The FastDay Forum

Hi all

Does anyone currently do yoga for weight loss, and if so, does it work?

Ive started doing a yoga routine which is free on youtube, im a total novice so hope my flexibility will improve slightly!

I love yoga and practice often, but I have never found it good for weightloss. Toning and flexibility, yes, but actual fat burning weightloss, not so much.

I've done a lot of Pilates and a wee big of yoga, nope...

You'll tone up and feel good. Really would be good to go to a class as it's difficult to see what and where you are in space and you don't want to pick up bad form.

I think you would need to do it nearly every day to get big weight loss benefits. My naturally super slim daughter does lots of it. Any movement is good though and it will definitely improve your flexibility and sense of well being. I prefer Pilates to yoga and combine it with step classes and lots of walking. Is there a local class near you that you can go to one you become an expert on your You Tube routine?

Thanks for the replies! Think I might try this routine for a few weeks, will be good to tone if not for weight loss. If im still enjoying it will look in to classes!

Good for weight loss if you are standing in front of a mirror the whole time. Yoga makes you aware of your body. People who gain a lot of weight develop over time an unawareness of their body.

look for yogatic on youtube!

If you get on well with yoga, I really recommend looking up Tara Stiles on YouTube. I love her yoga routines

It depends on the Yoga style. Hatha Yoga won't help for weightloss. You should then try Bikram Yoga or, if you find high temperatures difficult to bear, then try Ashtanga Yoga. Classes can be really dynamic.

Jillian Michaels has a fatburning yoga on Youtube - it will definately make you break a sweat and burn fat!
I do 30-40 min of yoga every other day and I'm sure it contributed to my loss of 9 kilos in 6 weeks.

I love a bit of Jillian, I am going to do her fatburning yoga routine.

Interested in the replies as I do yoga and pilates but no other exercise ...no time
I feel slimmer and more toned but I do very hard core yoga for nearly two hours three to four times a week and pilates two or three times a week..i think it depends how hard you work out.

I do yoga for the mind/body connection...it chills me out, keeps my spine relatively supple (not quite as well as it did in my 20s) and maybe will lower the bp just a tad. I doubt that it affects my weight--but then I'm not a fan of the jazzed up versions of yoga that are very popular here in la-la land.

Just to follow up on this thread again -- yoga in and of itself does not burn enough calories for you to see a big difference in weight loss. I did three Ashtanga classes last week, and trust me, it does not burn off a lot of sugar.

What yoga does do, is it makes you AWARE of your body. You feel your body and you are often standing in front of a mirror so you see yourself. This creates mindfulness and caries over to eating. Do I really need those extra two slices of pizza? Should I order fries with that sandwich? I like the way I feel and I want to keep feeling good, so maybe not.

When people become overweight or obese, they are hiding feelings and sensations with food. They begin to lose an awareness of the body. Yoga brings that awareness and connectedness back. In this sense, any type of yoga will help you with your dieting. However, if you want to tone and build endurance, a more rigorous form of yoga is the key. Gentle yoga, where you are spending half the class with your head stuck in a pillow, will not make you more tone.

Do you see what I'm saying?

Rufus,you are so right.you put it so well.
Mind you yesterday I was sweating and heart was pounding.i really think I burned a few calories in that class
I only do yoga and pilates ,no time for cardio and often feel bad about that
So like to hear what others think