Yoga is one of the oldest teachings in the world. Researchers have repeatedly found images of people in yoga poses during excavations of cultures that existed thousands of years ago. Yoga is not just a way of physical activity, it is a method of understanding the world that allows you to develop the mental, ethical and physical spheres of a person’s life. This is done in the name of health, which, as we know, cannot be considered only from a physical point of view.
Many people wonder whether it is possible to lose weight through yoga. We'll talk about this today.
Is it possible to lose weight with yoga?
Definitely yes! But if you choose yoga for weight loss, you shouldn’t approach it as simply losing extra pounds. Excess weight will go away only if you improve your body, cleanse it of toxins, improve the functioning of all internal organs and, finally, achieve harmony between body and spirit. Weight loss in yoga is achieved not through physical training, but through an integrated approach to a healthy lifestyle. A slender, toned body is not the goal of yoga, but just one of the indicators of a healthy person.
How to lose weight with yoga?
We have already dealt with the question of whether it is possible to lose weight with the help of yoga, now we will find out how to do it. Regular yoga practice helps reduce stress hormones in the body and increase insulin secretion. This leads to the body not storing food as fat deposits, but using it as fuel. Yoga adherents carefully plan their diet, exclude fatty and unnatural foods from it, and, if necessary, perform cleansing procedures.
If you decide to follow this method of improving your body and life in general, like yoga, then remember that such exercises require consistency, patience and full awareness of your actions. Ideally, for the first lessons you need to find an experienced trainer. He will tell you how to lose weight with yoga in the most beneficial way for your body.
Anyone who has purchased a diploma can call themselves a coach and mentor, but in practice there are only a few true professionals. Don't worry about this. You can find out the real level of a trainer literally at the first training session, evaluating his methodology and understanding that losing weight is not only physical activity, but also mental training and proper nutrition. To see your first successes, you need to follow the clear rules and principles of yoga for several months. And these results will be lasting, as will your attitude and well-being. No diet gives such an effect.
The path to slimness
And now I say “yes, you can lose weight with yoga.” But this will not be a quick path. Because all of the above methods are designed to fight yourself and your body.
Point A. We have an overweight body. Point B. We want to have a slim body.
And between points A and B there is a certain thinker who is puzzled by Nahua’s question.
Without an answer nothing will come of it. Everything you do will have a short-term effect.
Nahua's question is very important. In other words, you need to decide and understand for yourself why you actually need to lose weight.
Maybe you want to lose weight to look like the models in magazines or because your friends told you you're getting fat?
If so, this is a very bad incentive that is unlikely to work. The reason must be yours. Once you find it, you will immediately understand whether you need to try to lose weight or whether you are doing well as is.
You need to understand that right now everything is fine with your body and it is the way it should be. Even if it now weighs over 100 kg of pure fat, even in this state everything is fine with it.
It’s just that you yourself, with your own hands and brains, created conditions that led to the fact that your body began to accumulate energy in the form of fat, rather than burn it. Why is another question.
Contraindications
Before you start classes, the trainer will definitely tell you about contraindications. The opinion that yoga is suitable for people of any age and level of health, which exists in society, is completely wrong. Therefore, before you start exercising, if you are not sure about your health, it is better to consult not only a trainer, but also a doctor.
In general, yoga is contraindicated for people with:
- radiculitis;
- diseases of the central nervous system;
- blood problems;
- oncology;
- pneumonia;
- tuberculosis;
- cardiopathy.
Types of Yoga
There are quite a few types of yoga. The classic versions are Hatha yoga and Kundalini yoga. When these complexes were combined and partially diluted with modern methods for losing weight, such areas as Ashtanga yoga, Bikram yoga and power yoga appeared.
It is these three types that are most effective for losing excess weight. Those who decide to lose weight with the help of yoga can choose the most suitable and suitable complex for themselves. Let's talk about each of them separately.
Types of yogic practices
Due to inexperience, you can get confused by the unpronounceable names of the varieties of yoga. To keep you “in the know,” here are brief descriptions of the main directions.
- Hatha yoga. The “ancestor” of most modern areas of yogic practices. It is from here that the main asanas (body positions) are taken and developed. Hatha or “simple yoga” consists of static poses aimed at developing all major muscle groups, balance, and endurance. To lose weight you need to combine it with dietary restrictions. Suitable for beginners.
- Kundalini yoga. Focused more on self-improvement. The poses are combined with reading mantras, meditation, and a special technique of diaphragmatic breathing. Breathing yoga enriches the body with oxygen and improves metabolism. Due to this, a weight loss effect is achieved.
- Ashtanga yoga. Here, poses change dynamically, without stopping and in strict sequence, interconnected by vinyasas (repeating sequences of asanas). The full name is Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga.
