While most people may not think of Yoga when it comes to losing weight, doctors and sports therapists admit it’s a great way to trim fat and tone your body. Yoga in fact will help you improve your overall mind, body and spiritual well being making you a happier, healthier person as you drop the pounds.

Depending on the exercise and type of Yoga you practice, you can expect to lose a good 170 to 400 calories per hour. There are some poses, or asanas, in Yoga that not only burn calories and strengthen muscles but can also speed up your metabolic rate thus keeping the pounds off in the future.

One of the more popular methods is Power Yoga, a term generally used in the West to describe a fitness style approach to Vinyasa Yoga. This vigorous style of Yoga is modelled on the Ashtanga style however, Power Yoga doesn’t follow a set series of poses.

Vinyasa style Yoga is a great way to lose weight. It is based on a series of poses called Sun Salutations, among other Yoga techniques. One of these techniques, also known as the Vinyasa Flow, involves smooth inhaling and exhaling from one pose to another, very much emulating a dance-like flow.

Expect movement and physical exertion, not just stretching, when you participate in the Vinyasa method. If you decide to enroll in a Vinyasa course you’ll soon discover that each teacher will interpret the Vinyasa method differently. There are no hard and fast rules to this type of Yoga. Therefore, you should keep trying different teachers if you don’t like any one particular teaching method.

Ashtanga Yoga is based on the Eight Limb path by the sage Patanjali. This style of Yoga is often practiced by athletes who want to increase their strength and stamina. Therefore, you can expect a high level of difficulty in postures compared to other forms of Yoga. You move from one posture to another to focus on strength and endurance which is great for a workout and burning calories but may not be suitable for beginners or those seeking the traditional techniques of calm stretching and meditation.

Remember that there is no miracle activity or style of exercise that will solve all your weight loss problems. A balanced diet combined with aerobic activity will work wonders for your body.

Whatever method of exercise you choose, losing weight the Yoga way will not only help you shed the calories and tone the muscles but also provide you with an inner peace and overall mental and physical well being that many other forms of exercise do not include. Incorporate Yoga into your life if you want to reduce stress, drop weight, and release tension.