Yoga, the instrument for improving one’s mental and physical health, is a great way to lose weight. When performed at a reasonable speed, it functions as an aerobic exercise and aids in weight loss.
Additionally, it has a benefit over other forms of exercise. It reduces stress, which is often one of the main causes of weight gain.
You come away from it feeling focused, calm, and alert. Yoga makes your breath, mind, and body work together harmoniously, which reduces stress.
Yoga encourages the growth of your soul, body, and mind so that you could become the best version of yourself.
Yoga, especially the more energetic varieties, might also be a useful method for weight loss.
Additionally, you might discover that the awareness you get through a soothing, calm yoga practice aids in your weight loss. Many specialists concur that yoga helps people achieve healthy weights in several ways.
In this article, we will be looking at the benefits of yoga for weight loss, its types, and more.
Benefits Of Yoga For Weight Loss
Burning Calories
Yoga is not usually thought of as an aerobic activity. However, some styles of yoga are more physically demanding.
Yoga that is active and vigorous helps you burn the most calories. This might assist in limiting weight gain.
Ashtanga, power yoga and vinyasa are a few examples of yoga that are more physically demanding.
Hot yoga establishments often provide power yoga and vinyasa. You move constantly when doing this style of yoga, which aids in calorie burning.
Yoga could help you tone up your muscles and increase your metabolism. Despite not being a physically demanding kind of yoga, restorative yoga might aid in weight loss.
According to this[1] article, restorative yoga could effectively assist obese women in losing weight, including their belly fat.
These results hold particular promise for those whose body weight might make practicing more strenuous kinds of yoga challenging.
By lowering stress, increasing mindfulness, and burning calories, yoga could be an effective strategy for body maintenance, weight loss, and behavior change.
You might be able to cut back on your eating habits and become more conscious of the negative effects of eating a lot. To build on these findings, additional in-depth studies are required.
Mental Health
Yoga’s psychological facets emphasize the cultivation of mindfulness. Your consciousness is heightened in a lot of ways as a result. It could help you become more aware of how certain foods impact your soul, body, and mind.
According to a 2015 study, those who cultivate mindfulness and practice yoga could be better[2] able to resist harmful foods and comfort foods.
They could also learn to listen to their bodies more so that they might recognize when they are full.
People who are having trouble losing weight in alternative ways are likely to benefit the most from yoga.
According to a 2018 study, practicing mindfulness could increase physical activity and reduce instances[3] of binge or impulsive eating.
Although there was no discernible impact on weight loss directly, lengthier mindfulness training sessions might be linked to weight loss. To further explore these findings, additional research is required.
Yoga practitioners are instructed not to practice on an empty stomach, so they are more inclined to eat a healthy breakfast.
Your desire for natural meals could increase after a yoga session. Additionally, you might learn to eat more slowly and take smaller bites, which helps to reduce your food consumption.
Better Sleep Habits
Yoga could enhance the quality of your sleep. When you practice yoga regularly, you might discover that your sleep is deeper and that you can go to sleep more quickly.
You should aim to get between 7 and 8 hours of sleep per night. A good night’s sleep is often linked to weight loss.
According to a 2019 study, those who had their sleep hours reduced four times per week lost less weight than those who slept normally. Thus, lack of sleep could[4] disturb metabolism and lead to weight gain.
Both groups were restricting their caloric intake, indicating that sleep deprivation hurt fat loss and body composition.
Yoga Nidra is a type of guided relaxation which could improve your consciousness and sleep quality.
During Yoga Nidra, you could also make intentions, which might aid in the development of your goals for losing weight.
A 2019 study indicated that practicing yoga Nidra for ten weeks boosted[5] the awareness of healthcare workers.
Not passing judgment on one’s inner feelings and acting mindfully were part of this mindfulness.
At the follow-up, there were no appreciable differences in their tiredness levels. The longer the exercise was done, the better the score was. To elaborate on these findings, in-depth, larger research is required.
Types Of Yoga For Weight Loss
Here are some types of yoga for weight loss-
Virabhadrasana/Warrior Pose
The Warrior 2 pose has made it more enjoyable and easier to tone your shoulders and thighs. It also helps to focus better. Yoga enhances[6] strength and flexibility.
The better the results you get, the longer you hold that stance. You might get tighter quads by doing Virabhadrasana for only a short while.
Warrior 3 pose is designed to tone your back, arms, and legs while also enhancing your body balance.
If you tighten your abs while maintaining the position, it might also help to tone your stomach by giving you a flat belly.
Surya Namaskara/Sun Salutation Pose
The Sun Salutation, often known as Surya Namaskara, does more than only warm the muscles and get the blood flowing. It could help[7] in decreasing diastolic pressure.
The metabolism is balanced, most of the major muscles are toned and stretched, the arms are toned, the waist is reduced, and the digestive system is stimulated.
The best way to maintain excellent health and lose weight are both included in the Sun Salutation.
Adho Mukha Svanasana/Downward Dog Pose
Your entire body is toned through the Adho Mukha Svanasana, with a little extra focus on certain muscles. Your back, legs, arms, and hamstrings are strengthened as a result.
Your muscles are toned and engaged as you hold this position while also focusing on your breathing, which enhances your blood circulation.
It could help[8] strengthen the upper body and it could also help in elongating the spine. It could also help in improving overall blood circulation in the body.