- Bikram yoga. It is also called “hot yoga”. For classes, it is necessary to create high humidity (at least 40%) and temperature (around 40°C) in the room. Energy consumption in such conditions increases and the weight loss effect is, accordingly, more pronounced.
- Power yoga. Power yoga is designed specifically for weight loss. The loads here are quite high, so people with zero physical training should hold off and start getting acquainted with hatha yoga.
- Iyengar Yoga. Here the poses are performed using support and the asanas are learned according to the principle “from simple to complex,” so this practice is ideal for overweight people and complete beginners.
- Fitness yoga. Quite a “young” direction. Yoga exercises for weight loss are deliberately collected here. Most often, this mix is taught in fitness clubs in group classes.
- Yoga for fingers. Here energy flows are redirected through special plexuses of fingers - mudras. There are about 180 of them in total. Surprisingly, there are also yoga mudras for weight loss.
- Shindo. This is the so-called Japanese yoga. A health practice that combines philosophical ideas and gymnastics, vibration and breathing techniques.
- Qigong. This gymnastics is called “Chinese yoga”. A variant of health-improving gymnastics that combines smooth, leisurely movements, the desire for complete self-control and spiritual cleansing. According to reviews, it has a powerful therapeutic effect.
There is also a type of yoga designed specifically for teenagers. This takes into account the active phase of body growth, the development of the hormonal system, and the formation of the skeleton. After all, in such a crucial period for a child, the main thing is not to harm.
Ashtanga yoga
This is the most dynamic variation of yoga. It is suitable for those who have good physical fitness and endurance, but are looking for an answer to the question of whether it is possible to lose weight with yoga. Asanas (static body position) here change quite quickly, in a clear sequence. Between them there are vinyasas - ligaments. The first complex of Ashtanga yoga consists of 90 asanas, in each of which you need to hold from 0.5 to 2 minutes. 70% of the complex is static exercises. The rest are dynamic.
Bikram yoga
Bikram yoga is perhaps the most exotic variety. The fact is that it requires the creation of Indian climatic conditions. The training room must be at least 40 degrees Celsius and 40% humidity. The essence of the exercise is profuse sweating, which rids the body of toxins and excess moisture.
The Bikram yoga complex includes 26 classic asanas and breathing exercises. This type of exercise helps burn fat deposits better than others. Therefore, it is suitable for those who want to lose weight intensively with the help of yoga. People suffering from diseases of the cardiovascular system or lungs should always consult a doctor before starting to practice Bikram yoga.
How to lose weight with yoga?
Weight loss and yoga are seemingly incompatible things. On the one hand, due to the widespread opinion that yoga is too passive a form of practice that does not burn extra calories. On the other hand, because of another common opinion that yoga is not worthy of the desire for harmony, that it is all worldly desires that humiliate it. Both of these points of view are not the ultimate truth. Regarding the first, yoga can be more than dynamic. Attend Bikram yoga or Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga, or Yoga 23 - while sweat will flow from you, you will surely see this. Much depends on the instructor, who can turn even the softest hut into an active fight against excess weight. The second point of view is generally more like prejudice, which yoga fights precisely (much more actively than the desire for an ideal body). Of course, today the ideal female body has been elevated to a cult, but still, there is nothing reprehensible in being attractive. If you feel that you have extra pounds that are bothering you, then you can and should say goodbye to them.
Why does yoga help you lose weight?
The fundamental principle of yoga is balance. Throughout your practice, you will be looking for exactly this: both literally and figuratively. And that's great because you'll need it to get to a certain weight and keep it off.
For example, there are many different diets and workouts that really help you get rid of a couple of kilograms in just a couple of weeks. But as soon as you return to your usual diet, these kilograms return on the second day. This is because such a stressful regime is not natural for you, it is impossible to follow it for a long time. All these experiments are fraught with fat reserves and nervous breakdowns. Why? – Because they are based not on balance, but on the desire to lose weight as quickly as possible. And everything you quickly gain, you lose just as quickly.
If you want to achieve truly impressive results and keep them, you will need to make a healthy lifestyle part of your life. And then you understand all the benefits of yoga. Its main advantage is that it teaches us harmony, balance and love for our own body. No exhausting training, sudden movements or self-abuse. You can reach your limit, but not to your detriment. This position allows you to make progress while still respecting your body. This approach is much more effective than aggressive types of training.
In addition, yoga actively works with internal organs. Performing most asanas allows you to improve digestion, speed up the fat burning process, and improve hormonal balance. We cannot remain silent about their positive influence on the human psyche. Proper breathing and performing poses helps to effectively fight depression, which is one of the main causes of overeating and, consequently, excess weight. Yes, it doesn’t work right away and it takes time for the process to begin. But as soon as this happens, rest assured, you will start losing weight.
