Hello everyone,

Nice to see you all,I am here to know about Reasons Why You Should Do Yoga and what are it's benefits.Please also tell about different yoga postures and techniques for weight loss.

THANK YOU

I practice yoga everyday for about two hours (sometimes longer). I personally don't do yoga to get in shape, and I haven't lost weight from doing yoga. I've been doing yoga for over a year now, and I've just gotten more toned and stronger. Yoga is really relaxing and for some people it helps them lose weight. Like I said, I don't do it for weight loss so I haven't noticed a dramatic change in weight because of yoga. I workout almost everyday and do strength training (on top of my diet), so I lose weight from a variety of things. There are a lot of asanas (poses/postures). Standing, inversions, bending, backbends, meditative, relaxing, forward bends, etc. A good place to start (at least how I started) was learning the basics: sun salutation, standing sequences, triangle pose, tree pose, etc. Then you can can into the more advanced poses and arm balances.

However, the benefits of yoga mostly are: increased flexibility, increased strength, and it's really calming.

Here's a good article on some benefits.
http://www.yogajournal.com/article/h...oga-keeps-fit/

From the article, numbers 13 and 14):
"13 Move more, eat less—that’s the adage of many a dieter. Yoga can help on both fronts. A regular practice gets you moving and burns calories, and the spiritual and emotional dimensions of your practice may encourage you to address any eating and weight problems on a deeper level. Yoga may also inspire you to become a more conscious eater.

Low Show

14 Yoga lowers blood sugar and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and boosts HDL (“good”) cholesterol. In people with diabetes, yoga has been found to lower blood sugar in several ways: by lowering cortisol and adrenaline levels, encouraging weight loss, and improving sensitivity to the effects of insulin. Get your blood sugar levels down, and you decrease your risk of diabetic complications such as heart attack, kidney failure, and blindness."

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Personally I practice yoga daily and it helps with my mental health (anxiety and panic disorder) and sleeping habits. I'm also very flexible for my age (56), though I was a ballet dancer and gymnast when young, so i maybe started out a bit more flex than the norm.

Do it, yoga rules :-)!

Yoga is very helpful for body fitness and maintenance and this is the best natural way to lose weight. Yoga can increase your body flexibility and muscles strength and i mostly do power yoga for fitness.

I find that yoga aids in flexibility, quieting the mind, and deep breathing. Practicing yoga to lose weight is hardly effective. I have been practicing yoga for the last five years; and within that time, I have learned many ways to improve my skills. I am not a professional, but I would like to think of myself as a guide for beginners. Consequently, I have compiled a list of my BEST YOGA TIPS that will enable you to master your practice.
Here are my top FIVE Yoga Tips:

1. Breathing is the MOST important aspect of yoga because you're providing your body with extra oxygen (which gives us that "high" feeling after yoga.) Remember to breathe in, deeply, as you return to "center", lift up, or are holding a pose; and slowly exhale as you're moving into a new pose. *Breathe in, deeply, till you cannot expand your stomach any further, hold the breath for about 5 seconds, and breathe out slowly, trying to exhale all of the air in the body so you can move into a stretch easier and tighten your stomach. So, expand the stomach as your breathe in, and suck in your stomach as your breathe out.


2. When practicing yoga, look up at the ceiling or sky for balance. If you're in a tough balancing pose, like tree pose, Eagle pose, or Lord of the Dance, focus on something in front of you (either on the wall or a tree outside. Focusing on a still object while holding a pose will help you become still and maintain your balance. FORM IS CRUCIAL. In time, you may be able to CLOSE YOUR EYES while doing a pose...which means you have EXCELLENT coordination and trust in your environment. Being able to close the eyes in balancing poses represents "seeing outside of one's self".


