Can Yoga help me lose weight? As a Personal Trainer, I get asked this question a lot. Honestly, there’s no short answer here. In order to answer this question, you have to delve a bit deeper into the true essence of Yoga.
Hatha Yoga has the potential to be very transformative - on many levels.

The most obvious physical benefits of yoga practice include enhancing your flexibility and loosening muscles that have been tightened by inactivity, injury or stress. It also increases the range of motion of joints and can help correct any posture problems. Your body can’t help but feel better, lighter, leaner and stronger.

While yoga helps tone and strengthen muscles, it’s not a cure all for weight loss. It does, however, contribute to body awareness. Changing the way you think about your body and causing you to make healthier choices for yourself.

Yoga is much more than just a form of physical exercise; the psychological/emotional benefits are numerous. Being over-weight often brings with it a great deal of harsh self-judgment. Yoga is not about ego or competition…Yoga is about accepting and honoring yourself, your body, where you are in this moment. It allows you to reconnect with your body and create a positive mindset. Transforming self-defeating thoughts into positive, healthy ones.

Certain styles of yoga might be more appropriate for students who have weight loss as their goal, such as a Vinyasa or flow style class, where poses are linked together in continuous movement. This style of Yoga generates heat and can burn more calories. Don’t get me wrong, if done with the proper form and intent, you can definitely work up a sweat in a traditional Hatha Yoga class.

If you’re just starting out, take it slow. An Ashtanga or Hot Yoga class might not be the best place to start. Try adding a Hatha Yoga class to your workout. As you become more aware, more conscious of your body, you’ll find that you develop a whole new respect for yourself. You’ll become inspired to live a healthier and more active life…and as you do, you will become leaner, stronger and have more energy than ever before.

Namaste,

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