How Does Yoga Help You Lose Weight

When people think about yoga, they mostly think of flexibility and meditation. That’s why many folks who work out to stay in shape don’t consider yoga a fitness option (I’m referring to those who want to lose weight quickly). But is yoga good for weight loss?  If yes, how does yoga help you lose weight?  

The quick answer is Yes, Yoga helps you Burn fat, too.  While doing dynamic poses, yoga burns calories, builds muscle to speed up the metabolism, lowers stress and cortisol levels to stop emotional eating, improves digestion, and encourages thoughtful eating. 

Integrating yoga into your routine is a complete way to drop weight because it combines physical exercise with mental health. Let us describe how this popular trend activity can help you reduce weight and achieve your perfect body and mind. 

Disclaimer:  

Yoga may help different people lose weight at different rates. Talking directly with doctors(nutritionists) or sports coaches is essential. For some, especially those who want to lose weight quickly, yoga may not help them lose as much weight as other types of exercise like running and going to the gym. So if you want to lose a lot of weight a few times, , consider the other exercise. 

How does yoga help you lose weight?

Can I lose weight with yoga? We answer the question directly in the previous section. Remember, only some people lose weight right away after starting yoga (for example, don’t expect to drop weight in just one month of yoga practice). If you do it every day for at least three to four months, though, you will begin to see effects. Now it’s time for details about an exciting topic: how to do yoga for weight loss!

1. Burning Calories with Yoga

First, you need to know that yoga helps you burn calories at a lower speed than other exercises! For example, yoga can help you shed pounds, but usually not as much as more intense activities like running or high-intensity interval training (HIIT).

Some types of yoga, like Vinyasa and Ashtanga, are more intense, though, and can help you burn a lot more calories. These workouts keep you moving all the time, like aerobics, and can speed up your heart rate, which helps you burn more calories and build muscle.

But, as we already said, yoga has benefits that other types of exercise might not have. For example, it can make you more flexible, less stressed, and more aware of yourself. These perks can help you strangely lose weight by making you eat better and lessening the amount of times you eat when you’re upset.

2. Yoga Helps You Enhance Metabolic Rate

We break down for you how yoga helps your body have a better metabolism. 

1. Better Digestion: Yoga improves the function of your stomach and gut, and your body burns calories faster.
2. Better Blood Flow: Deep, slow breathing during yoga opens up the arteries, which boosts oxygenation and blood flow, which helps the body work faster.
3. Stimulation of Glandular Function: Asanas in yoga press, stretch, and move the body, massaging organs and glands as they do so. This makes the thyroid gland release thyroxine, which has a direct effect on the body’s metabolism.
4. Muscle Build-up: Yoga works for both big and small muscle groups, hence increasing lean muscle mass. More muscle increases metabolic rate by using more calories to burn even at rest.

Some yoga poses can help you enhance your metabolism to manage your weight; below are some examples of them: 

Specific Yoga Poses That Boost Metabolism

1. Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation): It is made up of 12 poses called Surya Namaskara that are great for getting your metabolism going faster. You get more blood flow, your muscles get stronger, and your blood sugar stays in check.
2. Sarvangasana (Shoulder Stand): This pose, called the “queen of all asanas, improves blood flow to the upper body and thyroid gland, which controls metabolism.
3. Building Muscle and Strength Camel Pose (Ustrasana): This backbend helps improve thyroid function, and since the thyroid produces hormones that regulate metabolism, it can help your body function more efficiently.
4. Shalabhasana (Locust Pose): This pose strengthens your back and core muscles, which helps speed up your body’s movements and overall metabolism.
5. Setu Bandhasana (Bridge Pose):  Bridge pose can aid digestion and also stimulate the thyroid gland, helping to boost metabolism.
6. Trikonasana (Triangle Pose): The triangle pose is one of the powerful yoga poses that engage multiple muscle groups. It activates various muscle groups, helping you build lean muscle and increase your metabolic rate.

Adding these moves to your normal yoga routine could speed up your metabolism. Although yoga is good for you, it shouldn’t be your only activity. It is important to always get enough attention to do yoga if you are new to it or have a specific health problem.

Related article: Best exercise for weight loss

3. Build Muscles With yoga and keep them strong. 

Don’t forget this; Yoga is a great way to build strength and tone your muscles. It may not bulk you up like traditional exercises, but it can still make you stronger in various ways, including: 

1. Pose holds that lasts a long time with just your body weight in yoga moves can strengthen your muscles over time. This happens because you’re always challenging your muscles, which strengthens them. 
2. Muscle Engagement: Many yoga moves work out more than one muscle group at a time, which helps build strength throughout the body. Here are some yoga poses that can help you make your muscles stronger. 
3. Isometric Contractions: Staying in the same pose for a long time can make muscles stronger and last longer.

