Yoga practice cultivates a relationship between mind, body, and soul. Each piece is equally important, but the body often gets a lot of attention because it takes up physical space and is the medium through which the mind and soul operate. Every day, we have to dress our bodies, move our bodies to places we need to go and put our bodies in rooms with others to interact.
It’s important to be comfortable in your body so you can have a solid foundation for life. While practice helps us let go of attachments towards the result, Yoga can help with weight loss and create a harmonious relationship between you and your body.
First, let me answer the question: “Can power yoga help you lose weight?”
What is Power Yoga? How is it different than other popular yoga styles?
Come to a Power Yoga session expecting to move quickly. Power Yoga is a combination of strength, flexibility, and cardio. It uses quick changes between poses to increase your heart rate.
Beryl Birch founded the original Power Yoga, a faster-paced variation of Ashtanga Yoga. Power Yoga can now be used to describe any Vinyasa-style class that is vigorous.
Power Yoga instructors design their sequences, so your experience can vary depending on the instructor. Some classes include calisthenics exercises between vinyasas or postures such as crunches or push-ups.
How does Yoga help you lose weight?
Yoga can help you lose weight in a variety of ways. Yoga poses that twist and bend can be used as a “self-massage” by rubbing the limbs against each other or on the ground. This pressure stimulates the internal organs and helps them do their job better. A better digestive system can aid weight loss.
Researchers theorize that yoga stimulates vagal (nervous system) activity. This affects the hypothalamus, the part of the brain which influences cortisol release. Cortisol, also known as stress hormone, can cause inflammation within the body. Your body will tend to retain excess weight when this occurs. Yoga can maintain healthy cortisol levels and help you to maintain a healthy body weight.
Yoga can influence physiological processes and behavior, causing us to live more intentionally. When mind, body, and spirit are in harmony, Yoga cultivates a deeper connection. We can then move through life more purposefully and with greater purpose. We can better tune in to our bodies and know what is going on.
What is the effect of this on weight loss? Some studies show that mindfulness developed in yoga classes can lead to mindful eating. Some yogis can recognize when they are eating out of boredom or habit and say no.
What is the specific weight loss benefit of Power Yoga?
It’s a simple formula: you must burn more calories than you consume. You must be burning more calories than you consume (via your metabolic rate and your physical activity).
We’ll start with the first part of the equation: calories out. There are two ways to burn calories in the simplest of terms: physical activity and your Basal Metabolic rate.
Power Yoga burns more calories than traditional yoga classes. Why? More calories are burned with faster movements and faster heartbeats. Power Yoga is not only good for your heart but also helps tone up your muscles.
Did you know your body burns calories just by breathing and being alive? The Basal Metabolic rate is the number of calories you would burn by sitting still for a whole day. This is the number of calories you need to stay alive, to pump your blood, to inhale and to exhale, as well as for your cells to do their daily tasks.
Yoga styles that are slower-paced can also be beneficial.
Even though you may not burn calories as fast in a gentle yoga class or Restorative Yoga, their benefits in helping to lose weight should not be overlooked.
How? The parasympathetic system is activated by gentle or Restorative Yoga. The PNS controls our bodies’ “rest-and-digest” responses, including digestion, muscle repair and injury, hormone activity, and breathing.
A life of constant hustle and bustle can result in high stress and a continuous activation or fight or flight response. Slowing down lets the PNS do its work, which can help with weight loss.
Enjoy your journey!
Yoga asanas encourage internal gazing. I want you to be aware of how you feel in the moment during each pose. Let go of the possible effects of a posture on your body. Feel your heart opening up, your energy level increasing, and mindfulness.
No matter what your weight is, you can take these things with you to the rest of the world. The positive changes you make on your mat can be carried over into your everyday life. One positive change will lead to another. Learn to enjoy the journey and let go of attachment towards the final results.