{"id":4464,"date":"2018-07-05T07:26:12","date_gmt":"2018-07-05T14:26:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/howtobefit.com\/coach-blog\/?p=4464"},"modified":"2025-09-11T15:43:00","modified_gmt":"2025-09-11T21:43:00","slug":"does-yoga-work-for-weight-loss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/howtobefit.com\/coach-blog\/2018\/07\/05\/does-yoga-work-for-weight-loss\/","title":{"rendered":"Does Yoga Work for Weight Loss?"},"content":{"rendered":"

From the Beachbody On Demand Blog<\/a><\/p>\n

Rachael Schultz<\/a> and Kristy Alpert \u00a0<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n
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Crush your daily INSANITY<\/a> or P90X<\/a> workout, and the pounds will melt off. But that doesn’t mean gentler workouts, such as yoga, can’t help you lose pounds, too. The Beachbody \u00a05-Day Yoga Body Challenge<\/a> \u00a0is an \u00a0intermediate-level yoga series that can \u00a0help improve flexibility, balance, and strength, as well as get your heart pumping to torch calories.<\/span><\/p>\n

While there are some styles of yoga that can help one burn more than 500 calories per hour such as Vinyasa (see below) overall, yoga doesn’t top the list of calorie-torching weight-loss workouts one can do to see relatively quick results. But research shows that practicing yoga may work for weight loss when combined with a healthy diet<\/a>. And the more often you practice yoga, the greater the results you’re likely to see on the scale.<\/p>\n

In a massive study of more than 15,000 adults, those who had been practicing yoga for at least four years clocked in at a lower weight than those who went without a regular session. But you don’t have to have do yoga for years to see results. A small study from South Korean researchers found obese women who practiced yoga for 16 weeks saw significant improvements in body weight<\/a>, body fat percentage, BMI, waist circumference, and visceral fat compared to those who didn’t exercise. In addition, one study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine<\/i> showed that a short-term yoga program could reduce weight<\/a> in overweight and obese men.<\/p>\n

So how can yoga help you lose weight? Read on.<\/p>\n

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What Type of Yoga is Best for Weight Loss?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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You’ve probably heard about people sweating like crazy in heated yoga classes like Bikram, which has to translate to a ton of weight lost right? Kaufmann says, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153In theory a hot yoga class would burn more calories than a non-heated room because anytime the external temperature is extreme (hot or cold), your body has to work harder to maintain your core temperature homeostasis, thus burning calories.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

However, a small study from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse found that yoga students in a non-heated yoga class showed the same increase in core temperature and heart rate<\/a> than in a hot yoga class. Researchers found that the students’ perceived effort was higher than what their vital signs revealed, leading scientists to wonder whether students didn’t end up pushing themselves as hard during some poses to compensate for the added heat and humidity in the room.<\/p>\n

Another study from the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies<\/em> found 30 minutes of just sun salutations is invigorating enough to qualify as cardiorespiratory training<\/a>, and helps a 130-pound person burn an average of 230 calories. These studies point to the idea that your final<\/i> caloric burn is tied more closely to how hard you’re working than how hot the room is.<\/p>\n

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Calculating Your Caloric Burn<\/h2>\n

As mentioned previously, the style of yoga you perform can play a significant role in the amount of calories you burn. But other factors such as your weight, gender, body composition, and effort level are also important. What follows are averages based on theHealth Status calories burned \u00a0calculator<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A 165-pound woman will burn the resulting number of calories during an hour of yoga:<\/strong><\/p>\n