A yoga practice builds body awareness and acceptance, but can it be used to lose weight? Until now, doctors and scientists weren’t convinced. But a recent study from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle may make them sit up and take notice.

Researchers queried healthy men and women about their weight history and physical activity from the ages of 45 to 55. It turned out that study subjects who were overweight and did yoga at least once a week had lost five pounds over the 10-year period, while their non-yogi counterparts had gained eight.

The reason? Lead researcher and Anusara Yoga practitioner Alan Kristal believes that it’s not the number of calories that yoga burns, since only the most vigorous yoga practice will burn enough to trigger a weight loss. But yoga builds mindfulness. You learn to feel when you’re full, and you don’t like the feeling of overeating. You recognize anxiety and stress for what they are instead of trying to mask them with food.”

Since the start of the 2011 we have been asked by many of our clients about yoga for weight loss so we thought we would try and bit of an insight.

The whole field of weight loss/weight gain is so complex, with an incomplete understanding of the influence of genetic factors, lifestyle, individual willpower, and food addiction. Having said that, I do believe that hatha yoga has the potential to be very transformative on many levels.

The most obvious physical benefits of yoga practice include loosening of muscles that have been tightened by inactivity, tension, and stress. Asana practice also increases the range of motion of joints, enhances flexibility, and can help correct postural problems.

Any style of yoga helps tone, lengthen, and strengthen the muscles, which can contribute to the sculpting of the body, but not necessarily to weight loss. Remember that muscle is, after all, denser and therefore heavier than an equivalent volume of fat tissue. According to yogic tradition, asana practice also gets the prana (vital energy) of the body moving, which can be helpful for you if weight gain, decreased energy, and sluggishness have appeared together.

Yoga also offers psychological benefits. Weight gain often brings with it a great deal of harsh self-judgment. Through yoga, we can counteract this by creating a safe, positive environment to reconnect with our bodies and quiet the counterproductive messages that often arise in our minds. Reengaging in physical activity through asana practice can also foster a renewed sense of control over our lives, a quality that sometimes diminishes as one’s weight refuses to budge!

On a physiological level, certain styles of yoga could be more appropriate for students who have weight loss as a primary intention. Vinyasa-style class, where movement and breath link poses together, can build heat and potentially result in greater calorie burn. This style of practice could supplement other aerobic exercise that you’re involved in, such as walking, running, biking, or swimming. Take it slowly, though. Something as intense as the Primary Ashtanga series may not be the place to start if you haven’t been physically active for a while. Begin with a good introductory vinyasa class.

So, will hatha yoga practice help you lose weight? Maybe. Will it change your relationship with your body? Most likely, and probably for the better.

Welcome to Yoga Wellbeing’s second instalment to yoga for detoxing. We have added a couple of stretches on this feature to set you on the right path.

Clear mind, clear body

In addition to its physical benefits, yoga aids in mental detox as well. When we’re in a state of stress, fear or depression, that attitude creates a sensation in the body. Doing yoga helps purge toxic thoughts by teaching you to move your awareness away from the chaos of the mind and back to the present moment.

As a result, a regular yoga practice helps you eliminate the tangible and intangible toxins that could otherwise keep you from feeling your best. Here are three poses that are particularly suited to aiding detoxification.

Yoga poses to detoxify the body

Marichiyasana 3 (Marichi’s Twist)

Detox benefits: Squeezes the abdominal organs and stimulates digestion and elimination.

Sit up tall with your legs straight. Bend your right knee and bring the sole of your right foot to the floor just in front of your right sitting bone. Rest your right hand on the floor behind your back for support.

Reach your left hand up so strongly that your ribcage lifts up. Rotate your torso to the right and bring your left elbow to the outside of your right knee. Stay for 5 deep breaths, gradually and gently using the sensation of your left elbow pressing into to your right leg to encourage your torso to twist further to the right.

Either look behind you, over your right shoulder or straight ahead, depending on what feels best to your neck. Repeat on the other side.

Downward Facing Dog

Detox benefits: Getting the heart higher than the head reverses the pull of gravity and aids in the circulation of blood and lymph. Also gently tones the abdomen, which stimulates digestion.

