Yoga Exercise for Weight Loss
Power? Vinyasa? Hot Yoga? Bikram? Kundalini? Mysore? Anurara? Restorative? Hatha? All-levels? Intermediate?
With so many kinds of yoga, how can you know which one is for you? For those looking for weight loss with yoga you will want to check out the more flowy, vigorous styles.
I remember my first yoga class. I don’t think any yoga teacher can forget their first class. I was 22 and I was in LA with my friend and her boyfriend had started to take yoga and she had come to a few classes. I didn’t know anything about yoga besides the woman in the leotard and a long braid that would be on tv doing some stretches. I went to my first class and I remember feeling overwhelmed and challenged … it was very hard to keep up and the poses seemed very confusing. I guess it was a typical hatha yoga class with a lot of sun sulutations. I remember doing warrior pose… I felt so powerful being a warrior.
After the class, I remember not feeling any back pain. For almost a year, my low back had been hurting and the only thing that helped was to sleep a lot and heat. I remember feeling so freed up and feeling so comfortable in my own skin. Yoga had finally found me and this was the start of a joyous journey for me into my the depths of my body and spirituality.
Over fifteen years later, I would take all kinds of classes. I didn’t know much about yoga still so I decided to buy a power yoga dvd since all these celebrities were doing power yoga I figured I could have a body like Jennifer Aniston if I did power yoga as well. I was pretty broke at the time and couldn’t afford to go to 3 power yoga classes a week for $15 a pop but I could afford a $20 vinyasa dvd. I used to do that yoga DVD 1-3 times a week. I was starting to get that cut, sculpted look and feeling stronger and more balanced.
Yoga Exercise for Weight Loss – What are the Best Ones for Beginners?
My eyes started to open to so many kinds of yoga. Most of the yoga that is out there now is pretty athletic and makes for a solid workout. If you are looking for a flowy class where you will sweat and get stronger then styles such as hatha, vinyasa, anusara, maybe hatha and power will be a good fit. These are ideal for those looking for weight loss with yoga.
Yoga for reducing weight to help lose your butt and gut
If you really want to get Taylor Lautner Abs and want a workout that kicks your butt then something like Ashtanga or Bikram would be better suited to you. This is not recommended unless you are already pretty athletic and prepared to be very challenged but leave feeling radiant and detoxed. These are probably the best choice if you are looking for weight loss with yoga.
If you are feeling limited physically, serious illness or just exhausted and not up for a fast moving class then something like restorative or gentle would be a good fit.
Beware of an all-levels class (I always hated this description) For seasoned yoga practitioners if the teacher has to slow down and go through each pose and alignment cue then this is frustrating. For brand – new beginners, especially if you you are out-of-shape, you will probably be intimidated and scared by going into a class where the teacher is just yelling out the names of poses without explaining how to do them or get into them properly.
If you are a true beginner, then I would recommend classes or series that are designed for those that are new to yoga since the pace will be slower and there will be more explanation about breathing and what yoga is.
For those that are more advanced, I would recommend finding out the physical pace of a class and the athletic ability of the other students to gage if this class will be appropriate for you.