Often when our aim is weight loss we enter a spiral of excesses. We deprive ourselves of proper nutrition, we tirelessly exercise in hopes that cardio will burn calories and we spend too much time worrying over the scales. In fact, moderation is key for a lasting transformation, we want to ease our way gradually to healthier habits so that healthier choices become integral in our lifestyle. An important factor to a proper functioning metabolic rate is stress levels, the more relaxed we are the better our body is at letting go of those extra pounds.
Yoga Exercises for Weight Loss to Relieve Your Stress
You can help to reduce your stress levels through yoga, which in turn takes inches off your waistline! It works through your hormones, cortisol the hormone released when stress is induced converts any additional calories to fat, predominantly around the abdomen. By addressing stress through yoga you can keep your hormones in check and make sure body and mind are working together to achieve your weight loss goals.
A consistent yoga practice strengths your mind body connection, you come to have greater awareness of your body and your needs. Sometimes we eat out of boredom, or to suppress feelings. Instead of binging on those chips yoga brings a greater sense of self awareness allows us to understand the reason why we seek comfort in eating and address the emotion that we would ordinarily avoid confronting. It’s a shift of focus from the outside to inside, instead of finishing a bag of popcorn without realizing it because you were so caught up in the movie, you will come to simply be in touch with what’s going on within. To stop when you are full, it’s not deprivation it’s about balance.
Adequate rest is very important in maintaining steady energy, if you feel you are stressed and need to calm down restorative yoga is perfect, focusing on reclining poses and stretches to ease away your tension. On the contrary, if you are stuck in a rut and need a boost then a strong active vinyasa yoga class will be most beneficial in providing the pick me up you need rather than relying on regular coffee breaks. At Inspire Yoga we offer a free consultation before your first class so we can discern what the best approach for you to meet your goals. Sometimes it’s the combination of active and passive poses to balance the nervous system and our experts will be able to tailor the class structure to meet those objectives for you.