Best Pose for Building Muscle in Yoga

1. Chaturanga Dandasana (Four-Limbed Staff Pose): Chaturanga Dandasana makes your shoulders and core stronger.
2. Dhanurasana (Bow Pose): Bow Pose, or Dhanurasana, works the hips, upper back, thighs, shoulders, and chest.
3. Warrior Poses: Your knees, hips, and core will get stronger.
4. Plank Pose: Plank pose makes your core, arms, and shoulders stronger.
5. Downward-Facing Dog: As you do the downward-facing dog, your arms, shoulders, and back will get stronger.

Related article: Exercises for belly fat

4. Yoga helps to Reduce Stress, Emotional Eating and Improving Digestion

A big part of yoga is lowering stress, which can help you eat better by lowering cortisol levels and stopping you from eating when you’re sad. Also, some yoga poses help digestion, which means they make it easier for your body to break down and get rid of food, one of the most critical factors for managing your weight (Having poor digestion can lead to weight gain).

Yoga also changes your mind (the way you think) and encourages awareness, which can help you make better food choices and understand your hunger and fullness signals. As a result, you can effectively lose weight. All of these yoga benefits work together to make yoga a complete way to Slim down (incredibly unbelievable).

Related article: Best cardio for weight loss

Yoga’s benefits for reducing weight: 

Let’s compare  Yoga vs. Traditional Training to Achieve weight loss goals and burn fats with desired practice. 

As we said above, reducing weight is very personal and depends on many things, such as Diet (for example Dukan Diet), metabolism, and personal preference. Even though yoga might not benefit you as quickly as some high-intensity exercises, it can be especially helpful for some people who? The below ones: 

• Beginners and older adults: Anyone of any age or fitness level can do yoga, making it a good place to start for people new to exercise or who have joint problems.
• Long-Term Adherence: Yoga is a gentle but effective choice for high-intensity workouts that can be kept up for a long time by people who find them hard or impossible to do.
• Stress Reduction: Yoga’s focus on self-awareness and relaxation can be very helpful for people who gain weight due to stress and emotional eating.

Yoga vs. Traditional Training: 

Focusing on the difference between yoga-burning fats and traditional weight loss can help you choose the practice routine style that fits your healthy body and mind. By reading the point below, you can clear your mind about what exactly you want! 

1. Focus and Benefits

• Yoga:
  • Yoga combines emotional, mental, and physical wellness in a holistic approach.
  • Focuses on stretching and balancing exercises to improve your flexibility and balance.
  • Including meditation for leisure and breathing exercises helps to reduce stress.
  • Helping you to be mindful and connect your mind and body.
• Traditional Training:
  • Strength and endurance rely on developing cardiovascular health and muscles.
  • Usually, it burns more calories in a shorter period.
  • Included in high intensity are weight lifting, jogging, and HIIT.
  • Often targets particular fitness goals, such as muscle building or fat loss.

2. Physical Impact

• Yoga:

• • Low Impact: Yoga is something anyone can do.
  • It improves flexibility by broadening the range of motion and joint condition.
  • Many poses strengthen the core muscles.

• Traditional Training:

• • Exceptionally high-impact exercises could strain the joints.
  • Perfect for increasing muscle strength and growth is build-mass.
  • Perfect for increasing cardiovascular fitness levels causes for cardiac health.

3. Mental and Emotional Health

• Yoga:

• • Yoga reduces anxiety. through controlled breathing and meditation.
  • It helps one to be quiet and concentrate the thoughts, so enhancing mental clarity.
  • Depression and anxiety can be helped by emotional equilibrium.

• Traditional Training:

• • High-intensity workouts can boost energy and mood.
  • One way to release tension is by physical work.
  • Mental discipline gives will and resolve.

Thus, yoga offers a distinct approach to assisting in muscle building and weight loss. It performs effectively with high-intensity workouts and traditional strength training (we mean, for high impact, mix yoga benefits with the other exercises).

If you wish to lose weight and improve your health, a yoga, high-intensity exercise, and strength training program will help you attain your weight targets.Also, at Elegant Hoopoe, you can achieve your muscle-building goals without surgery (we are Your Partner in Non-Invasive muscle-building).