Yoga Helps You Lose Weight

Can a form of exercise that is not as ‘aggressive’  as something like weight training or running really help you lose weight?

The good news is yes it can!

A regular yoga practice combined with eating well, sleeping regularly and moving each and every day, will not only help you lose weight but guarantee you keep it off for life!

Six ways yoga helps you lose weight

1. 1. Activate the thyroid gland with the shoulder stand. Your thyroid plays an important role in maintaining a healthy weight because it regulates your metabolism. A famous yogi once said not everyone will benefit from the headstand. But everyone benefits from the shoulder stand. It is an inverted pose that’s easier to perform than a headstand and promotes thyroid activity.
   2. Stimulate the gastrointestinal (GI) tract’s vital force. A GI tract that is damaged or weak is a primary obstacle to poor digestion and weight gain. A sluggish liver will mess up your metabolism and digestion. An active liver helps you digest foods better and helps eliminate cravings that lead to ingesting unhealthy foods and beverages. Yoga back bending exercises handle the whole abdominal area in addition to flexing the spinal cord to create more overall flexibility and proper alignment.
   3. Activate internal body heat and increase heart rate with the sun salutation. This routine done quickly is an exception to the non-aerobic rule. Not everyone uses it. There are 12 different positions to go through in a series without sustaining any of the poses if you want that heart rate to go up. All 12 are considered one series, and usually, several series are done with short standing pauses between each. These stops and starts pump up the cardio system without straining your heart and stressing or beating up your knees and ankles.
   4. Natural strength building by working your muscles with balancing poses helps create better metabolism with overall muscular strength without pumping iron.
   5. Flexing the colon will help unclog waste. This can be achieved with bandhas (which are inner knots or locks that hold pranic energy within certain areas in the body), which can even be done in the car during a traffic jam. Bandhas help tone abs too.