Yogi Moves

We all have our reasons for doing yoga. We do it to connect with our true selves, relieve stress, enjoy “me time”… and who are we kidding? To get that bangin body! If you’re new to yoga, you may think of it as just stretching, as several of my friends have expressed to me. But there’s a lot more going on than you may know. If you’re looking to shed some extra pounds and keep them off, taking yoga classes is tried and true and here’s why:

1. If you have a tough time getting yourself motivated enough to do strenuous exercise, you may want to consider going to a yoga class. Once you go to a class, you’re committed and those around you will help motivate you. Yoga classes are normally about an hour to and hour and a half long. The reason classes are so effective is because when you work out on your own, you can stop at any time, but in a class you see people of all levels, and those who have been at it for a while stand out…they are tone and flexible. This will inspire you to push yourself.

2. Yoga has the benefit of working both your muscles and giving you a cardio workout at the same time. Compare this to running in place on a treadmill, then lifting heavy weights, and the benefit of yoga is obvious. You get it all in one exercise. On top of that, when you’re tone and have built up some muscle from doing yoga, you will burn calories while you sleep!

3. Stretching even elongates your muscles which also helps you to have a leaner body. After practicing yoga regularly, you even start to feel a difference in your posture. You can actually feel taller when you start doing some more advanced spine stretches.

4. Yoga also has the benefit of seeing quicker results with fewer workouts. If you practice 2 -3 times a week for one month, I guarantee that you will see and feel great like you never have before. Be sure to always listen to your body and dont push yourself too hard, but it’s important to feel the burn in order to reap the rewards.

5. Mindful eating. This is a hard one because you can exercise all you want, but if you go home and eat half a pizza, you’re workout was in vain. The challenge is making a lifestyle change regarding your eating habits, which sounds big and scary. Luckily, yoga incorporates the union of body AND mind. So you can set your intention before practice to eat better, less, more vegetables - whatever you’re working on. Visualize yourself eating healthy and feeling great during shavasana (best part of the workout where you lay on the floor at the end and see what results you get.

Here’s some tips to get stated. For starters you’ll need a skidless yoga mat or rubber yoga mat. Also look for free classes in your area…as sometimes you can find them at your local YMCA.