So, can yoga help you lose weight?
Broadly speaking: YES.
Yoga consists of a series of physical postures (asanas), at a more or less fast rhythm, depending on the type of yoga. So, as your muscles move, it can help you get back in shape or stay fit.
The aspect which is very important when trying to lose weight is a pleasure. If you don’t enjoy practising yoga, you are not motivated, you will skip yoga classes or yoga sessions at home, which means you will not reach your weight loss goals.
Yoga helps to strengthen and shape your body. For example, it can be very useful for a flat stomach. But yoga is much more than a series of simple physical exercises.
If your weight issues are very serious, yoga classes alone are not enough. You need an activity with cardio elements to burn your fat reserves. But yoga can help relieve stress and teach you to feel good in your body so that changes come from within - help on a mental rather than physical level.
If you want to lose more than 10 pounds, it is important that you get help from a weight loss medical professional to monitor the physical effects and point out which strategies are best for you. But yoga can be of great help along with the more intense physical activity.
While it won’t make you lose weight quickly, there are many benefits of yoga, such as losing belly fat, building abs, improving all-round muscle tone, and reducing cellulite.
When combined with a balanced diet, the gentle muscle exercises provided by yoga can lead to significant weight loss results.
Which Yoga Kind Is Best for Weight Loss?
There are different types of yoga. All forms of yoga are based on deep breathing and harmony between body and mind.
But if the slower aspect of the more traditional yoga forms doesn’t appeal to you, there are more dynamic styles such as Ashtanga or Vinyasa yoga that are particularly suitable for burning calories and strengthening your body.
These yoga styles are also good for removing toxins and teaching you to listen to your body.
In addition, many yoga poses help modulate the kidneys and thyroid, which in turn help regulate our metabolism.
It is actually a form of Hatha Yoga (the most common yoga style) that is performed in a room that is heated to 40 ° C and with a humidity of 40% to release harmful substances faster.
A Bikram Yoga class usually lasts 90 minutes and consists of 26 postures and two breathing exercises. You absolutely must consult a doctor before practising Bikram Yoga.
While you shouldn’t take more than two Bikram yoga classes per week, daily yoga routines can help if you want to lose weight quickly.
These daily home yoga sessions can be completed with studio classes or with a private tutor for:
- Vinyasa Yoga
- Ashtanga Yoga
- Prenatal yoga
- Positive thinking exercises
- Meditation exercises
The Best Yoga Exercises For Weight Loss
Along with a healthy diet that is high in fruits and vegetables, fibre and very little fat, yoga can help you lose weight.
Consider your general health before doing the following exercises. If you are unsure whether you can do them, consult a yoga specialist who will teach you how to do them.
Here are some exercises that are particularly good for burning stomach fat.
Cobra pose (Bhujangasana)
Stop as soon as you feel pain!
Not for people who suffer from cervical or back pain or hernia.
This pose strengthens the abs and reduces stomach fat. It also strengthens the back and back.
- Lie on your stomach with your legs straight
- Put your palms on the floor, just beneath your shoulders
- Inhale and slowly lift your upper body
- Hold this position for two full breaths
- As you exhale, lower your whole body to the floor
- Repeat 5 times with a 15 second rest period between each rep.
The Bow Pose (Dhanurasana)
Contraindications: back and cervical problems, hernia.
This yoga pose strengthens the abdominal wall. It activates the digestive system and is a great way to stretch your back.
- Lie on your stomach with your legs straight
- Bend your knees
- Hold your ankles with your hands
- When inhaling, keep your head up while looking in front of you (to release the tension on your spine) and raise your legs as high as possible
- Maintain this position for two full breaths, breathing normally
- On the exhale, return your body to its original position
- Repeat 5 times with a 15 second rest period between each rep.
The Boat Pose (Naukasana)
One of the best poses for a flat stomach. It is also good for digestion and strengthens the back and legs.
- Place on your back with your legs extended
- As you inhale, lift your legs and keep them straight
- Grab your legs with your hands around your calves (or your knees if that’s too hard)
- Make sure to keep your back straight and your abs tight to avoid injury
- Breathe normally and hold the pose for two full breaths
- Exhale and return to your original position
- Repeat 5 times with a 15 second rest period between each rep.
Plank pose (Kumbhakasana)
Contraindication: shoulder injury
Then it is best to pose to keep a flat stomach and strengthen your whole body. It also strengthens the arms, shoulders, back, buttocks and thighs.
