Do Yoga to Lose More Weight

Yoga is becoming very popular in America these days, helping people increase strength and flexibility and decrease stress. If you are exercising a lot it is especially important to work on flexibility as well. A Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine study found that people who increase their flexibility also see improved muscle performance. The study reported that stretching increases muscle strength by increasing the muscles’ range of motion, so joints can move more efficiently, resulting in more power for the muscle. And as I mentioned in my post on 9 Easy Ways to Lose More Weight, the stronger your muscles get, the more weight you will lose!

Yoga is an excellent way to increase flexibility through holding poses that allow for strengthening and stretching the whole body, not just isolated muscles. For years I rarely stretched after running, and was very inflexible. I started taking a Hatha yoga class, and my flexibility has improved dramatically.

Hatha yoga is gentle, slowpaced, and usually includes breathing and meditation exercises. It is a good type of yoga to start out with because it incorporates aspects of many types of yoga. In a Hatha yoga class, you’ll get a good foundation of the various yoga poses and techniques. In the class I am taking, each session usually starts with a few minutes of meditation, about 50 minutes of practicing poses, and then a 5 minute relaxation period which is also intended for meditation. If you aren’t into meditation, it’s still a good opportunity to relax and de-stress.One main goal of Hatha yoga is body alignment, which places an emphasis on strengthening your body’s core.