Does Yoga Help in Burning Calories and Losing Weight?

Can yoga help you lose weight?

Though there are many activities that burn more calories than yoga, several studies suggest that yoga may offer diverse effects making it a useful option for sustained, healthy weight loss. Researchers also suggest that developing mindfulness through yoga may help people resist unhealthy food & stress eating, help them have fewer cravings, and also have a reduced appetite.

How to Use Yoga for Weight Loss

Combination of more rigorous yoga styles with a lower caloric intake can help you burn more calories. Also, by eating fewer calories and simultaneously challenging your body with yoga workouts at least 5 times a week, you can steadfastly work toward your fitness goals while feeling more peaceful and less stressed at the same time.

Bikram Yoga

This is a hot yoga style that tends to burn the most calories because it includes the most consistently challenging pose sequence that engages full body. This yoga style is performed in a room heated to 105F with 40% humidity. It typically consists of a 90-minute session featuring 26 postures and two breathing exercises. As per a research conducted, it has been found that on an average, men burn 460 calories and women burn 330 calories per Bikram session.

Calorie Burning Yoga Poses

Yoga is estimated to burn around 180-600 calories per hour depending on its various styles. These are the high-calorie burning yoga poses one must include in their regular practice.

1. Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation): This is known to be ‘the ultimate asana’ due to its multi-dimensional benefits. Suryanamaskar includes a total of 12 yoga poses and a single set of this burns around 13.90 calories. By doing it for 25-30 minutes, one could burn around 250-350 calories depending on the number of sets, the weight of the person, and the speed at which one performs it.
2. Plank (Phalakasana): This pose is a major calorie-burning exercise because every muscle is engaged while practicing it. The longer you stay in this pose – ranging from 30 seconds to 5 minutes – the more calories you burn.
3. Wheel Pose (Chakrasana): Along with engaging legs, buttocks, thighs, spine, chest, arms muscles, this pose also involves heart and lungs. This pose increases the heart rate thus burning a lot of calories.
4. Chair Pose (Utkatasana): The largest muscle in the body is involved while practicing this pose. The longer you hold this pose, the more beneficial it is and more calories get burned. One minute of holding this pose burns around 5-6 calories.
5. High Lunge or Crescent lunge (Anjaneyasana): This lunge pose is known as a muscle-strengthening pose and it is especially good for the glutes and quads. This body balancing pose requires your body to work harder to maintain the balance thus burning more calories.

Conclusion

To lose weight, you must burn more calories than you consume. Yoga is an incredible workout for both body and mind and it can help you to lose weight. One of the important components of our overall wellness is also being financially secured. Healthcare emergencies can happen any time, but a good health insurance policy can protect you from such uncertain situations. To know more about it, click here.

Source: Healthline, WebMD, Shwetyoga

Disclaimer: This blog provides general information and discussions about health and related subjects. The information and other content provided in this blog, website, or in any linked materials are not intended and should not be considered, or used as a substitute for, medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Kindly contact your doctor before starting a new medicine or health regime.

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Published on July 15, 2023