- Lie on your stomach
- Place your hands on either side of your shoulders and press against the floor
- Your hands should stay below your shoulders, your body should form a straight line from the top of your skull to the tips of your toes
- Be careful not to arch your back
- Remain in this position for as long as you can stay while breathing normally
- Release the pose on the exhale
Wind Relief Pose (Pavanamuktasana)
This pose strengthens your stomach and hips.
- Lie on your back
- Bend your knees and bring them to your chest on the exhale
- Apply pressure to your stomach with your thighs
- As you exhale, lift your head and try to touch your knees with your ■■■■. Note: don’t put pressure on your cervical vertebrae, your upper back should do the job
- Take a deep breath
- Hold the pose for two full breaths
- Return to the starting position on the exhale
- Repeat 5 times with a 15 second rest period between each rep.
If you practice these five poses regularly, you should see results quickly! Here are a few more poses to help you lose weight.
Bonus Exercise: Eagle Pose to Fight Cellulite
Counter-indications: injuries to ankles, knees or shoulders
Better than any anti-cellulite cream: the Eagle Pose! It strengthens the thigh muscles but does so gently. It stretches and firms the calves, thighs, hips and ankles. It stretches and loosens the arms and shoulders.
This posture also increases your concentration and balance.
And since it’s a bit more complicated than the other poses explained here, here’s a video showing how it’s done.
Body and Soul: Benefits of Yoga Besides Weight Loss
Rapid weight loss isn’t the only benefit of yoga: you feel liberated!
The benefits of yoga are many (not just for keeping in shape):
- You become more flexible
- You manage stress better
- You learn to meditate
- You can do it at home
- It increases your concentration
Lose weight with Anti-Stress Yoga
Yoga helps you manage stress - while some people lose their appetite under stress, others find their appetite increases. They eat because they are stressed and therefore gain weight. Regular practise of any type of yoga helps reduce stress. Because they are more relaxed, binge eating will go away.
Yoga also helps improve sleep patterns. Sleep problems are closely linked to stress. Some meditation or yoga exercises right before bed can help reduce stress levels and improve sleep quality. If you have fewer problems falling asleep and sleeping through the night, you won’t be as tired when the alarm goes off.
The Ultimate Goal of Yoga is Harmony
In addition to physical activity, yoga is above all a philosophy and its introduction into your life can fundamentally change you. You will feel better in both your mind and your body. Trying out yoga means changing your lifestyle.
In short, you strive for harmony between body and mind. Even if you have to lose more than 10 pounds, you will find that after a few yoga sessions, those pounds that ruined your life now seem pointless.
The ultimate goal is not to master all postures, lose X number of pounds, or test your limits - the point of yoga is to make peace with yourself and learn to accept your body.
Tips for losing weight with Yoga
Each Yoga type has its own advantages and is therefore incredibly valuable. Yet we can distinguish Yoga forms when it comes to losing weight. After all, some yoga forms are just more suitable for this.
In addition to the Yoga form that you choose, the way in which you practice is also important to make losing weight with yoga possible. So below, I’ll give you a few tips to keep in mind:
1. Go for an active yoga form with room for relaxation
Basically, choose a Yoga form that is more physically challenging. By moving a lot in your practice, your heart rate will increase.
Yoga forms that are very suitable for this are, for example, Power Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga and Vinyasa Yoga. These Yoga forms place a little more emphasis on the physical side of the practice so that you move nicely.
Hatha / Vinyasa Yoga is a Yoga form that we ourselves like very much because active and passive elements of the practice go together in perfect harmony. You will experience all the benefits that Yoga can offer you in losing weight.
So make sure that you take the relaxation with you during your practice. Too much stress can cause you to make worse choices and make unhealthy choices more quickly.
2. Choose a yoga form that you can maintain
Be realistic in which Yoga type suits you. Maybe you would like to get started with Power Yoga, but it does not match your physical fitness at that time. Respect what is within your means right now, and get the most out of it.
3. Challenge yourself without exceeding your limits
When you have chosen your yoga form, it is important to also respect your limits during the practice. Make sure to challenge yourself and push your limits, but avoid going beyond them.
This ensures, among other things, that your body remains better in balance and you do not develop injuries. An injury can throw a spanner in the works if you want to lose weight. Often times I have a hard time moving with an injury, which is exactly what you don’t want if you want to lose weight.
