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If yoga has never turned you on and you are averse to the sound of this word, the more you should look at these extravagances – with a more gracious eye. Perhaps you associate yoga with television or magazine covers, where slim and young girls agile flex their flexible bodies. You think it’s not for you. You are overweight. You are afraid that you will not be able to receive beautifully and hold on in certain positions. Maybe you even tried out of curiosity, but you gave up because you were very clumsy. Stop! Wait. Take a close look at the following yoga benefits. Perhaps this knowledge will change your mind about yoga.
Here are 7 reasons why you should practice yoga while losing weight:
1. Yoga teaches you to control emotions and control emotional overeating
The greatest saboteur of effective female weight loss is emotional eating. When you feel stressed, angry, or sad, you become more susceptible to emotional feeding. If you are a person who takes comfort in eating high-calorie food, you are well aware that this fatal habit leads to weight gain and remorse. If you are stuck in this vicious circle of eating emotions, try yoga instead of another chocolate for consolation.
Yoga will help you become more aware of your body and breathing. As you stick to each asana in yoga, you learn to be self-disciplined and self-disciplined. You gain power that you can use off the mat to manage your emotions. Next time you are depressed and stressed, take a few minutes to practice yoga instead of reaching for fattening food for comfort. They don’t have to be complicated movements or a long sequence – just 15 minutes is enough. On the mat, you will focus on your body and breath. When you relax during yoga, it is easier for you to face your problems and the urge to eat your emotions as you take the tension out of your body.
2. Yoga lowers cortisol levels, an excess of which can lead to weight gain
The excess of permanent stress is harmful to the body and figure. The long-term elevated level of cortisol increases the appetite and promotes the accumulation of adipose tissue, especially in the abdominal area [1].
Yoga helps to relieve stress and anxiety by activating the parasympathetic nervous system – it provides the body’s relaxation response. Slow, mindful breathing integrated with the asanas is used to activate this system. Additionally, during yoga, the parasympathetic nervous system sends signals to cells in the body – increasing the feeling of relaxation. During a yoga session, your whole body is in a state of deep relaxation.
Numerous studies confirm that yoga effectively lowers cortisol levels and has a positive effect on stressed and depressed people [2,3].
3. Yoga helps to regulate the endocrine system
Dr. Julia Melamed and Dr. Sara Gottfried recommend yoga in hormonal problems. Yoga poses that correlate with conscious breathing increase and decrease the pressure in specific glands. In addition, during yoga, blood flow and nutrients also increase in these areas. Yoga positions stimulate and balance the secretion functions of internal glands, support the endocrine system to work more effectively.
When the body is healthier and the endocrine system is working flawlessly, losing weight also becomes easier. Yoga that improves the functions of the endocrine system is called hormonal yoga. If you suffer from PCOS, thyroid problems or PMS, and changing your diet does not bring the expected results, try to support your body with special asanas that can help normalize the work of your hormones. Perhaps yoga is the missing puzzle in improving your health. Remember that yoga is only an addition to the treatment, not its main component.
4. Yoga improves sleep quality, it is a remedy for insomnia
A good night’s sleep is an essential prerequisite for effective weight loss. Lack of an adequate dose of sleep causes an increase in the secretion of the hunger hormone – ghrelin and a decrease in the satiety hormone – leptin, which makes it more difficult to achieve a feeling of fullness. It is more difficult for people who are sleepy to control their cravings. Insomnia is not only a matter of weight problems, it has a negative impact on the health of your entire body.
Yoga comes to the rescue of people suffering from sleep disorders. Numerous studies confirm the beneficial effect of yoga on sleep problems [4]. If you have difficulty falling asleep or wake up frequently during the night, try some relaxing yoga poses before going to bed to keep you relaxed and calm. Perhaps thanks to this you will regain the ability for effective, regenerative sleep.
5. Yoga helps in developing self-discipline and mindfulness
If you often do something without thinking too much, act thoughtlessly, eat something on autopilot without focusing on the activity at all – you need yoga to learn mindfulness. You can use yoga to look at yourself, your body and your life. Thanks to yoga, you work on yourself, you become your own motivation. If you start practicing yoga regularly, you will be proud of yourself to be able to endure.
