For years, the debate about whether yoga can be used to lose weight has been ongoing. Many people believe yoga is too slow to lose the calories necessary for weight loss. Some yoga practitioners swear by it and claim that it is a great way to lose weight.
6- Although everyone is different, I believe that yoga is very effective in achieving lasting weight loss.
Seven years ago, when I first laid down on the mat, I was 85 lbs overweight. I was unhappy, unhealthy, and fuelled by a passion for binge-drinking pizza. People laughed at me when I announced my goal to lose weight through yoga. Yoga doesn't work for weight loss. People told me that you have to work out in the gym to see real results.
After practicing yoga six- to seven days a week for a year, I lost 85 pounds. Here's how it happened.
5- It has changed my eating habits.
My weight loss was due to regular yoga practice and a plant-based diet. There was no need for any other gym equipment or exercise. I lost excess fat by using only a yoga mat, and my weight.
I began to enjoy what felt good. This insight helped me make better decisions, which led to healthier lifestyle choices and more weight loss. My experience was that I avoided unnatural substances, or non-foods, such as meat, animal products, junk food, and other processed junk. I tried to not drink alcohol more than once per month. One small drink could, in my opinion, ruin seven days of hard work...
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4- It helped me lose weight and gain lean muscle.
All types of yoga can be effective in burning calories, increasing flexibility, and muscle tone, calming the mind, and providing inner peace. However, some practices may prove more effective if you are trying to lose weight.
3- To burn fat and keep it off I concentrated on power yoga and vinyasa flows.
Both are fast-paced and provide the ideal combination of strength training and cardio. This powerful combination can be used to increase lean muscle mass and fat loss. The body can burn between 400 and 600 calories an hour with these two types of yoga. This is the equivalent of the calories you would burn in an hour at the gym.
2- It has changed my outlook.
Yoga changed me from the inside out and in that order. Through the practice, I was able to go down the rabbit hole that led me to truth, consciousness, and connectedness, and I became much more self-aware. I was able to disconnect from my ego, also known to be the incessant voice in your head that dwells on problems.
The ego is the one responsible for bad decision-making because it clings to unhealthy attachments. My mind was calmed by consistent yoga practice. I stopped identifying with the same sad stories my ego had been telling for too long. The positive change began to happen when I stopped dwelling in my head.
My yoga practice has taught me that the things I used to like are no longer satisfying. My ultimate goal was to stop engaging in destructive behaviors. This realization directly impacts weight loss because it encourages you to get rid of unhealthy habits.
I soon realized that my soul was not happy with certain behaviors. It was not good to eat until I was full and then drink to the point that I couldn't stand, or eat so much that I could hardly move. It felt awful!
Once I reached this level of detachedness in my practice, it was clear that I wasn't identifying with my ego and allowing that to control my life. Instead of allowing the ego to rule my life, I began to see that I was the one who watched the racing mind that encouraged my overeating, getting drunk, and gravitating toward unhealthy foods.
1- Are you thinking of yoga to lose weight?
60-minute power yoga or vinyasa flow class is a good idea if you want to lose weight and get fit. For optimal results, you can combine your practice with whole foods.