Is yoga good for losing weight? What the Experts Say

Practicing yoga helps you to become the best version of yourself. How? By encouraging mindfulness and physical fitness. People who practice on a regular basis tend to be concerned about their physical health and general well-being. They have experienced the benefits and can vouch for them. However, if you are thinking about starting with yoga practices or are just a beginner, you might wonder:

Is yoga good for losing weight? Does performing asanas on a yoga mat help burn unwanted calories? Can yoga aid in weight control? Can it help you maintain your weight? How can you become healthy through yoga?

To your relief, yes, yoga DOES help you to shred extra pounds and maintain your weight within the healthy BMI range (Body Mass Index). And guess what? The results will be noticeable within a month! In addition, it comes with a whole palette of health benefits. From building up the core and improving flexibility to shredding extra calories and strengthening the spine, there are thousands of benefits associated with indulging in yoga practices.

It's not  just  about burning unwanted calories; it ismore  about transforming your life to become a healthier and happier version of yourself. When performed under guided instructions, yoga can help transform your life miraculously. It reduces the urge to binge eat, aids in managing stress, and allows the participants to strengthen their core – all of these factors play an integral role in weight loss.

If you have the habit of binge or emotional eating, enrolling in a yoga session can help you to combat this issue effectively. Yoga promotes mindfulness, and this enables you to become more conscious about what you consume and how much you eat. 

According to the  American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine,  yoga is a form of physical exercise that promotes mindful food consumption and decreases the urge to engage in emotional eating. People who practice it tend to have a more positive and healthy relationship with food compared to those who do not. Similarly, yoga helps you to identify your hunger signals. Eating healthy food and consuming fewer calories helps in weight loss.  

In addition to playing an active role in losing weight, yoga also helps build muscle tone and mass, and this improves flexibility and tones the shape of your body.

How does yoga aid in losing weight?

Here are some scientifically proven facts that establish evidence regarding yoga weight loss:

Yoga helps in losing weight by managing stress levels. When our body is stressed, it releases a high amount of cortisol hormones. When these stress hormones are elevated, they cause blood sugar levels to drop. Therefore, people who are stressed or tensed tend to exhibit cravings for sugary or fatty foods.

Furthermore, yoga boosts relaxation, forms a mindful connection between body and soul, and helps mitigate stress and anxiety. It is a form of physical exercise that burns calories and reduces the craving for sugary or fatty foods. These factors help you reduce your appetite and control your food intake.

Yoga is composed of a plethora of balanced physical poses, “asanas,” breathing exercises, and meditation practices that promote weight loss.

It plays an active role in strengthening your core and builds intensity in your abdominal muscles. Moreover, yoga poses improve digestion and help to burn calories faster. They improve balance, flexibility, and blood circulation in the body. All of these factors help in reducing inflammation. Some of the ideal yoga weight loss poses are; plank pose, warrior pose, downward dog pose, and bridge pose.

Do you have a habit of binge eating?

In that case, you are probably thinking is yoga good for losing weight, and will it help you solve this problem? Well, yoga is a mindful physical exercise, and it promotes the concept of mindfulness by encouraging healthy eating habits. Moreover, it also encourages individuals to reduce emotional or binge eating and motivates them to make healthy food choices. People who are conscious of their diet tend to be healthier and less obese. This  preliminary study  proves that indulging in regular yoga sessions can prove to be effective in treating binge eating disorder. 

Getting adequate and quality sleep of 7 to 8 hours per day is essential for an individual’s health. It not only helps in maintaining weight but also plays an integral role in improving memory and attention span.

Numerous studies have proven that performing yoga before bed leads to better sleep. The controlled breathing movements help to relax your mind and improve body circulation. Moreover, the static yoga poses also help to stimulate the nerves. People who tend to be constant with their practice show improved sleeping patterns. By performing yoga, you will also notice that your quality and duration of sleep are significantly enhanced.

We all want to shed those unwanted pounds, right?

Indulging in physical exercise can help to achieve targeted weight loss. Active and intense yoga sessions allow you to burn extra fat. Moreover, yoga helps improve the body's metabolism and digestion, and both of these factors play an active role in decreasing fat accumulation and maintaining weight.

Yogis have a well-toned and flexible body.

In short, yoga has the ability to aid in weight loss, build flexibility and improve body posture. This makes the practicing individuals look more attractive and active.

So, is yoga good for losing weight? In conclusion, yes, it is. In fact, it is an excellent way of shedding extra pounds. Losing weight through yoga is a gradual but healthy process. 

We offer a variety of yoga classes, teacher training sessions, and retreats where you can get the chance to become part of our yogi community. We are determined to help you in your weight loss journey. Practicing with like-minded people will help keep you motivated to lose and maintain your weight. Explore our shop to learn more about our offerings and let us know if you have any questions!