Yoga, Any good?

[HilDfaN251]

I am currently not a part of the W.I.S.H. Challenge but would like to start soon. I have a yoga mat, a medicine ball and a weighted ball set. I'm probably going to buy a video tomorrow with yoga exercises today. My question is, What does yoga do for you, does it tone your body or can you lose weight doing it? I would really appreciate some feedback.

 

[gshoemate]

I take two Yoga classes a week. One is a beginners and it involves alot of stretching. The other is advanced and is more intense. According to the system that I use at the gym to log my workouts.....Yoga burns calories but not alot. In the advanced class my heartrate is elevated, which is a good sign. But I also incorporate Yoga into a very long week of workouts including a cardio dance class, weight lifting and alot of treadmill use. Am I losing weight...yes, am I getting toned....yes, what exactly is Yoga doing for my body...it's hard to tell because of all the other things I do. I do know that my can stretch myself into positions that I haven't been able to do since I was a cheerleader back in high school. And I believe Yoga is good for the mind and body. I feel an inner piece after taking a yoga class, it helps me deal with every day life better. If you are going to do Yoga, I think you should also include other things into your workout....especially cardio.

 

[ohMom]

I also incorporate yoga in a weekly routine of cardio and strength training, so I can't speak for a yoga only regimen

but I can say that yoga for me is great for my muscles in terms of stretching -- otherwise I wouldn't take the 10/20/30 mins to stretch my well-worn muscles and they deserve it.

yoga is time for me to slow down and be good to my body. that I don't do often enough

I truly believe that yoga/pilates will strength and tone (through lengthening too) and that creates a leaner, trim look. Some folks are blessed with a body type that responds to yoga alone and get that fit sleek look; I must do cardio too

you are worth the time, you won't regret the time spent practicing yoga

BTW -- I have a QuickFix video (yoga and pilates) and I think it's great, 4 -- 10 mins sessions of each to mix and match at your choosing. YogaZone workouts are good too

 

[bicker]

As gshoemate indicated, there are many ways to practice yoga, and the manner in which you practice will greatly affect its impact on your weight-loss efforts. Most yoga in the United States can be broken up into two categories: Stretching and Viniyasa.

Stretching will provide many benefits, but significant weight-loss isn't one of them. Rather, it will help improve your other physical activity performance, which in turn may help with weight-loss. I used a combination of this stretching-type of yoga (Kripalu, specifically) two nights per week, and walking three miles a day five days a week, to lose about 50-60 of the 100 pounds I lost in 2001-2.

Viniyasa is a more flowing type of yoga, which qualifies, when practiced with a measure of intensity, as a great aerobic-plus-strength-training work-out. I burned about 7-8 calories per minute doing Viniyasa, and it was a major contributor to losing the rest of the 100 pounds (in Wintertime, I wasn't walking as much), and carried me through non-weight-loss-related improvements in fitness, to the point where I was able to do things like do vigorous all-day hikes in the mountains.

I couldn't imagine starting with Viniyasa. It is tough; I really needed to work up to it. By the same token, for most overweight people, it isn't really sufficient to rely on the gentle stretching type of yoga as one's sole type of exercise: some type of aerobic exercise is necessary, such as walking, to the extent your doctor recommends it.

 

[gshoemate]

I forgot to add the improvment to posture. I have bad posture, never sit up straight. Since taking Yoga I have noticed a big differance. Good posture also helps you suck that stomach in a little bit, as my Pilates instructor said yesterday "tucking the abs in", so my tummy looks smaller and I stand up taller.

 

[TinkerChelle]

I am considering adding a yoga class to my work out routine, but am a little intimidated. I am 210 pounds (I was 340 and I am still losing, but I seem to have hit a plateau) and unsure if I can handle yoga at this weight. I am somewhat flexible. I can do mat work and stretching-just unsure how I would handle yoga. Should I wait until I lose more weight or do you think I could handle it at this weight? Thanks for your input!