I’m overweight and I would like to know whether can yoga help me get rid of him. If so, what asanas are best suited for this? These questions are answered Dr. Baxter Bell.

I must admit that for me it is a complex issue, since the loss and weight gain depends on many factors. Genetic, lifestyle, willpower, eating habits, etc. However, it should be said that Hatha Yoga has the potential to work with the physical body and more profound impact on him than a simple exercise.

The most obvious benefit of yoga is relaxation of muscles, reducing their stiffness and tightness, release of tension in these muscles. The practice of asanas improves joint mobility, helps to cope with the problems of poor posture, which can be a result of excess weight.

Any style of yoga helps to bring the muscles in tone, make them longer and more flexible. In addition, yoga eventually change the structure of the body, making it more beautiful and fit. However, this does not mean that you will lose weight. 

It should be remembered that the muscles are more dense, and therefore, heavier than an equivalent volume of adipose tissue. At the same time yoga teacher Richard Rosen argued that the elongated muscles (achieved with yoga practice), it is easier than the shorter, which is achieved due to weightlifting.

During asana practice you also get vital energy (prana) of the moving body, which is useful for weight loss, because generates additional activity.

Yoga also works on the psycho-emotional level. Often overweight lowers a person’s self-esteem. Using yoga can counteract this by working with the body through which the work begins with consciousness.

At the physiological level, certain styles may be more suitable for practitioners, which are aimed at weight reduction. For example, Ashanga Vinyasa Yoga, where the emphasis is on the simultaneous execution of exercises and breathing, may cause additional heat that is likely to lead to greater calorie burning. This style of yoga can supplement anaerobic exercise, such as walking, jogging, cycling or swimming. Sometimes intense Ashtanga is not a better way to start if you have not had physical activity. It is advisable to start with the study Vinyasa classes.

Does Hatha Yoga remove excess weight? Maybe. Does it change your attitude to the body? Certainly change for the better.

Translation of an article from the magazine www.yogajournal.com