Yoga is a healthy practice for all human beings. Continuous and regular practice of yoga can help a person to attain physical and mental stability. Regular practitioners of yoga are known to be extremely healthy and the immune systems of their bodies are in a much improved state than non-practitioners.
Yoga is also very helpful in weight loss. Fitness gurus and doctors around the world have recommended yoga for weight loss. It helps a person to shed the extra fat and cholesterol in their body thereby resulting in the improvement of the overall health and fitness of the person.
The basic question we all ask is “Can yoga really result in weight loss?” Researchers have tried to figure out the answer for years and the answer is yes, and here’s why. The most important factor of yoga is that it is an aerobic exercise. Like any aerobic exercise it can help a person lose excess weight and get in shape if done regularly at a moderate speed. The speed of the exercises varies from person to person and according to their requirements. If a person is looking for serious weight loss then the yoga needs to be performed under the supervision of a trained expert who knows the person’s body and his requirements very well. The period of time that a person dedicates to yoga daily is very important in cases of serious weight loss. Trainers usually recommend daily sessions of 90-120 minutes for a period of 6-8 months approximately. Sometimes daily sessions over a period of 2-3 months is also preferred by certain people. The basic advantage of yoga is that it does not tire a person or leave a person with muscle strains. Any person practicing yoga feels refreshed and energized at the end of each session.
According to a research conducted by the American Council of Exercise, an average individual burns about 3-6 calories per minute by practicing yoga, which equates to a low total of only 180-360 calories per session. This number is very low when compared to a session of kettlebell workout. An individual burns an average of about 13-17 calories per minute during a kettlebell workout session which equates to about 800+ calories per hour of the workout. That is a very significant difference in calorie expenditure. People who are looking for some serious weight loss in a short period of time would prefer kettlebell workouts over yoga.
Weight loss by yoga depends on the type and intensity of the yoga session. Certain styles of yoga are very rigorous and stressful as compared to other styles. Yoga styles such as power yoga, hot yoga, vinyasa yoga are very rigorous and are preferred for weight loss. These types of yoga sessions help a person to lose weight almost as effectively as in a kettlebell workout session. Yoga styles like yin yoga, restorative yoga and hatha yoga are much more gentle and slow-placed and hence does not help lose weight as fast as the previously mentioned types. But regardless of the type, any kind of yoga helps the individual to gain overall fitness and health while losing weight at the same time.
