For many people, the term ‘yoga’ invokes images of meditation and relaxation. The 5000-year old Indian practice does indeed promote mindfulness and an overall healthier lifestyle, but it’s not all about stress-reduction. Yoga is an excellent practice to enhance mental and physical well-being, but when included in an exercise regimen – it can also help you lose weight. Over the last few years, fitness gurus have popularized yoga conditioning as a healthy form of weight-loss. But, how successful you are with your yoga weight-loss routine depends on several factors, including how yoga conditioning works.
What Is Yoga Conditioning?
Generally, most body conditioning exercises tend to target your entire body instead of focusing on a specific spot. Conditioning exercises also promote muscle strength and work at toning and shaping your body. Such workouts can help you improve your overall endurance, coordination, and flexibility.
Similarly, yoga conditioning exercises not only focus on improving your physique, but they include cardio and resistance training to aid weight loss and promote muscle toning.
Because traditional yoga sessions aren’t very calorically demanding, yoga conditioning combines yoga with techniques such as high-intensity intervals that help you burn calories and boosts cardiovascular health. You can look forward to enhancing your stamina, aerobic ability, and range of motion with such a regimen.
What Kind Of Yoga Is Best For Weight-Loss?
When it comes to yoga-related weight loss, picking the right style is what matters. There are many types of yoga, and each type has its advantages. For instance, your starting should be your current level of fitness.
If you happen to be a newcomer to the world of fitness and yoga, then it’s a good idea to attend a few beginners’ classes so you can familiarize yourself with the poses and foundations involved.
Once you’ve gotten to the flow of yoga, you can up the ante and start attending classes that will help you on your positive weight-loss journey. Here are a few styles of yoga that are apt for getting into shape:
1. Ashtanga Yoga
Ashtanga Yoga revolves around five asanas (poses or postures) that you must master in the first part of the series. Part one of the series includes sun salutations, sun poses, inversions, and seated poses. It all may sound very simple, but ashtanga is quite demanding and focuses on building up your muscles. A regular ashtanga routine will help build your stamina and flexibility while giving your body a toned appearance.
2. Power Yoga
Power yoga is nothing short of a full-body workout, and it makes use of your body weight to help you strengthen your form and burn calories. Power yoga also happens to be more fitness-focused than other forms of yoga, and it includes fewer asanas that you have to hold for extended periods of time. This helps create internal body heat and aids in weight loss.
3. Bikram Yoga
Developed by Bikram Choudhury, Bikram yoga has been around since the 1970s. The full 90-minute workout involves repeating 26 Hatha poses in a heated room. The high temperature and humidity of the room promote sweating, and not only aids in weight loss, but also helps the body get rid of toxins. Bikram yoga is also beneficial for building up your immune system and heart health.