Trikonasana/Triangle Pose
The triangle pose aids in waist and belly fat reduction as well as digestion improvement. It increases the blood flow and accelerates it throughout the body. The isometric contraction of muscles may help[9] in strengthening them.
This pose’s lateral motion encourages you to develop your hamstrings and thighs more, and lose more belly fat.
Even while this stance does not cause your muscles to shake the way different poses do, it nevertheless has the same positive effects. Additionally, it enhances focus and balance.
Parivrtta Utkatasana/Twisted Chair Pose
The yoga equivalent of the squat is known as the twisted chair pose. However, you should be aware as it targets the abdominals, glutes, and quadriceps muscles, and is a little more intense.
The benefits[10] of practicing parivrtta utkatasana range from strengthening the lower back and torso, to toning down of the thigh and leg muscles.
The digestive and lymphatic systems are also enhanced by the asana. It is a wonderful method for weight loss.
Is Yoga Good For Weight Loss?
Despite your best efforts, you might not be able to lose weight as obesity is a complex disease with a lot of contributing factors.
A family history of weight problems might increase your likelihood of developing similar problems with your weight.
Eating a diet high in fat, sugar, and ultra-processed foods, and being sedentary also cause weight gain.
The factors that further lead to weight gain include the use of medications to address certain mental health concerns, stress, hormonal changes, mental health issues, and poor sleep.
There are numerous strategies to deal with obesity, but not one method works for everyone. You might want to give yoga a try if you are attempting to reduce your weight.
According to credible studies, yoga helps[6] in weight maintenance and reduction by creating a supportive environment, elevating mood, reducing stress, and preventing emotional eating.
Yoga could also strengthen your muscular tone and mass while helping you to burn calories. Yoga might improve joint pain, which allows you to engage in more activities and move more each day.
Conclusion
To conclude, Yoga is an Indian method of rejuvenation for the body and mind. It is a wonderful method for maintaining a stress-free mind, and a toned, healthy physique.
It offers enormous advantages for everyone, from those who only want to unwind to those who are overweight and wish to lose weight.
Yoga encourages healthy mental and physical well-being while also helping people to lose weight.
If you want to use yoga to reduce weight, commit to yourself and also your practice. Make steady improvements and set modest goals to increase your chances of sticking to them.
As your awareness and practice grow, you might discover that you are drawn to leading a healthy lifestyle and eating well.
Even while losing weight is not assured, your promising results might go far beyond weight loss.
References/Sources
Working4Health prefers using primary and verified references. We have strict sourcing guidelines and our primary references include peer-reviewed research, academic, and medical institution studies.
- Yoga benefits available from https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/yoga-what-you-need-to-know
- Allison W. Watts, corresponding author1 Sarah A. Rydell,1 Marla E. Eisenberg, et al. Yoga’s potential for promoting healthy eating and physical activity behaviors among young adults: a mixed-methods study. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2018; 15: 42. Published online 2018 May 2. doi: 10.1186/s12966-018-0674-4
- Judson A. Brewer, Andrea Ruf,1 Ariel L. Beccia, et al. Can Mindfulness Address Maladaptive Eating Behaviors? Why Traditional Diet Plans Fail and How New Mechanistic Insights May Lead to Novel Interventions. Front Psychol. 2018; 9: 1418. Published online 2018 Sep 10. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01418
- Sunil Sharma and Mani Kavuru. Sleep and Metabolism: An Overview. Int J Endocrinol. 2010; 2010: 270832.Published online 2010 Aug 2. doi: 10.1155/2010/270832
- Eva Livingston , Katreena Collette-Merrill. Effectiveness of Integrative Restoration (iRest) Yoga Nidra on Mindfulness, Sleep, and Pain in Health Care Workers. Holist Nurs Pract. May/Jun 2018;32(3):160-166.doi: 10.1097/HNP.0000000000000266. Available from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29642130/
- Ai-Min Liu,I-Hua Chu,Hwai-Ting Lin, et al. Training Benefits and Injury Risks of Standing Yoga Applied in Musculoskeletal Problems: Lower Limb Biomechanical Analysis. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Aug; 18(16): 8402.Published online 2021 Aug 9. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18168402
- Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani, Kaviraja Udupa,Madanmohan, et al. A comparative study of slow and fast suryanamaskar on physiological function. Int J Yoga. 2011 Jul-Dec; 4(2): 71–76.doi: 10.4103/0973-6131.85489
- Downward Dog Pose available from https://www.bu.edu/wellness/six-reasons-to-practice-downward-dog/
- Arun Kumar, Rohith C Kapse, Navneet Paul,et al. Musculoskeletal Modeling and Analysis of Trikonasana. Int J Yoga. 2018 Sep-Dec; 11(3): 201–207.doi: 10.4103/ijoy.IJOY_1_18
- Chair Pose available from https://www.artofliving.org/yoga/yoga-poses/chair-pose-utkatasana
- Catherine Woodyard. Exploring the therapeutic effects of yoga and its ability to increase quality of life. Int J Yoga. 2011 Jul-Dec; 4(2): 49–54.doi: 10.4103/0973-6131.85485
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Louise Rodriguez is a full-time health and fitness writer. She considers herself a gym rat and takes pride in showing her biceps. She dedicates most of her time to her health. With the time left, she spreads information regarding health and fitness among the masses. Harry Potter is her first love.