What is Yoga and What is it Good For?

While Yoga has been around for thousands of years, it did not become popular in the West until the early 20th century.

What is yoga? Most people have heard of yoga. However, you may only know it as a form of exercise that requires you to bend your body into different positions. There is much more to this practice than the postures.

So, is yoga a religion? While there are spiritual aspects to yoga, it is not a religion. However, followers of two of the biggest religions in the world commonly practice yoga. Hindus and Buddhists often use yoga for introspective meditation.

What about the health benefits? Is yoga good for losing weight? If you have always wanted to know how yoga benefits your body, you should explore the origins of this practice.

What is yoga? Yoga is a combination of different disciplines developed in India throughout the centuries, dating back several thousand years. 

Yoga did not come to the West until the late 1800s and early 1900s. However, the use of yoga as an exercise routine did not become popular until the 1970s. 

Is yoga a religion? For the millions of followers that have practiced yoga throughout the ages, yoga is a philosophy. It also has a strong spiritual focus.

Traditionally, yoga includes various practices designed to help people achieve more control over the mind and body. These practices often include meditation and various physical postures.

Asanas are the postures that you perform during a yoga routine. These are what most people think about when discussing yoga. In fact, in the West, yoga and asanas have become synonymous terms.

Yoga instructors often combine individual asanas to create various yoga routines. You may find yoga sessions that promote weight loss, relaxation, flexibility, and core strength.

Yoga can essentially be a philosophy or a type of exercise, depending on your goals and personal beliefs. It is possible to practice yoga asanas without exploring the spiritual aspects of yoga.

Yoga offers a form of minimal impact exercise. With an instructor guided yoga routine, you perform the asanas at a slow, leisurely pace.

You also do not require any special equipment. These details allow people of all fitness levels to start practicing yoga. Thanks to the low impact, gentle exercises, people that suffer from mobility issues or that are recovering from an injury may benefit from yoga.

So is yoga good for losing weight? Due to the gentle, relaxed flow of a typical yoga routine, you may wonder whether yoga can help you get in better shape or lose weight.

Yoga may not help you lose weight directly in the traditional way. To burn fat and lose weight, you need to eat a calorie deficit, which means consuming fewer calories than your body burns throughout the day.

A typical yoga routine may not burn as many calories compared to other forms of exercise. Depending on the type of yoga routine, you may only burn between 200 and 600 calories during a 60-minute session. In a spin class, you may burn between 500 and 1100 calories in an hour.

The average woman needs to eat about 1500 calories per day to lose a pound of weight per week and eat 2000 calories to maintain weight. The 500-calorie deficit equals 3500 calories in a week, which is equal to one pound.

Without modifying your diet, an intense yoga routine may allow you to burn enough calories to lose a pound per week.

The type of yoga routine and the intensity of the session also impacts the number of calories that you can burn. With Bikram yoga, you perform the asanas in a heated room, which increases your heart rate and leads to greater calorie expenditure.

Yoga also encourages people to make healthier choices. When you perform yoga regularly, you often gain a better connection with your body. The mindfulness that you experience may help you pay more attention to what you eat and drink.

Many yoga routines incorporate the use of breathing techniques. These techniques may help lower blood pressure, improve lung capacity, and increase your overall cardiovascular health.

Yoga may also improve blood circulation, which is beneficial for a variety of reasons. Improving blood flow to every part of your body aids recovery and helps fight inflammation.

People that suffer from arthritis, chronic pain, and mobility issues may also benefit from yoga. The yoga poses and stretches help extend the limbs and move the body in various ways. These movements may increase flexibility and overall mobility.

Some of these health benefits may also aid weight loss. Improving your cardiovascular health and blood circulation may lead to a faster metabolism, allowing you to burn more calories throughout the day.

Many people also gain more endurance and stamina while performing yoga regularly. These yoga benefits may help you get more from your workouts.

Along with helping to improve your physical health, yoga may help improve your mental wellbeing. One of the many yoga benefits is relaxation.

Yoga routines help you relax and focus on your breathing. The calming effect reduces stress. In fact, performing yoga may decrease the release of cortisol.

Cortisol is known as the stress hormone. High levels of this hormone are often present when you suffer from stress or depression. By adding yoga to your daily routine, you may slowly lower your cortisol levels. Several studies have also found that yoga helps to reduce anxiety.

If you are interested in using yoga for stress relief, there are yoga routines designed specifically for relaxation. They often include a slower pace and easy to perform asanas.

There are several different types of yoga and various ways to receive instruction or guidance. You can perform yoga in your own home or at a local gym.

You can find instructional articles that include a series of asanas that you can perform. There are also thousands of video yoga routines that you can find online. Depending on where you live, you may also find local yoga classes or personal yoga instructors.

You do not need special equipment to practice yoga. However, a yoga mat helps provide cushioning and support. When performing various asanas, you may need to lay on the floor, stretch your legs, and move your body in ways that would be uncomfortable on a hard surface.

Besides a yoga mat, some yoga routines require the use of a small block. These foam or cork blocks act as props for performing different poses. While these blocks may offer extra support for difficult poses, you do not need to use them.

You should also dress comfortably when performing a yoga routine. Your clothes should provide a snug fit, without restricting your movement. Look for stretchable, breathable fabric, such as spandex/polyester blends.

Yoga is not an exercise fad, so what is yoga? It is a philosophy practiced by millions throughout the centuries.

There are many potential ways that yoga benefits your body and mind. By including yoga exercises in your daily routine, you may gain more flexibility, improve your cardio health, and reduce your risk of injury.

Is yoga a religion? Yoga is a spiritual practice. It includes methods designed to help with introspection and personal growth. However, it is not a religion.

Yoga is a philosophy originally practiced by Hindus. Buddhists have also adopted yoga practices into their religion.

You do not need to adopt all aspects of yoga in your life. Most Westerners simply practice the asanas that have become synonymous with yoga.

When practicing these asanas, is yoga good for losing weight? Including any physical activity in your daily routine may help improve your overall physical health and promote weight loss.

A typical yoga routine includes low impact exercise. You may not burn a lot of calories. However, you may burn enough for moderate weight loss. People that perform yoga regularly are also more likely to make healthy eating decisions, which can help reduce overeating.

Besides burning calories, yoga provides additional health benefits. It may help lower blood pressure, improve blood circulation, and promote better cardio health. When you combine these advantages, there is a greater chance of losing weight and getting in better shape.

If you want to strengthen the connection between your mind, body, and soul, yoga can be a spiritual practice. It can also be an effective form of exercise with no impact on your religious, spiritual, or mental beliefs.

Yoga is for everyone. It may help you lose weight if losing weight is your goal. However, it can also bring happiness and relaxation. You get to decide how yoga benefits your physical and mental wellbeing.