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Yoga and Weight Loss - How
Yoga Can Help You Lose Weight and Improve Fitness
by Marianne Woods Cirone,
M.S., R.Y.T., Certified Yoga Teacher |
In Western
culture, the gap between the reality of people's bodies and the idealized
bodies is growing larger and larger. While unhealthy diets and lack of exercise increase obesity and diabetes to epidemic
proportions, the idealized shape showcased by our media is increasingly
created through combinations of plastic surgery, constant workouts and
equally unhealthy diets and eating patterns. Thus, we have two
challenges to face today: 1) how to develop healthy, sustainable diet and exercise behaviors and 2) how to accept that our bodies are probably
different than the infinitesimally small proportion of the so-called ideal
bodies projected by the media. Yoga's
"sister science" Ayurveda teaches us that there are three body
types, or doshas: pitta, kapha and vata. In general, vata tends to
be thin, pitta tending to be more muscular and kapha tending to be
heavier. While an individual is likely to be a blend of types, there
is usually a predominance of one dosha, and even a balanced person will
naturally tend toward that category. Western society, in particular
Americans, tend to look down on the kapha type while every year the number
of overweight Americans climbs. We know that in other countries and
during other time periods, the body that was not rail-thin has not only
been accepted, it has been idealized. Using yoga, we as individuals
can develop a balanced perspective from both sides: we can accept
and appreciate ourselves and our bodies, and we can develop lifestyles
that will enhance our health of mind, body and spirit, and bring our
weights to a point of healthy balance. While we may need to accept a
wider range of body types, we also may need to examine whether a person
would be very overweight with a healthy diet and lifestyle and adjust
accordingly. Yoga
offers and variety of mental, physical and emotional benefits which many
people have found have led to successful weight loss which tends to be
more of a by-product of balanced living than a goal in itself. Some
of the ways that yoga may support weight loss include the following:
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Improvement in self-image
and self-acceptance
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Improvement in physical
condition, including increased muscle mass and tone, improved
circulation, digestion and metabolic functioning
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Increased energy levels
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Improved mood and outlook
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Natural tendency to drop
habits that are not serving you, including smoking and eating junk
food
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Reduction in stress and
negative thought patterns that may lead to emotional eating and
behaviors which are not supporting a healthy state
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Improvement in hormonal
balance and reduction in production of stress hormones which are shown
to be correlated with weight and fat deposits
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Increased ability to focus
on your objectives and to incorporate new positive changes
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A stronger sense of one's
self and one's strength, less likelihood of being swayed by outside
influences
| Several
yoga videos are being marketed as yoga for weight loss. The |
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Living
Arts video Yoga Conditioning for Weight Loss
is probably my
favorite yoga video for all types of users. While I love this video
because it is a beautifully produced video offering a good array of
postures at a moderate pace, other good yoga videos probably offer as much
in the way of weight loss benefits. This video provides four instructors
of varying shapes and flexibility demonstrating modifications of classical
yoga |
| poses against a natural setting of picturesque "red
rocks". |
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| The
Yoga Zone video Yoga for Weight Loss
offers two "power" type
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workouts and ends with a meditation which support body
acceptance/weight loss. Senior Yoga Zone instructor Al Bingham provides a light
attitude and detailed explanations of poses before combining them into two
20-30 minute flow or vinyasa-style classes. This video is available
in a DVD format as well. The Yoga Zone has a series of tapes/DVDs
available, led also by Yoga Zone founder Alan Finger. |
 The Crunch Fitness Fat Burning Yoga
video with Sara Ivanhoe is a vinyasa or flow style yoga routine which
includes about six minutes of abdominal work. This video is about 40
minutes in length, which is a good length for a tape you want to do
regularly, especially if you have a busy schedule. The more detailed
explanations of the poses are at the end of the tape, so watch that part
first if you are new to yoga.
 Bryan
Kest's video Power Yoga for Weight Loss is along the same lines as Kest's other 'kick butt' power yoga
videos which work
out the entire body thoroughly. Kest's tapes provide a comprehensive
'Ashtanga' or 'power' yoga workout which burns calories and builds muscle
in addition to improving metabolism and the flow of the 'life
force'. The DVD version reportedly offers little more than does the VHS version as
there is not much in the way of chapters to menu through..
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Yoga Burns Fat
by Jan Maddern is a new book which provides a |
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seven-week
program for yoga which Maddern says will help to build bone (her previous
book is Yoga Builds Bone) as well as to burn fat. In her two
books, Maddern has developed routines which focus some of the most
pressing issues in women's health, including weight gain, hot flashes,
mood swings, insomnia, libido and more. Maddern is a yoga instructor who
specializes in teaching to post-menopausal women. |
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For
those who appreciate an inside-out approach to weight loss, psychologist
Lawrence LeShan has written Meditating to Attain a Healthy Body Weight. LeShan, who is a pioneer in mind/body techniques, advocates
empowering oneself through the use of meditation and other
techniques. He provides a resource which supports increased
self-esteem, dealing with hunger and attitudes toward food, handling
stress and more.
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For
those who are looking for a more specialized program for larger-sized
people and may be
intimidated by videos of yoga
 instructors doing all types of
"pretzel" poses, then the Yoga for Round Bodies, vol. 1
may be what you are looking for. This is a gentle and slow
introduction into yoga movement for larger people who want a program
tailored specifically for round bodies. This would be an excellent
video to request from the library, as it is higher priced than most
others, and production values are a concern. The concepts taught
could applied to other videos.
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