Can You Lose Weight with Yoga?

I have lost 40 pounds (from having 3 kids) by practicing yoga. It is not a quick fix. Yoga gives you body awareness...about your breath about your muscles and how to relax...about how it feels after you eat...about what feels good and what doesn't. As you figure out how to generate a "feel good" from yoga, this may change how often you eat and over time you may find that you want different foods. At the beginning I would suggest local classes so you understand alignment in the poses and have the chance to see other people having yoga.
C. , yoga teacher in Naperville and Aurora

1 mom found this helpful

I enjoy yoga too, although I go to a class otherwise I know I wouldn't push myself to continue doing it at home. Yoga will help you develop muscles which in turn will burn more fat, even while you're sitting around!

1 mom found this helpful

I used to do Yoga before the 3 kids and loved it, but it is much easier to take a class and be accountable that way. Plus the teacher can correct you if you are doing the pose wrong.

I hurt my rotator cuff many years ago and had to stay away from doing some of the poses and I could tell a difference. Now I have recently hurt my wrist when I was doing yoga. but the reason this was because it was many years that I did not practice yoga and the teacher did not correct anything.

but... having said that - I am back to doing Yoga on my Wii Fit that my husband got the family for Christmas. Has anyone had any success with the Wii Fit? Would you say it is a good exercise program if you do the 30-45 minutes of different exercises? I really enjoy the different step exercises; as well as the rhythm boxing:)

A little about me:
I am a stay at home mom of a 11 year old and 3 year old son and a 7 year old princess

1 mom found this helpful

Do the yoga-and also watch what you eat of course. Yoga will help you both in body and mind which is WONDERFUL, because most people need to alter their thinking to take off the pounds and keep them off anyway. (and you like it!)It will help you de-stress as well as tone you and keep you fitter, more fexible and more muscler. Fit some meditation in at the end of your session and it will be even more stress- relieving. I'd say you are on the road!

if you cut calories and do yoga you will get very fit. doing most forms of yoga you will get very toned as you lift your body weight in many poses. if that is the only form of exercise that you are motivated to do do it! if you love it the benefits you get from it may motivate you to try something else too!

You can lose weight with Yoga and a good diet. A friend used yoga in addition to walking. She has lost over 60 pounds.

Hi M.,

Congrats on finding something good for you that you love! If you follow the workout no doubt you will be moving toward a healthier lifestyle - you might lose weight but I would recommend focusing on how your clothes fit...the scale is deceptive - I've been 20 pounds lighter than I am now and two sizes larger - I rarely weigh myself - when my jeans start to feel tight I know I need to cut back the junk for a few days and kick it up a bit at the gym...drink lots of water and remember you are making a lifestyle change that will absoulutely bennefit you in the long run - don't jump on the scale every day looking for affirmation - those numbers will make you crazy - you will start to FEEL more energetic as you progress and the weight/health bennefits will come too.

Good luck!

I used to babysit for a family of 3 kids. About 5 yrs ago the mom started doing Yoga, and really liked it. She lost a LOT of weight on it, and is SO much healthier. In fact she loved it so much she started teaching it and does so now in Naperville. She hasn't put back on any of the weight and looks younger and healthier than she did a dozen years ago.

Carolyn C is right on!

Yoga will help but it won't be a quick fix. If you are expecting yoga to just melt the pounds off super quick, then your expectations might be too high.

In addition to strengthening your body, improving your posture, and increasing flexibility, yoga also incorporates a great mind-body-spirit philosophy which will greatly assist with stress you might have. Stress is linked with many rushed or poor decision-making skills, and often stress can lead to overeating or emotional eating. Decreasing stress in one's life typically leads to greater overall happiness, confidence, and improved self-esteem - all things that keep you going on the right track when it comes to weight loss.

Best of luck to you and enjoy becoming a yogi!

I am probably the last person to give exercise advice, being pretty overweight and lazy myself, but I hear that yoga is how Madonna stays in shape.... Good luck!

Hi M.,
I know where you are coming from. I feel just like you do with respect to exercise. But my experience has been that yoga helps you to get all your joints stretched and therefore making you more flexible. At the same time once you enjoy any form of exercise and do it religiously, you automatically become conscious of what and how much you eat. That definitely helps in weight loss.
It's any day better than you not doing anything.
Keep it up and hope that helped.
S..

Believe it or not I lost 25 pounds with doing a combination of yoga (on Wii Fit) and sparkpeople.com diet. It is super easy, but it does take consistant discipline. Good luck.

I lost weight with Iyengar yoga a few years ago. I was in the best shape of my life. I stopped going when I had my son, but I can't wait to do yoga again. I recommend signing up for a class.