Yoga may not have the same calorie burning effects of more intense exercises like running, swimming, and cardio-dance routines, but don't let all that fool you. With its attention to proper deep breathing exercises and sometimes-difficult poses held for as long as 1 to 2 minutes, yoga for weight loss is very much a real thing— ask the many doctors and personal trainers who vouch for it. It doesn't hurt that yoga also places special attention on improving your state of mind and spirit, leading to a healthier and better you.
Go for ‘Burning' Yoga
Not all yoga practices are the same, which is why the amount of burned calories can range anywhere between 180 to 400 kcal an hour. The most strenuous forms of yoga are Vinyasa, Ashtanga, and other forms of modified "power yoga," which blends strength exercises, stretching for flexibility, and cardio.
A typical 90-minute Vinyasa class should leave you drenched in sweat, as the deep breathing works your core, flushing out toxins and water weight. Repeated upward-facing and downward-facing dog poses will work your arms, with the effect similar to doing push-ups.
But beyond the obvious physical and fitness demands of yoga, there's a deeper benefit to the practice: you become more aware of your body. You begin to develop an understanding of how your body works, realize which poses you can and can' execute just yet, and see how regular practice makes you better at yoga.
You also become more receptive to your body's needs and even notice things like food that doesn't digest well, or conversely, food that makes you feel good.
It’s a good habit to write down your thoughts and ideas after yoga exersecises that improve our brain activity and mental health too. Meanwhile, if you have some difficulties with writing task, feel free to order anyquality custom paper from Essaylab.
Do Less to Do More
And yet the interesting thing about yoga is that not everyone will need the tougher classes to lose weight. Even gentler yoga practices like Hatha yoga, with its emphasis on breathing, strength, and flexibility, can jumpstart your body into weight-loss mode.
As you go about your daily, sometimes stressful, routine, your body is in a heightened state of alert, with high-octane hormones moving around your body. Yoga activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which controls your hormones, digestion, and breathing. This, in turn, brings your body down to a calmer state and resets injury repair, normal metabolism, and balanced hormone generation—all of which facilitates weight loss.
And again, yoga is about having an awareness of your body, with its effects touching on both physiological and psychological functions. Regularly practicing yoga heightens your sensitivity to the body's signals, like hunger and food cravings. With regular yoga, you begin to understand the difference between real hunger and cravings.
Think Long-Term
As with any other form of exercise and physical fitness routine, yoga's real results are most obvious when it's done over a long-term period. So anyone expecting to see weight loss results after just 4 to 5 classes is only setting themselves up for disappointment.Research on long-term yoga practice shows its ability to stop the middle-age spread. A recent study by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center indicates that overweight individuals ages 45 to 55 who practiced yoga on a regular basis over ten years lost an average of 5 pounds—those who didn't gain 14 pounds.