Can I Use Yoga For Weight Loss?

Part of living well and being happy means taking care of yourself, and feeling good about the way you look. From choosing the right styles of yoga to the latest medical research on the efficacy of yoga on weight loss, here is what you need to know about using yoga to get fit. Here are three wonderful medical studies that confirm the efficacy of yoga in aiding weight loss.

Even if it's a quick 10 minutes between appointments or a handful of invigorating poses before your morning coffee, your body will thank you. Yoga does not only help to reduce fat contents but it also promotes the overall wellness of the body. In theory, yoga is not a high-intensity exercise, but when you take a 75- to 90-minute course of continuous activity, your muscles work all the time, they get stronger, they stretch and the postures of balance use them.

One study found that restorative yoga was effective in helping overweight women to lose weight, including abdominal fat. There are quite a few yoga poses which can help work up a sweat and we've selected 12 of the ones which are sure you get you reaching for your towel.

In a study funded by the National Institutes of Health, women who did restorative yoga—a practice in which yoga poses are held for a long time, typically on the floor and supported by blankets and props—burned 2% times more body fat than those who just stretched for that same period.

This pose engages your whole body, especially your core, and helps to reduce stress. Being in an yoga for weight loss environment where you are not distracted by other things allows you to move closer to forgiveness — one of the most important components of permanent weight loss. Instead of looking at other people and what they're doing to lose weight, yoga supports a quiet state of mind, so you can make decisions that are best for your body.