3. As I just mentioned, form is very important. This means, it's better to maintain balance and master ONE pose rather than practicing several sloppy yoga poses, in one session. Practice one pose over-and-over until you're ready to move onto another pose.
Along with this idea of maintaining form, you must keep your back STRAIGHT. When you're sitting in Lotus pose, are you unsure if you're back is straight?? As you're sitting in Lotus, bring your right or left arm directly in front of your spine (placing your hand flat on the ground and FIRMLY up against your butt). Your arm will align the spine and will allow you to focus on the position your body needs to stay in as you sit up.


4. When you're practicing poses with your back on the floor, be sure you're not putting strain on your neck or head. So, when you want to come up, roll to your right or left side, pushing your hand against the floor to pull yourself up (let your arm muscles do the lifting, not your neck!) We often use our neck to pull us out of bed; but our neck already supports a 10 lb HEAD, so take the strain off your neck, even when you're getting out of bed.


5. Women that are menstruating should avoid yoga poses that require their legs and pelvis over their head, like Plough pose, headstand poses, shoulderstand, locust postures, and ear-press posture.

Original post from TOP 5 YOGA TIPS FOR BEGINNERS

-Cassie K, Vegans Living off the Land

Thanks for the tips.Really appreciated.

As a spin class instructor, I find that I keep myself injury free and mostly aches & pains free by doing 2 yoga classes a week. I don't see yoga as a calorie-burner for weight loss (I burn about 700-800 in an hour of spin vs 100 or so in an hour of yoga) but it is important to keep my muscles flexible and stretched, my balance, and it's awesome for my mind. It helps me maintain my weight because I'm more mindful about everything in my life - including eating . I always tell the folks in my classes to take at least one yoga class a week, in addition to cardio and strength training. Those 3 components (cardio, strength, stretch) are key to staying at a healthy weight, injury free.

Benefits of yoga are felt in a profound yet subtle manner:

All -Round Fitness,
Weight Loss,
Stress Relief,
Inner Peace,
Increased Energy,
Better intution.

So keep practicing YOGA !!!

Share this with your yogi friends!!!! There is so much connection between a yogic and vegan lifestyle, you will really enjoy this!

I've been taking a somatic yoga class focusing on hips and lower back for people with hip pain/injuries etc. it seems to be helping some. I have also heard yoga is good for maintaining bone density. I try to incorporate a little yoga each day in my routine. Eventually I would like to take more yoga classes.

A fellow ballet dancer! Wow, I didn't know you were a dancer! Cool! I can still do the splits after a really intense workout when I am more limber. I haven't taken a dance class or been in a ballet studio for over twenty years. I still like to do ballet exercises at the gym and I get stares but so the hell what lol.

Yoga is very easy and natural way to lose weight and to keep yourself fit and young . Yoga can increase your body flexibility and give strength to your muscle and bone.

Yoga is probably one of my favorite things in the world to do! I actually made a cool video on my thoughts as well as all the benefits to it here
To sum it up though and get to the main points one big thing I stress to people is it exercises the mind, body, AND soul.

People think I'm crazy when I add soul into the mix but in all honesty compared to any other exercise there is something so freeing and cleansing as you drip all that sweat onto your yoga mat.

From the body point besides weightloss and physical fitness the massive increase in flexibility and core strength is HUGE. Id like to stress as well that when you properly focus on your form as well as really get into the breathing it can really help you as an athlete as well. Proper form means less fatigue as well as chance of injury, proper breath control plays huge as well into keeping calm and focused as well as not losing your breath or gasing out quickly. It really helps you cycle oxygen to your muscles which helps in ALL physical activities.

Now we can branch into the mind, with a big focus on the breath it really allows you to calm your thoughts and focus your attention. You can really "live in the moment" and be aware of all going on around you. As one of my favorite yogis once said "It calms the chatter in your crazy monkey mind!". Even with just a 30 minute practice you can really gain so many benefits for focus and attention.

As for the soul well?
Some people (I'm one of those) believe that alot of muscular tension and tight spots in the body can be more then just fitness injuries or overuse injuries, they are physical manifestation of stress in the body. A common pose thats fantastic for the hips is Pidgeon pose. During this pose many people get very emotional. From a surge of rage to even feeling overwhelming sadness as they let go of the tension in their hips, they let go of old hurts and emotions that no longer serve them as well.

