Top 5 Amazing Categories Of Yoga For Weight Loss

Yoga is gaining popularity around the nation. It's very posh to have a yoga mat tucked under your arm, with your gym bag slung over your shoulder as you casually quip "I'm off to my yoga class." But is yoga your best bet for weight loss?

Well to answer that we need to find look at what it takes to lose weight. To lose weight you need to raise your heart rate to about 65% of its maximum heart rate threshold (To find out how to figure your maximum heart rate threshold read my blog, What is Your Fat Burning Heart Rate?)

So the answer is yes you can lose weight by doing yoga if it elevates your heart rate sufficiently. Which brings us to the next question, which type of yoga raised the heart rate enough to bring about weight loss?

If you have ever Googled yoga you have found out that there are several types of yoga with a seemingly endless number of yoga classes available in each. But the question remains, which types are best for weight loss?

The Top 5 Types of Yoga for Weight Loss

Of all the different types of yoga these three are the best for weight loss:

Ashtanga

This is a very intense and vigorous yoga. It is very physically demanding because it is comprised of a series of poses performed in a particular order in a particular rhythm. Since you are moving constantly from one pose to the next your heart rate remains in its target range for fat burning. So Ashtanga yoga is a good type for those wanting to lose weight.

Power Yoga
This is a more intense, fitness-focused version of vinyasa-style yoga that is breath-based movement. Power yoga is very much like Ashtanga yoga except it doesn't follow a set series of poses. Power yoga poses are performed in various order thus allowing classes to be different from class to class. It also appeals to people who are practicing yoga from more of a fitness than a spiritual point of view.

Bikram
A 95 - the 100-degree room is what is needed for Birkram vinyasa-style yoga. Hot Yoga is also known as Bikram Yoga. It is is a type of Hot yoga that is similar to Ashtanga yoga and consists of a series of 26 poses. It is very intense and physically demanding. Greater flexibility and deep stretching are at the root of this type of yoga.

Hatha
Let's start by saying that Hatha yoga is an intensive, low impact exercise, involving lots of stretching and conditioning that helps the blood flow more smoothly, and which aids in healthy digestion.

One of the main goals of yoga is to maintain the intestinal organs in order to improve digestion and minimize the amount of undigested food or waste in our bodies without having to resort to invasive cleansing routines.

Vinyasa
The purpose of Vinyasa Yoga is to completely cleanse the practicing individual internally, both on a spiritual as well as a physical level. Tradition has it that this age-old practice actually helps the individual outwardly also, as in preparing for life's' challenges and events.

The breathing process itself is designed to manipulate the palate, a process that results in vibrations caused by the breathing/physical movement mix, in the practitioner's mouth, and heat up the breath as they inhale. As with most Yoga techniques, the sweating process is intended to cleanse the body.

Only you can determine what your wellness goals are. Generally, yoga encompasses the body, mind, and spirit. Therefore most styles are aimed at strengthening all three aspects of the person or specific aspects of the person breath and movement but not rigorous activity.