Yoga will teach you how to reach a higher level of advancement and overcome your own limitations. Thanks to yoga, you focus on the here and now, you do not stray into the past and the future. Yoga can give you the tools to face life with as yet unfamiliar composure and mindfulness. Yoga will teach you the self-discipline that is needed during the long process of losing weight.
6. Yoga teaches you to accept your body
If your desire to lose weight results from dissatisfaction and lack of full self-acceptance – you suffer from internal discomfort. This dissatisfaction can keep you from feeling free, happy and at peace. Yoga will let you see that you are good the way you are. If you do not have strength and self-denial, you do not have to change or feel guilty. You don’t even need to lose weight if you are stuck in the destructive mode of being on a diet forever.
Thanks to yoga, you will regain inner peace. It is this relaxation – this unconditional self-acceptance – that will make you take better care of yourself. Not because you want to be slimmer, and not because you want to impress the people around you. Yoga will teach you to take care of yourself, for a harmonious connection of soul and body. Perhaps with this fully accepted approach, slimming will become easier. And even if you do not lose weight – with yoga you will definitely be healthier and happier 😊
7. Yoga strengthens and builds muscles
I wrote about the importance of muscles for women in this article. By practicing yoga and enduring asanas, the muscles of the body are strengthened [5]. After a dozen or so yoga sessions, you can feel the difference and increase in strength and endurance. Yoga and some postures are great for building muscle, and while this is not a dumbbell-centric activity, body weight can also be a great strain to make your muscles stronger. More muscles, and most importantly, more active muscles means better metabolic health. This aspect should not be ignored when losing weight.
My friend Vitalijka LuckyOne13, who has been practicing yoga for several years, told me how yoga works on her:
“I love yoga in non-aggressive way of crossing one’s own boundaries and getting out of the comfort zone. Yoga teaches me to be sensitive and understanding to my own limitations. During yoga, I compare myself only to myself and not to others. By putting myself in so many different positions in yoga, I feel free, without pretending that I should be perfect – I won’t force my stomach to appear thinner – you can’t. The last thing I think about when taking asanas is my belly sticking out or any other folds 😉
I am in yoga here and now. My focus is on following the teacher’s asana, positioning myself appropriately, persevere, breathing deeply, and keeping my balance. These 1,5 hours on the mat are time for me and yoga alone, where I leave all other problems outside the room. Because of this mindfulness and focusing on the present moment, my head doesn’t wander elsewhere, and that’s beautiful! I fully experience the present. When practicing yoga, you can have the freedom to choose between more intense or relaxing yoga, depending on what your body and mind need on a given day. “
Does yoga have to be boring?
Many people find yoga not very interesting activity bordering on sect and eastern occultism. On the other hand, if someone is very competitive and sports performance oriented, they may treat yoga as an insignificant type of stretching and that’s all. It is also a mistake to consider yoga as a workout designed to burn as many calories as possible. Yoga is about more than just a fitness approach. If someone gets into yoga, they will find a depth in it that will make them become a better version of themselves. Slowly, at your own pace, without unnecessary pressure. Is it boring to overcome your own limitations and improve your body strength and pursue peace of mind? Yoga is the kind of challenge you can challenge yourself.
There are so many varieties and styles of yoga that everyone will find something for themselves: Iyengar yoga, Ashtanga yoga, regenerative yoga, for the spine, Vinyasa, Bikram, hot yoga, Aerial – yoga practiced above the ground, on fabric hammocks suspended to the ceiling. Acro yoga – in pairs, sometimes in triangles or fours, power yoga, Yin yoga and many, many more. Although yoga is derived from Hinduism, today it follows modern trends and human needs. Perhaps you already have a favorite type of yoga, or perhaps one is waiting for you to discover it.
Summation
Regardless of whether you are just starting to think about yoga or have been practicing for a long time – a solid dose of humor and self-acceptance will help you deal with experiencing yourself during yoga sessions. At first, it may not be so perfect when you put your feet on the mat for the first time, hoping for a change for the better. The old adage is that the water that comes first from the tap is not crystal clear. So be prepared for the difficulties that will arise so that you can learn to overcome them, not avoid them.
“Yoga’s success isn’t in our ability to perform a pose, but in how it changes the way we live our lives,” TKV Desikachar. If this article has convinced you to do yoga, try what is detrimental to you by doing a few asanas to start with. Perhaps you will catch your own flow with yoga and thanks to this your slimming, and even life, will become easier and more enjoyable.
Namaste