How Even Gentle Yoga Makes You Slim

Yoga, a ancient system of mind/body exercise, can be a real motivator. If you've set New Year's Resolutions before and failed, yoga's proven methods can be the key to your success.

Yoga Weight Loss

On of the most common New Year's Resolutions is the resolution to lose weight. This is often a difficult resolution for people to keep, but yoga practice can help. Yoga poses (called asanas) and meditation reduce stress that may lead to overeating or other bad habits. The relaxed, focused state that comes from this ancient discipline tends to fall right in line with better choices such as eating healthier foods.

In addition to this are the practical fat burning and muscle building qualities of practicing yoga. Yoga asanas can be quite muscularly demanding and are thus similar to many fat burning regimens that give muscles relatively short periods of intensive work. This is well known to be one of the fastest ways to burn fat. Even gentle yoga postures stimulate and massage organs in the body and in so doing improve things like digestive function, kidney and liver health, and circulation, all of which help to purify the system and burn unwanted fact.

Meditation and Motivation

Meditation is well known to create a sense of relaxation as well as focus. As such, it can assist greatly with motivation and will power. In the meditative state, things tend to become clearer and less jumbled and confused. The meditator can see with more clarity what the issues with motivation are and act on them more consciously. All of this can be a great advantage when you are trying to keep a New Year's Resolution, or any other resolution or goal for that matter. Whether it is a weight loss resolution, a resolution to find an exciting new career, or to find romance, meditation helps you focuse attention and creates the relaxed confidence that is beneficial for pursuing goals.

Statistical Support

These are not merely glittering generalities. There is a direct correlation of statistical evidence that supports the role of yoga in increasing focus and motivation. A study conducted by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) set out to show that yoga is more than just exercise. Traci A. Statler and Ami Wheeler, both PhDs tested the motivation, concentration, and anxiety levels of students at Cal State San Bernadino during the course of 10 week Hatha Yoga class. They gave the students standard assessments 2 weeks into the course and again at 9 weeks. They discovered marked increases in motivation and concentration on the part of students, and a clear decrease in students' anxiety.

New Year's Resolution Success

New Year's Resolution Success can thus be a natural, even spontaneous, result of practicing yoga. The ability for an individual to manifest what he or she wants is a natural part of yoga. The practice exercises and tones the physical body while at the same time creating a sense of purified and relaxed focus that tends to make sticking to resolutions much easier. So it is in the interests of almost anyone trying to keep a new year's resolution to take up yoga. You have the option of learning in a class or in the comfort and privacy of your own home. If you choose a class, make sure your teacher understands your limitiations. Ask the instructor if you can preview the class first. There are also many beginners yoga DVD's to choose from. Just make sure that if you are a yoga beginner that you choose a yoga DVD that goes at a relaxed pace with plenty of explicit instruction.


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Suzanne Andrews, host of Functional Fitness on Public Television, occupational therapy practitioner and certified yoga instructor brings you Yoga Chi For Energy DVD to help you lose weight, improve energy and reduce stress. Learn more now about Yoga Chi for Energy doctor recommended yoga DVD for beginners and plus size adults.