yoga as a way to burn off the calories, so it can be surprising to discover that it can be an effective way to boost your weight loss efforts.

Conventional yoga isn't a vigorous type of exercise. While it conditions and tones your muscles, you're not likely to work up a sweat during a yoga session. However, the fact that your muscles are being given a workout means your body is utilizing calories more effectively. So, cardiovascular exercise will yield better results if you also practice yoga regularly.

An important component of yoga is discipline of mind and body, which will help you stay committed to your exercise program and healthy eating habits. Yoga reinforces the link between your body and your mind, increasing your desire to look after your body. This is very helpful for people who want to lose weight but have trouble getting motivated.

New Yoga Varieties

If you plan on using yoga by itself to help you drop some pounds, there are some new variations on the traditional practice of yoga, which provide the advantages of both yoga and aerobic exercise in one package. These types of yoga include:

Vinyasa yoga - Vinyasa yoga is centered on shifting from one asana, or pose, to another while concentrating on your breathing. The Sun Salutation is a typical position, but there are many others. Vinyasa yoga is often practiced in a heated room to encourage sweating.

Ashtanga yoga - This is an intricate approach to yoga, integrating six series of individual asanas. They increase in complexity as you progress, so you must perform them in order, improving your skill as you go.

Power yoga - This modern adaptation of yoga mixes active, high-speed actions with yogic breathing.

These yoga techniques offer more of the heart-healthy benefits of aerobic exercise than the usual kinds of yoga. While they won't quite give you the workout of a cardio class, you still get the dual advantages of aerobic fitness and the muscle toning and flexibility of yoga, which will no doubt help your weight loss efforts. And they're great for people who are too busy for more than one workout routine.

One the surface, aerobics and yoga have few similarities. Nevertheless, conventional yoga can boost the benefits of cardiovascular exercise, and the newer styles of this ancient practice can be a great replacement for your usual aerobics. If you're dissatisfied with the results you're seeing from your normal exercise program, why not give yoga a try?

Kim Archer enjoys the health benefits and relaxation of yoga. A great source of information on this restorative practice can be found at Yoga Essentials.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Asanas

Image
Asana is not a particular posture, but a state. Within the word asana itself are the connotations of strength and firmness, as well as the connotations of pleasantness and comfort. This is the balance we are trying to achieve, strength and flexibility, not only in the physical postures, but also in our mental state. Take The Ambition Out Of It Everybody is unique and their progression in yoga is going to look differently than the person next to them. It is important to allow the asanas to arise out of an internal place rather than some externally imposed idea of what the posture should look like. As long as you are working at your peak, combining breath, bandhas, and movement, and you are gaining that internal sense of stretching and strengthening, you are exactly where you needto be. In the beginning, the physical aspects of the postures will affect you the most. In time, and as you progress, you will become more aware of the flow of prana, life force, moving through your ...
Read more

The History of Ashtanga Yoga

Image
Twenty years ago Ashtanga yoga was very much a fringe activity. Our small, dedicated group of students in Encinitas, California were mostly young, hippie typeswith little money and few material possessions. We did have one precious thing – Ashtanga practice, which we all knew was very powerful and deeply transformative. Practicing together created a unique and magical bond, a real sense of family. Over the years the Ashtanga family has grown considerably throughout the world and I’ve had the opportunity to share the practice with many wonderful people as both a student and teacher. In Austin, Texas I met Larry Schultz 15 years ago when he was just beginning his Ashtanga practice with my teacher, Pattabhi Jois. Even though the practice was very challenging for him, Larry approached it with great enthusiasm, optimism, and gratitude. He, like so many others, recognized immediately that this was exactly what he had been looking for and was very excited by both the practice and the people i...
Read more

Indian Yoga Gurus

Image
India is a land where Yoga is practiced from ancient time. In old days sages and saints taught the methodology of yoga. In modern life many gurus and yoga teacher has help in the resurgence of ancient Yoga Practice for the well being of human society. The Yoga gurus not only worked in the mainland of India but also worked abroad to introduce the glory of Yoga practice to the people of West. The most renowned Yoga Gurus of India are : B.K.S. Iyenger : B.K.S. Iyenger came from a poor family in South India and learnt Yoga from T. Krishnamacharya. He started his life with a great struggle but gradually became one of the most famous Yoga Gurus In India. He was the author of many books and founded `Ramamani Iyenger Memorial Yoga Institute to pay tribute to his late wife. Bikram Choudhury: He is probably the most popular name among the Yoga Gurus in the western world. His method of teaching is known as Bikram Yoga, which is the combination of Hatha Yoga. The Bikram Yoga is taught in mo...
Read more