Get in Shape with Yoga

You’ve probably heard that yoga is great for reducing stress, increasing flexibility, and improving your overall health. But can yoga help you get in shape? Most definitely.

Getting in shape means losing weight, improving muscle tone and strength, and feeling fitter and healthier. Although there are many types of yoga, most fall into two broad categories:

1. Flow (Vinyasa): Raises your heart-rate by incorporating vigorous movement from one pose to the next.

2. No Flow: Poses are practiced one at a time with rest in between. Although holding a pose is physically challenging, it is not a cardio workout.

Any kind of yoga, when practiced regularly, will improve your strength, flexibility, and muscle tone, but guess which kind you’ll need to do if you want to lose weight? Yes, you’re going to have to break a sweat doing vinyasa yoga at least three times a week.

If you have never done yoga before and want to know how to start, the best thing to do is sign up for a series of beginners’ classes at a yoga studio near you (ask your co-workers, relatives, and Facebook friends to recommend a good studio). This way you’ll get a solid introduction to beginners’ yoga poses. From there, it’s great to keep going to classes as often as you can. If you want to practice at home, check out the 30-Day Quick Start Yoga Guide to kick start your home practice with a month’s worth of yoga workouts.

While yoga is a great practice that is accessible to all (including seniors and the overweight), it is not a quick fix. It take time and commitment to lengthen and strengthen your muscles. As you study yoga, you’ll be getting in shape, but that may come to seem like a side benefit to discovering a practice that allows for limitless development and personal growth.

More Fitness Programs to Get in Shape

• Get in Shape With Weight Training
• Get in Shape With Pilates
• Get in Shape With Walking
• Get in Shape With Running
• Get in Shape with General Exercise