I honestly believe that athlete or every day person you should keep yoga in your life. It just has way to many benefits.

Yoga means so much to me. I've been away from it for a couple of years, something that has bothered me a great deal. In January, I started doing yoga at home again and found my way back to it. My goal is to do yoga at the gym 4 times a week and once at home, but it's a long term goal.

I saw someone writing about pidgeon pose and emotions. I do feel rage in that pose! Quite disturbing, haha. Due to some joint problems I'll have to do some strength training to deepen my practice. I'm simply to weak for many poses and find that doing only yoga does not help as much as I want to.

Yoga does not facilitate my weight loss/balance per se, but yoga encourages me to take care of myself. Yoga makes me grounded in my own body so I feel like taking good care of it and not eat as much junk. Yoga is also a great practice in acceptance and humility for me.

Only in yoga does my connection between mind and body heal.

Are you looking for suggestions for routines?
If so I would pay Lesley Fightmaster a visit on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/user/lesleyfightmaster

She's got AMAZING videos that cover all bases. She has great beginner videos and even her complex ones are easily modifiable for beginners

It stretches all your body and muscles and helps you to be healthy

Yoga is great for your health but it is not a substitute for running.

I'm reading a book right now called The Science of Yoga by William Broad, and it goes through actual scientific investigations into the benefits of yoga. (There is also a chapter on particular risks of injury in yoga). While yoga does have many benefits, both physical and psychological, many of the claims put forward by the yoga business are just not true. For instance, as the poster above me alludes to, yoga does not actually improve your cardiovascular fitness, even flow yoga! You would have to start from being in terrible shape for yoga to have a huge benefit on that particular measure.

I say that as someone who loves yoga. I try to go to the yoga studio 2-3 times per week and practice at home even more frequently. But, I recently realized that I need to step up my running because I have been gaining some weight. I think it's because I am doing too much yoga and believing that this is sufficient exercise. It's not. You need a balance of aerobic exercise too.

Yoga is very good for your balance, it builds strength, increases flexibility, and greatly helps your mood.

You might also like this book.

How awesome! I just ordered it for my daughter (and will read it after her of course). Thanks

Running isn't necessary for overall fitness. Plus, most people jog and run on pavement, which is bad for knees! (I do love me some laps in the grass, though.)

Yoga wasn't originally meant for exercise, but as a meditation, to channel energy throughout the body via various asanas, or poses.
If you want to lose weight, you need to eat less.
Simple as that.
Yoga can help with weight loss because it will help you to eat mindfully, as opposed to stuffing food into your face while mindlessly surfing the net or watching TV.
You'll notice that your yoga will suffer when you overeat, and that your yoga will be better when your diet is right.
It's more of a way of life, as opposed to a "workout".

I love yoga!! I do it everyday. It is my favorite thing to do. I like the fast vinyassa type yoga. I'm not sure if it is healthy but in my opinion it really is! Yoga has helped improve my mood and has tightened many of my trouble zones. Many trainers say yoga doesn't do anything but it helped me a lot. I love yoga.

Here's another good reason to do yoga.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/health/yoga...Z?ocid=DELLDHP

Nope, yoga was originally meant as a form of organized exercise for various parts of the body. It has nothing to do with meditation. Sure one cannot compare a gym with yoga, gym is a modern concept for muscle-growth and strength training. Yoga on the other hand is for flexibility, core-strength training & balance awareness. More than 75% of the poses in yoga are impossible to do without training and practice, it basically makes one aware of how they should balance their body and adapt to the strength required to hold a pose. It improves air-intake, lung capacity and limb strength. On a whole one can always see marked improvement in energy after a session.

Wrong.

Compelling argument. Everyone should listen to you.

Forever.

Yoga as a form of exercise is an idea that was made popular in the Western world, but was not it's original intention.

http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate...urpose-of-yoga