How Often Should I Practice Yoga To Lose Weight?

In case you don’t like running or doing very demanding cardiovascular exercises, you can try yoga practice to lose weight effectively. We tell you how often you should do it.

Those who want to achieve their ideal weight are looking for the perfect physical activity to help them achieve this goal. If this is your case and you want to try something different, yoga may be a good option to lose those extra pounds. Do not think that this discipline is only to meditate and stretch the muscles.

All physical activities require minimal daily or weekly dedication for the body to change and the person to begin to look and feel better. This practice is no exception. The important thing is that you are constant and disciplined to see results. Know what poses to do and how often.

Reasons why yoga helps you lose weight

When practicing yoga, the whole body is in constant movement, although the level of effort and demand varies according to the postures that are performed. If your goal is to lose weight, you must bear in mind that for this to happen you need to burn more calories than you consume.

Therefore, it is essential that, in addition to physical activity, you review your diet and avoid any food with a high caloric level. Regarding the effectiveness of this discipline to lose those extra kilos, some studies indicate that it can work in different ways to achieve a healthy weight.

For example, research published in Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine suggests that people who develop mindfulness ( mindfulness ) through yoga tend to avoid eating unhealthy foods. This, because anxiety and stress are reduced, which are mainly responsible for the well-known ‘binges’.

On the other hand, it is said that this physical and mental discipline contributes to improving the quality of sleep. This, as a National Health Services publication indicates, would  be positive for weight loss. The article notes that people who sleep around eight hours and reduce their stress levels are twice as likely to lose weight.

Yoga poses to lose weight

Contrary to what many believe, yoga, in addition to helping to improve mental health, also helps to lose weight. Although all the postures are beneficial to keep the body in shape, there are some more effective than others. We tell you what they are.

The cobra

With this posture, the body burns fat faster, especially in the abdomen area, which is where it is most concentrated. In addition, by doing it in the right way, you will help tone the thighs, buttocks and strengthen the back.

Warrior 1

By performing this asana, you help improve your body’s balance and posture. Most of the work is done on the legs, so exercise helps to make them slimmer and stronger. Other muscles that are strengthened with this position are those of the abdomen.

I greet the sun

As you may already know, the sun salutation is one of the most popular and most complete postures of this practice, since it combines several asanas that work the whole body. In this way, all the muscles are toned.

Plancha or kumbhakasana

The plank is an exercise that is normally done in abdominal routines, but it is also a yoga pose. This helps to eliminate the fat that is concentrated in the abdomen and strengthens the arms, shoulders, back, thighs and buttocks, which makes it a fairly complete exercise when it comes to losing those extra kilos.

How Often Should I Practice Yoga To Lose Weight?

Yoga should be practiced just like the rest of the conventional exercises to lose weight. Normally, you do between 45 minutes and an hour of physical training with cardiovascular exercises, abdominals, push-ups, among others. You should do the same with this discipline.

It is recommended to be very constant in practice and do it at least 4 times a week, in sessions of 1 hour. Also, if you prefer, you can practice every day for the same time, but you should alternate intense routines with other softer ones so as not to exhaust the body.

There are two types of yoga to lose weight more easily: Ashtanga  and Bikram. In the first, the asanas are performed more quickly and this increases sweating. For its part, the Bikram usually performed in rooms with temperature of 40 ° C, which also increases sweating and helps eliminate fat.

As with any exercise, you will notice the physical changes in a few months. The important thing is that you are constant and accompany your training with a balanced diet. In addition, it is essential to stay hydrated and drink 1 to 2 liters of water a day.

Of course, yoga will help you control your desire to eat when your body doesn’t really need it, but you should also do your part to see results in less time. Do not forget to eat nutritious dishes that contribute to your process and help you achieve your goal of losing weight.