Yoga for Weight Loss

Heard about the news that yoga is perfect for weight loss? You probably have a friend who has been practicing yoga for such purpose. Well, many people have claimed that yoga can help a person maintain a healthy weight by regularly practicing all the proper movements involved in this ancient practice.

The concept of yoga for weight loss actually came out following the claim that yoga can help create an ultimate sense of wellbeing. The term "wellbeing" is commonly understood by many as the state of being healthy in which the body is free from all the harmful elements in the environment,including calories Aside from that, yoga is believed to be highly potent for boosting metabolism, which according to several studies is an effective factor for losing weight.

However, many have said that yoga for weight loss is not as strong and effective as what others believed. According to them doing the yogic exercises regularly will not provide a quick fix for weight loss. But, it is important to note that they never said that there's no hope for yoga to do miracles when it comes to losing pounds. The truth is, yoga can be highly effective for weight loss if it is done along with proper diet and a healthy lifestyle.

Yoga Exercises for Weight Loss

Generally, all of the exercises involved in yoga are said to promote weight loss. But, of the techniques available, the back bends, twisting positions, forward bends, and inversions are the most well-known moves capable of promoting weight loss. These exercises are claimed to be great for stimulating the endocrine system of the body. They can also boost metabolism which in turn acts to burn a greater number of calories.

Exercises like the sun salutations, standing poses, camel pose, shoulder stand, bridge, rabbit and plow poses are also capable of boosting metabolism in the body as all of these are performed in series. However, for people who are overweight may find these movements difficult to execute, the reason that yogis recommend doing these moves slowly and carefully.

Yoga Diet and Healthy Lifestyle

As mentioned earlier, the yoga exercises are not so effective for weight loss if they are not performed along with proper diet and a healthy lifestyle. So if you want to see yourself losing weight while practicing yoga, you should exert certain efforts and interest in maintaining a healthy lifestyle and a proper diet. Note that the yoga diet is rich in fiber, legumes, whole grains and vegetables. On the other hand, the yoga for weight loss diet is low in fat, processed foods and animal protein. So to achieve better results when doing yoga for weight loss, note all the foods that are allowed and the foods that are restricted. As simple as that!

Oops! Don't forget to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Avoid alcohols and unhealthy products, and practice respect for others and a sense of positive self-action. That is basically what the concept of yoga is all about.

Yoga for Beginners

Planning on learning yoga? Whether you are considering taking classes of yoga for beginners, or simply doing it on your own, at home, or through CD's and books, there are some basic things of yoga that you should know about to fully understand and appreciate the benefits you are going to get, both physically and emotionally, as well as the knowledge that you'll advantageously be gaining.

Yoga for beginners start with the most basic knowledge of what yoga really is. So what is yoga? Although often linked with Hinduism, yoga is in fact older and is the most ancient physical

discipline that exists. Its exact origins are not known, but it is deemed to be at least half a decade old. The primary purpose of the breathing exercises and the postures was to get relaxation and stability for practitioners, in preparation for the severity of meditation.
Yoga for beginners also tackles the stages of yoga, which is essential 'insight' information of what practitioners would be achieving at the utmost of their yoga learning. There are eight stages of yoga, which are the basic guidelines on how one can live a purposeful and meaningful life; they are ethical and moral conduct prescription, which directs attention to one's physical health, as well as helping to acknowledge the nature of one's spiritual aspects.

The first four steps of these stages focus on refining one's personality, developing energetic awareness of oneself, and gaining mastery over the body; all of these prepare the practitioner for the second half of the stages that deals with the mind, senses, and achieving a higher level of consciousness. The first four steps include Yama (moral discipline), Niyama (self-discipline), Asana (postures), and Pranayama (breath control); while the second half of the stages include Pratyahara (sensory withdrawal), Dharana (concentration), Dhyana (meditation), and Samadhi (transcendence).

Yoga for beginners or yoga in general, has both therapeutic and preventive benefits, as well as mental and physical benefits of the mind and body. Its physical benefits include: improving muscle joint mobility and flexibility; strengthening, toning, and building muscles; correcting posture; easing back pain; strengthening the spine; improving muscular-skeletal condition; increasing stamina; creating grace and balance; stimulating the endocrine system's glands; and more. While the mental benefits include: relieving chronic stress; increasing body awareness; relaxing the body and mind; sharpening concentrations; refreshes the body through muscle strain relief, and more.

Yoga for beginners is just the first step to the deeper levels of yoga, and even those who have been learning yoga for a number of years still consider themselves beginners because of its complex and profound aspects.

Yoga and Meditation

The word yoga means "union" in Sanskrit, the language of ancient India where yoga originated. We can think of the union occurring between the mind, body and spirit.

What is commonly referred to as "yoga" can be more accurately described by the Sanskrit word asana, which refers to the practice of physical postures or poses.

Asana is only one of the eight "limbs" of yoga, the majority of which are more concerned with mental and spiritual well being than physical activity. In the West, however, the words asana and yoga are often used interchangeably.

What are the Eight Limbs of Yoga?
According to the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, one of the ancient texts that is the basis for the philosophy behind yoga, there are eight “limbs” (Astanga in Sanskrit) of yoga. Each limb relates to an aspect of achieving a healthy and fulfilling life, and each builds upon the one before it. You may be surprised to hear that only one of the limbs involves the performance of yoga postures. Here is a description of the eight limbs.

1. Yama: Five ethical guidelines regarding moral behavior towards others:

Ahimsa: Nonviolence

Satya: Truthfulness

Asteya: Nonstealing

Brahmacharya: Nonlust

Aparigraha: Noncovetesness

2. Niyama: Five ethical guidelines regarding moral behavior towards oneself:

Saucha: Cleanliness

Santosa: Contentment

Tapas: Sustained practice

Svadhyaya: Self study

Isvara pranidhana: Surrender to God

3. Asana:
Practice of yoga postures.

4. Pranayama:
Practice of breathing exercises.

5. Pratyahara:
Withdrawal of the senses, meaning that the exterior world is not a distraction from the interior world within oneself.

6. Dharana:
Concentration, meaning the ability to focus on something uninterrupted by external or internal distractions.

7. Dhyana:
Meditation. Building upon Dharana, the concentration is no longer focused on a single thing but is all encompassing.

8. Samadhi:
Bliss. Building upon Dhyana, the transcendence of the self through meditation. The merging of the self with the universe. Sometimes translated as enlightenment.