Studies have shown that yoga can improve focus, attention, reduce stress, regulate blood sugar, combat depression, and lower blood pressure. Although the list of proven benefits goes on, some also want to claim that it’s a good cardiovascular exercise and will help people lose weight too.

Obviously, this doesn’t mean that yoga has never helped anyone to lose weight or get his or her heart rate up to an optimal cardio zone. Everyone has different metabolic rates and medical histories, and each person’s body will react in its own way. Greenfield suggests that yoga helps people achieve their weight loss goals indirectly, by reducing stress, increasing discipline, and improving body awareness and motivation.

This may be as close as we can get to being able to honestly claim yoga can help shed pounds. Isn’t that actually a good thing? Aside from the fact that many of the images used in yoga marketing materials probably scare away as many people as they inspire, we have a society obsessed with appearances and being skinny. The beauty of yoga is that it can help you shut all of this noise, and find a place of stillness within yourself and a truth beyond gimmicks. Yogis come in all shapes and sizes, and just as looking like a cover model isn’t a good measure of inner peace, achieving your cardio target shouldn’t be a measure of a good yoga class.

Do you look to yoga as a form of cardio exercise?

usdk: ...

I did look at Ashtanga and Vinyasa as a great form of exercising when I first started out, but the more I do yoga the more I appreciate it being more of a moving meditation, so beautiful for my mind, and yes, while it does my body feel wonderful, it is the peace it gives me that I love. I have even started to meditate now and again :) For cardio I do other things such as run, jump rope, dance...the stillness of yoga is what moves me in the right direction. Great article, great topic!

1

February 24, 2012

atomas: ...

I started doing yoga at the recommendation of a friend. Over the past few years, I realized that I like yoga that uses Vinyasa for the movement. I call it the "yoga for those with ADD." I went for a couple of years to a Baptiste class that does power yoga in 92 degrees and while I still enjoyed the fast-paced workout, the pressure to perform was overwhelming. What I lost in the Baptiste classes was the peace that came from yoga. I still practice Vinyasa but I choose classes that don't stress losing weight, but rather being healthy, both in mind and body. I will say that the power yoga classes do increase my heart rate significantly and I feel like I have done a good fast run or aerobic workout when I'm done, so that makes me think that some yoga classes can offer a cardio workout. For me, that ends up missing the point of my yoga experience. I am always looking for more information and feedback from yogis about losing weight in yoga.

2

March 05, 2012