Yoga Types and Weight Loss
Jan 18th, 2008 by Editor
If weight loss is your goal, it’s time to try yoga - certain types of yoga can burn up to 400 calories in one 90-minute session - and it’s the preferred workout of celebrities like Madonna, Elle Macpherson and Jennifer Aniston.
But you don’t need their svelte physiques to participate. The practice is appropriate for people of all shapes and levels. It’s easy on the joints, intense for the muscles and has great stress-reducing effects.
Here’s a guide to the best yoga styles for melting away tension and fat:
Ashtanga: Through a challenging series of sequential poses, Ashtanga yoga keeps the body moving in a dynamic, rhythmic flow, much like classic calorie-burning activities (think running). The practice builds strength, flexibility and heat in the body, which helps stimulate metabolism. And once you learn the major vinyasas (move sequences) you can do them anytime, anywhere.
Power Yoga: A great workout for people who want a challenge, Power Yoga is a more demanding form of classical Ashtanga. Students move through a series of postures using all major muscle groups in the upper and lower body simultaneously. Handstand and warrior poses (similar to a lunge) increase strength by requiring the participant to support their own body weight.
Bikram: Also known as “yoga for the Type A personality,” Bikram Yoga is hot — literally. In a 100-degree room, students move through a series of 26 postures designed to warm and stretch muscles, ligaments and tendons. It’s an intense full body workout that gets the hearts of even the most feted athletes pumping hard.
Yoga Blends: The hottest thing in yoga right now is blending the practice with other forms of exercise. The combination of yoga and Pilates (yogilates), for example, introduces yogic breathing and back bending to Pilates’ core work. Look for classes combining yoga with spinning, kickboxing, dance and hip-hop — if your gym doesn’t have them now, it will soon.
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