4. Decide how often you want to practice
Be realistic in determining how often you want to practice. If you want to lose weight with yoga, you probably want to see results quickly. Better to put that temptation aside for a moment, and see how often you can realistically step on the mat per week.
Go for a routine, instead of a specific goal. By that, I mean that it is much better to agree with yourself to exercise every day than to set the goal that you want to lose 5 kilos. This ensures that you stay motivated when the results on the scale are disappointing.
Another tip I want to give you is to go for regularity. It is better to step on the mat and move around for 20 minutes every day, than once a week for 1.5 hours.
YOGA AND YOUR METABOLISM
When talking about yoga and losing weight, you often first hear about your metabolism. There are scientific studies that say that yoga slows down metabolism. This is on average eight per cent for men and even eighteen per cent for women. But there are also scientific studies that say that your metabolism becomes faster. Are these reasons not to practice yoga when you want to lose weight?
No, not exactly. Yoga ensures that your hormones are in balance, including your thyroid gland, which is one of the largest hormone glands. Your whole body responds to the yoga: you slow down your breathing, which lowers your blood pressure and your oxygen intake. You need less energy and also less food, so you consume fewer calories.
THE YOGA DETOX FOR WEIGHT LOSS
Cleaning your body of waste products, that’s what different yoga postures do. Your organs are, as it were, squeezed out, for example in disputes, so that the waste products are released and they can leave your body. This is an important part of losing weight because your body cannot do anything with these waste products. If they remain in your body, you will get less energy to move and your digestion will also be lower.
Finding A Yoga Teacher Who Can Help You Lose Weight
Sure, you can do yoga at home, but if you’re just getting started you may need a little motivational help.
Is the secret to eating less and healthy in a yoga sports coach?
Why not just use a personal trainer specializing in yoga?
Hiring a yoga-oriented sports coach can be a great solution if you want to:
- To lose weight
- Want to lose thigh fat
- Want to lose arm fat
- Want to lose weight on your hips
- Want to lose weight on your ■■■■
- Want to lose fat on your thighs
- Want to lose weight in your face
- Want to lose cellulite
The advantage of a sports coach is that they also train a little more in addition to yoga. If he or she decides that you need more energetic physical exercise to lose weight quickly, they can advise you on other sports such as cardio exercise, weight lifting, pilates, or other muscle-strengthening sports besides yoga.
A yoga-oriented personal trainer has the advantage that he or she understands how the body works and that he or she is open to alternatives other than the average sports coach. That’s why we recommend looking for these two aspects - a yoga teacher and personal trainer - in one person.
A Healthy Diet
If possible, make sure your personal trainer also has a good knowledge of nutrition. He can give you advice on how to eat healthily for weight loss, such as:
- The calories you should be consuming each day
- High-fat foods to avoid
- Healthy, filling snacks
In addition to tailoring your exercise program to your individual needs, they can help you define the right diet to help you on your way to your dream body - the way you want it.
A personal trainer will motivate you.
A sports coach is also a good motivator. At home alone, there is a tendency to give up on all your New Year’s resolutions pretty quickly, while a personal trainer who teaches classes once or twice a week won’t let you back down. There is no way - they make you do the exercises.
Some Extra Tips for Losing Weight:
- Green tea is an excellent anti-oxidant
- Green vegetables are low in fat
- Ban Meal Replacements: They are generally high in sodium or sugar
- White meat is leaner than red meat
- Drinking enough helps against binge eating
- Avoid fast sugars in the morning and opt for salty and fatty foods like eggs and whole grain meats
Avoid Popular Diets! Hyper-protein and cabbage soup diets. They have not proven themselves in the long run and they are all catalysts for the famous yo-yo effect. The key is a balanced diet, neither too fast nor too poor, and regular physical activity.
Summary:
No need to follow the latest diet. Instead, focusing on healthy, balanced eating habits during physical exercise is usually enough to keep in shape!
Yoga isn’t a magic wand that can help you lose weight magically - but it’s useful for toning your body and exercising evenly.
In addition to helping with weight loss, yoga is also a natural antidepressant. It helps you manage stress and let go of your negative thoughts. The cycle of vicious stress kilos will be broken, with the happier yoga-healthy eating-healthy body circle taking over.
A personal trainer who specializes in yoga can help with nutritional advice and other more intense physical activities to complement your yoga classes. Be careful not to hurt yourself when doing yoga postures.