Benefits Of Yoga Breathing For Weight Loss
Before starting a yoga program, one of the most common questions that people ask is whether or not there is a yoga breathing weight loss connection.
The simple answer is, yes!! Different yoga techniques can aid weight loss in different ways, and the type of program you choose depends largely on your specific preferences and needs.
Ashtanga yoga, or power yoga, is a specific set of poses that are linked together without pausing, providing an excellent whole body workout.
Bikram yoga, or 'hot yoga', is performed in a heated room; the interplay between yoga breathing and weight loss occurs because the extra body heat generated burns off more calories.
Other less intense styles of yoga don't help so much with burning calories, but are an excellent complementary tool to aerobic exercise and a healthy eating plan. How they complement other weight loss tools is outlined below.
Breathing
The deep-breathing involved in yoga increase oxygen intake to all body cells; this in turn increases oxidation and burning of fat cells. Another direct benefit of yoga exercises is that, when combined with yoga breathing, weight loss is made easier because as well as burning off energy the exercises also store energy that is ready to be burned instead of stored.
Learning to breathe more effectively through yoga can also be extremely beneficial when applied to aerobic exercise. Oxygen intake is maximized, and the speed at which carbon dioxide exits the body is slowed; this allows you to exercise more efficiently, and not get "puffed" so easily.
Another benefit is that deep breathing is known to improve mental strength and concentration; anything that can improve will-power can only be a good thing!
There are deep-breathing exercises designed specifically for weight loss, but these need to be used with caution. They can be effective in the short-term, but used as a long-term measure they may disharmonize the body, mind and spirit.
Metabolism
Some asanas help stimulate sluggish or inactive glands, helping them to increase their hormonal output.
The thyroid gland in particular has a huge effect on metabolism; the fish posture is one of several asanas that specifically act on the thyroid gland. By stimulating the thyroid gland, yoga can help increase metabolism, subsequently increasing the rate at which calories are burnt off.
Mobilization OF Fat
Certain asanas (including 'dynamic spinal twist' and 'churning the mill') massage the abdomen and the fat stored around organs. This 'mobilizes' the fat, making it easier to burn off.
Strength And Flexibility
The muscular strength and flexibility that come from partaking in yoga mean that you gain more benefit from other types of exercise. You'll be better able to participate in sport, your body won't feel as sore after an aerobics class or workout, and you'll be able to achieve more while taking longer to tire out.
Eating Style
When you are rushed, you tend to gulp our food down. When you are tense, anxious or nervous you have a tendency to become an 'emotional eater', and eat the wrong foods. This means that:
- You don't gain as much satisfaction from eating
- You have a tendency to overeat because it takes a while for the stomach to register a sensation of fullness.
By practicing yoga, you can bring about a sense of serenity and calmness of mood and demeanor. This reduces the likelihood of 'emotional eating', and elicits a feeling of being relaxed and 'slowed-down', allowing you to enjoy your food more and only eat as much as your body needs. By not over-eating, you make the process of losing weight and sticking with a weight loss plan considerably easier. As another benefit of yoga breathing, weight loss may become a more enjoyable and less insurmountable challenge.
By using a number of techniques on top of yoga breathing, weight loss can be made a much easier and enjoyable process than it might otherwise be. The direct and complementary ways that yoga can influence weight loss really can make a long-term difference to your life.