Start on your hands and knees with the entire surface of your palms pressing into the floor and your toes tucked under. Slowly lift the knees and straighten the legs. Press equally into the hands and feet and lift your sitting bones up as you move the thighs back. Allow the head to hang. Stay for 5–10 deep breaths.

We hope these ideas help you stay fighting fit through these long winter months. We would love to hear any of your positive stories about anything yoga related. Keep the positivity flowing.

Scientists are now giving serious attention to an idea that yogis have known for centuries: that yoga has a positive effect on your mood. Although it’s an ancient mind-body practice, the future of yoga may be in treating mood disorders. In this small study, scientists at the Boston University School of Medicine measured yoga’s effect on depression and anxiety versus walking with a brain imaging study. They found that compared to walking, yoga provides a greater improvement in mood, as well as a decrease in anxiety.

The 34 study participants were randomly selected healthy men and women between the ages of 18 and 45. They were divided into two groups: those who walked for an hour three times a week, and those who practiced yoga for the same amount of time.

The subjects’ brain scans were taken using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). This cutting-edge technology measured the participants’ levels of a brain chemical gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA). GABA levels are markedly decreased in depressed people, but those levels increase in those who take medications such as Prozac that target serotonin levels. In the study, GABA levels were monitored before, during and after the exercise. Those subjects practicing yoga reported greater mood improvement than those walking, and their GABA levels matched those improvements.

By looking at actual changes in the brain, scientists are identifying new approaches to treating depression and anxiety. Walking is still a great form of exercise, and any exercise will be beneficial for those struggling with mood disorders. However, yoga improved mood more than walking did in this case.

Happy 2011 from all of the Yoga Wellbeing Team. Hope your avoiding all of the nasty colds out there. Winter’s cold, dry air creates the perfect host environment for germs. The drier the air, the longer germs stay airborne. Sometimes we can feel that Winter can throw us off balance a bit.

According to the principles of Ayurveda, winter can aggravate conditions that can weaken your immune system. It’s very important to be extra kind to yourself at this time of year. Here are some of Yoga Wellbeing’s favourite ways to keep your immune system strong and your energy up all winter long.

5 Ways to keep your fighting fit – Part 1

1. Pick a Natural Kick

Energy wanes in the winter, when sunlight is scarce. But jump-starting your engine every day with a triple espresso may undermine your immune system. Caffeine stresses the adrenals, the glands that sit atop the kidneys and support the body’s immunity and energy. Try brewing a cup of nettle tea the next time an afternoon coffee craving strikes.

2. Strike a Heart-Opening Pose

An easy way to avoid getting the flu is to weave more heart-opening poses, such as the Cobra Pose, Fish Pose , and Bridge Pose, into your yoga practice. Heart openers stimulate blood flow to the thymus, an organ nestled behind the breastbone that is instrumental in the growth of T-cells, the immune system’s frontline. Practicing all three asanas once daily for prevention, twice daily if you feel a cold or flu creeping on.

3. Make the Most of Mushrooms

Mushrooms supercharge your immune system by increasing the number of disease-fighting white blood cells in your bloodstream. For an extra immunity boost, look for dried medicinal mushrooms, such as chaga and reishi. Medicinal mushrooms also come in supplement form, and their pro-immunity punch equals that of fresh ones, says Woodson Merrell, an integrative physician and the director of the Continuum Center for Health and Healing at Beth Israel in Manhattan.

4. Soothe Your Sinuses

Most colds enter the body through the nose’s mucous membranes. A neti pot, a traditional Indian spouted vessel used to rinse the sinus passages, helps to clear the area of excess mucus and viruses. Early this year a study found that kids with colds and flu who regularly used a nasal wash got well faster, took less medication, and fought off future colds better than those who didn’t.

5. Try a 10-Minute Meditation

Stress is the immune system’s worst enemy. Whether you’re dealing with a brief bout of craziness like Christmas shopping, or a longer-lasting stressor like divorce, your body’s ability to fight germs is compromised by physical and mental tension. Meditation can help. One study found that people who attended an eight-week mindfulness meditation class (a three-hour class once a week, plus daily meditation for an hour) ended up with stronger immune systems.