This non-immediate effect has a big advantage. Often, people who are concerned about losing weight begin to starve, lose weight, but instead of a slim and beautiful figure, they get saggy skin and an emaciated appearance. By doing yoga, you will lose weight at a slower pace, but the weight will come off evenly and without harm to your health.
And finally, yoga has a lot of different styles and schools that you will never get bored with. Each lesson with a different instructor is a different yoga. So if you are tired, for example, of hatha, try jivamukti and so on. Explore the world of yoga, be healthy and active - before you know it, you will have achieved the long-awaited slimness.
Here are simple recommendations that you can follow to get closer to the desired result:
- Don't neglect Pranayama. Every morning after waking up, devote about 10 minutes to breathing practices. Do a short warm-up right in bed, sit in a comfortable position, close your eyes and take 7-10 deep breaths. Then proceed to Kapalbhati (100-200 times). And after that, perform Uddiyana Bandha (100 quick, active abdominal contractions). Pranayama helps regulate metabolism, influence the circulatory system, eliminate toxins, reduce hunger and increase nervousness.
- Do mostly morning yoga to start the right processes in your body from the very beginning of the day.
- Practice yoga in a system. Preferably every day. It is not necessary to devote 2 hours to yoga every day - this is difficult for a beginner to endure. But let it be at least 15 minutes of Pranayama practice and performing 3-9 circles of Sun Salutations.
- Perform the following asanas more often: Paripuna Navasana, Janu Shirshasana, Ushtrasana, Setu Bandhasana, Salamba Sarvangasana.
Regularity, quality and good spirits are the basic yogic rules that will help you lose weight. There is no need to reinvent the wheel; it is enough to simply make the practice a habit so that the result will not be long in coming. The main thing is not to force things, let the body go through all the necessary stages, give it time for them. As a sign of gratitude, he will give you what you ask of him.
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How should you practice?
Yoga exercises are performed several times a week. Those who cannot or do not want to study with a mentor can do everything on their own at home. All the necessary information is quite easy to find.
There are both advantages and disadvantages to home workouts. The advantages include a free schedule and no need for special clothing and equipment. Light cotton clothing and a simple mat are sufficient for a home workout.
The main disadvantage of self-studying is that it tends to be less effective. The thing is that it will be quite difficult for an inexperienced person to choose the optimal program and load level for themselves, as well as master some exercises. Therefore, experts recommend working with a trainer at least at first. Having mastered the necessary techniques and learned to feel your body, you can safely begin home exercises without worrying about your health.
Class rules:
- Before starting the training complex, be sure to ventilate the room.
- Exercises must be done on a mat.
- It is best to practice either early in the morning or in the evening before bed.
- You need to breathe exclusively through your nose.
- Before training, you should not eat for at least three hours.
- During training, you should not strain your muscles too much, causing pain.
- The principle of mastering techniques is “from simple to complex.”
Is it possible to lose weight with yoga: reviews
Reviews show that yoga is the most beneficial way for the body to lose weight. Many people include it in more active sets of exercises: swimming, running, step aerobics, dancing and others. Such a synthesis will bring nothing but a positive effect. But people who practice yoga do not think primarily about losing weight, but about gaining physical and spiritual health in general.
If you exercise with this exact goal in mind, you will be rewarded with not only a toned body, but also excellent health, as well as a positive outlook.
Is it possible to lose weight with yoga?
Yoga is one of the world's oldest teachings, the purpose of which is to harmonize the relationship between a person, his body, mind and soul and the world around him. Yoga classes restore energy balance, improve well-being, and have a beneficial effect on physical health and mental state.
Yoga is used for various purposes, including staying fit. Like any other physical activity, yoga helps you lose weight and become fitter and slimmer. Home yoga for weight loss is an excellent alternative to usual exercises. Unlike many sports, yoga involves working not only on the body, but also on the inner world. Therefore, yoga exercises for weight loss are chosen by those who want to achieve harmony in their lives at all levels. A person who practices yoga always strives for self-knowledge and development of his abilities.
Do not forget that in yoga, weight loss and body modeling in problem areas are the result of an integrated approach. Thoughtful nutrition, cleansing procedures, spiritual practices, proper breathing and, of course, refined exercise technique are the key to success. Mastering yoga for weight loss for beginners should begin by learning how to breathe correctly during yoga.
If you feel interested in yoga and want to use it as a way to shape your figure, you don't have to go to group classes with a trainer. It is not at all difficult to do yoga at home, the main thing is to do the exercises correctly. This is a real way to lose weight!
