Does yoga burn the fat?

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  • I recently started doing yoga as I always see people talking about yoga wonders, but I am over weight right now I can do yoga at home rather than pay for gym and doing heavy exercises, do you think yoga is enough for losing weight? Does yoga burn fat or help burning fat?
  • Also if you lot suggest me simple but effective yoga exercises for losing belly fat that would be appreciated.
  • I don't think so.
  • I think it has a lot of benefits but I don't think weight loss is one of them.
  • I do not think so
  • It helps with muscle toning, which does raise your metabolism slightly, but overall it doesn't help much with weight loss. That being said, it is really good for you physically and mentally, so if you're interested you should go for it! Just don't expect dramatic fat burning results.
  • Pilates might be better in terms of some weight loss in leaning you out.
  • Er... movement (well, just living too) burns calories. Yoga is movement. Ergo, yoga burns calories. It certainly builds strength as well and does affect general muscle tone like any other activity of its kind. Technically, just changing your diet is generally enough for losing weight--all the yoga/running/swimming in the world won't make a difference if you're not eating to support what you need. Exercises for spot reducing don't exist--you can tone those muscles and you can reduce fat overall, but you can't trim fat in one particular area by doing exercises for that area. It just doesn't work like that.

    Personally, I think yoga shouldn't be the *entire* activity plan, simply because I think there are other things that are useful physically to gain that yoga doesn't focus on as much. But the best workout plan is the one you'll actually do, so if that's the only thing that's your jam, have at it! And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that there are people who do yoga and only yoga and are quite fit and happy with how it's working for them.

    I see you posted this a while ago... hope you're getting on well!
  • My best friend went from being a 1-2 time a week yoga class goer, to doing the training to become a yoga teacher. She did not change her diet in any way, and in fact I would think that she actually ate worse food because she was doing the course, working, and going to school all at the same time. She has not lost any weight at all since becoming a yoga instructor, but she has gone from a size 10 to an 8, and her body looks completely different.
  • she probably teaches 1-2 classes 4-5 days a week, maybe 8 total.
  • I think it depends on the TYPE of yoga you are doing. There are a lot of different styles that vary from more static stretches and poses to constant movements. Are you doing a more static style of yoga, or a flow-style of yoga (such as Vinyasa). I do not believe yoga should be your ONLY form of exercise, but it is a great supplement.

    When practiced consistently and correctly, all styles of yoga improve the mind-body connection. This can help you be more conscious of your body's needs and listening to your body. Improving that mind body connection can help you better navigate your diet, as you make more mindful choices when eating. Personally, I LOVE supplementing my weight loss with a vinyasa yoga that focuses on strength building. But I also jog, bike, and do some strength training the more "traditional" way.

    Best of luck!

    I tried to add a URL for more information on yoga styles and weight loss, but I haven't posed enough If you search google for "yoga for weight loss", the Live Science article is what I was trying to add.
  • As per my experience yoga really helps in fat burning.
  • DDP Yoga has had some great results in weight loss, you can google their website if you want and check out the success stories. However, the program was not designed for weight loss, losing lots of pounds ended up being a surprising perk. One would also need to have a healthy diet too.

    Good luck in whatever you decide.
  • A regular yoga practice alone will not cause you to lose weight. To lose weight you need to expend more calories than you take in, and yoga can help you do that. But your diet is also important, as it already been said.
    If you can afford this, I'd recommend you to do yoga at home + go to the gym. It'd be more effective
  • Walking is a great way burning fat.