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Lose Weight With Yoga

by: KimArcher
Total views: 9 | Word Count: 462

Renowned for its capacity to reduce stress, enhance flexibility and improve muscle tone and strength, yoga is not so well known for its contributions to weight loss. Most people don't think of yoga as a way to burn off the calories, so it can be surprising to discover that it can be an effective way to boost your weight loss efforts.

Traditional yoga is not an extremely active pursuit. It works your muscles, but you rarely break a sweat just by holding a pose (unless it's really hot in the room). But the muscle-building effects of yoga do allow you to burn calories more efficiently. So if you participate in a good aerobic workout, you will see greater results than you would if you weren't doing yoga.

Yoga also teaches discipline, which will assist you greatly in sticking with your exercise program or new diet. Yoga strengthens the connection between mind and body, which makes you more motivated to take care of your body. Those who want to lose weight often suffer from the difficulty of getting motivated in the first place, so yoga can be very beneficial here.

New Yoga Varieties

Those who want to lose weight solely through yoga might find what they're looking for in non-traditional yoga classes. There are a number of yoga styles that can give you the traditional benefits of yoga and a cardiovascular workout at the same time. These include:

Vinyasa yoga - Vinyasa yoga is centered on shifting from one asana, or pose, to another while concentrating on your breathing. The Sun Salutation is a typical position, but there are many others. Vinyasa yoga is often practiced in a heated room to encourage sweating.

Ashtanga yoga - Ashtanga is a complex style of yoga that includes six different series of poses. Each series is more complex than the previous one, so it's important to start at the beginning and work your way up.

Power yoga - This "westernized" type of yoga features more activity and fast movements alongside of yoga breathing.

These types of yoga are more likely to increase your heart rate and work up a sweat than traditional yoga. While they may not give you as much of a workout as aerobics, they combine weight loss and cardiovascular benefits with the muscle building and flexibility training of yoga. And for those who do not have the time to participate in two separate workout programs, they can be a great option.

Other than being forms of exercise, yoga and aerobics seem to have little in common. But traditional yoga can enhance the effects of more intense workouts, and these newly popular styles of yoga can give you the best of both worlds. If other workout routines have left you disappointed, adding or switching to yoga might be the answer you're looking for.

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About the Author

Kim Archer enjoys the health benefits and relaxation of yoga. A great source of information on this restorative practice can be found at Yoga Essentials.  

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