Yoga for Weight Loss

When you think of traditional yoga, the mind fills with images of Indian monks in the lotus position, chanting “ohmmmm…” Yes, yoga can be relaxing and meditative. Today though, modern variations abound. You just might be surprised at how active yoga can become. If you want to try your hand at yoga, and lose some weight at the same time, you might want to try one of these modern yoga styles:

Ashtanga Yoga or Astanga Yoga

The oldest of these active yoga styles is the Ashtanga Yoga. Its poses are based on the more traditional and mellow Vinyasa Yoga. The main difference is the pace: Ashtanga Yoga transitions from pose to pose more rapidly.

No wonder the Sanskrit word Ashtanga or Astanga means “eight limbs,” having that number of limbs might help you cope with the sweet-inducing routines! The first series called “Yoga Chikitsa” is completed after 75 poses and around one and a half to two hours. Other, more advanced, series involve more complicated poses.

Power Yoga

The introduction of Power Yoga put a Western face on traditional yoga techniques. Power Yoga poses are based on Ashtanga Yoga poses and other vinyasa-style yoga styles. The distinguishing quality of power yoga is its more free-form nature. This is a great alternative for those independent yogi souls, and for those who love a challenging workout.

Hot Yoga and Bikram Yoga

Exercise plus heat equals a more intense workout, and more profuse sweating. Yoga guru Bikram Choudhoury was the first to fuse these two elements together. He and his wife further developed the technique by making a set series of Bikram Yoga Poses, made up of 26 Bikram Yoga positions performed twice in a one and a half hour session.

Using this innovation as a springboard, other yoga teachers set up their own hot yoga studios, freely using the term “Bikram Yoga.” Pandemonium ensued when Choudhoury filed a lawsuit against these people. He wanted the term “Bikram Yoga” to be used only by those he had trained himself, and who employ his preferred specifications for hot yoga studios. Thankfully the issue had been settled outside legal courts, with hot yoga teachers agreeing to stop calling their practice “Bikram Yoga.”