We will be adding five more immune super boosting ideas to our blog later on in the week. Keep warm and well.

If you have yet to try a Yoga style that already includes the use of chanting or Mantras, why not give them a go?  Yoga is designed to bring about an eventual focusing of the mind, with all of those wobbly balancing poses that eventually become still.  Mantras or chanting enhance this process and help calm the mind. There not everyone’s cup of tea but could be something that really help with your daily life.

The power of Mantra

An easy demonstration of how powerful a Mantra can be in keeping the mind from wandering is as follows:  Sit with your back straight in a chair, close your eyes, and pay attention to the number of random thoughts that arise in your own mind for about thirty seconds.  Done?  Now repeat this again, except this time repeat a word or phrase either out loud or in your head that has meaning for you.  Notice the difference?

There is no limit to what you may use when it comes to your Mantra or chanting choices, as long as you choose that which has deep meaning for you personally.  It is true that certain Mantras have been spoken so many times throughout history that their resonances are already deeply embedded within us and all of nature.  Use of any of the following Mantras can have profound effects in both the short and long term.  Say these words with reverence, and do not feel like you must be bound to this short list.

Great Mantras

Aum Mani Padme Hum or “The Jewel at the Heart of the Lotus” is a very common mantra and is used throughout Tibet and parts of India.  It is a reminder that within us lays a shining piece of the Creative Essence of the Universe itself.

Aum or Om is not a word but rather an intonation; like music, it transcends the barriers of race, culture, and age. It is made up of three Sanskrit letters, ‘aa,’ ‘au’ and ‘ma’ which when combined together makes the sound Aum or Om. It is believed to be the basic sound of the world and to contain all other sounds. Aum or Om is a mantra or prayer in itself; if repeated with the correct intonation, it can resonate throughout the body so that the sound penetrates to the centre of one’s being, bringing awareness of the soul.

Seed Mantras

Bija Mantras (Seed Mantras) – Each seed is conceived of as the sound-form of a particular Hindu deity, and each deity is in turn a particular aspect of the Absolute (Brahman). It’s said that just as a great tree resides in within the seed, so does a god or goddess reside in each Bija. When we chant the Bijas, we identify each syllable with the divine energy they represent.  Use of these Mantras is quite effective in energizing the core Chakras of the body.

Lam – Curve the tip of your tongue up and back, and place it on the rear section of the upper palate to pronounce a sound like the word alum without the initial a. Concentrate on the base of the spine.

Vam – Place the upper set of teeth on the inner section of your lower lip and begin with a breathy consonant to imitate the sound of a fast car. Pronounce the mantra like “fvam.” Keep your attention on the genital area.

Ram – Place the tip of your tongue on the roof of the front section of the upper palate, roll the r as when speaking Spanish, and pronounce the mantra like the first part of the word rumble. Bring your awareness to the abdomen.

Yam – Inhale audibly through your mouth, and pronounce the word hum (as in humming); allow the breath to extend beyond the end of the consonant. Breathe into the Solar Plexus and heart Area.

Ham – Inhale noiselessly through your mouth, and pronounce the sound like the word yum (as in yummy); allow the sound along with your breath to fill your mouth and throat cavity.  Bring your awareness to your throat.

Om – Inhale audibly through your nostrils, and direct the stream of air to the point between your eyebrows. Pronounce the sound along with your exhalation as a subtly audible whisper, allowing the sound and breath to resonate in your head. Concentrate on the third eye or space between your eyes in the center of your forehead.

In our daily lives, we could use Mantras or chants and repeat them in our minds.  Carrying your Yoga chants or Mantras into daily activities will bring you more focus in these areas as well and allow you to determine what signals you are sending out into the world around you. The side-effect of getting into the habit of reciting a chant or Mantra is to become more in tune with the world around you.

Do you use mantra in your practice? Let us know if any positive intentions have helped in your everyday.