{"id":872,"date":"2026-04-15T16:13:37","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T10:43:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/?p=872"},"modified":"2026-04-15T16:13:39","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T10:43:39","slug":"yoga-and-weight-loss-how-it-works","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/yoga-and-weight-loss-how-it-works\/","title":{"rendered":"Yoga and Weight Loss: How it Works"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:25px\">Yoga\u2019s Secret<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Like so many things in life, the manner in which yoga promotes weight loss is crazy and wonderful. The scientific secrets behind yoga\u2019s uncanny ability to control weight gain are subtly revealed in the<strong> <\/strong><strong><em>Sanskrit root word \u201cto unite.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By joining the body and the mind, This is exactly what we focus on during our <a href=\"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/200-hour-kundalini-yoga-teacher-training-in-rishikesh.php\"><strong>200 hour yoga teacher training in Rishikesh<\/strong><\/a>, where yoga provides the physical benefits of exercise while soothing the emotions and breaking down the mental barriers that make it difficult to lose weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:25px\">The Inner and Outer Workings<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Yoga is an ancient discipline, yet scientists are just beginning to understand how it works. From the outside, it\u2019s easy to see that most yogis and yoginis have svelte bodies and muscles made of iron, but what\u2019s on the inside also counts. People who practice yoga are famously cool-headed, unflappable and stress-free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This inner peace and calm that yoga fosters is the secret behind its ability to transform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>On average, yoga burns anywhere from 180 to 360 calories per hour<\/em><\/strong> depending on the style and intensity. For men, the expenditure is slightly higher. Skeptics say that you\u2019re better off walking your dog briskly or cleaning the gutters. After a tough yoga session, you probably won\u2019t huff and puff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s exactly why yoga\u2019s immense benefits stump scientists. The big question is how can a barely aerobic activity help people lose more weight than step aerobics, kick-boxing and intensive cardiovascular workouts?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:25px\">The Physiology<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Yoga is a miracle worker because it turns off the bad hormones that make us feel stressed out and stimulates the ones that make us feel good. A<strong><em> good yoga practice alters involuntary responses<\/em><\/strong> that are controlled by the autonomic nervous system. This includes breathing, hormone production, digestion and metabolism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The frantic mile-a-minute pace of daily life tells the body to generate adrenaline and the fight-or-flight hormones that make us feel anxious and stressed. Then, we partake in stress-induced binge eating followed by an overload of guilt for giving in to our cravings. Yoga stops this craziness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Studies show that yoga changes the structure of the brain and enlarges stress-regulating sections of the hippocampus and parts of the superior parietal cortex that govern concentration. A body that isn\u2019t stressed doesn\u2019t generate as much cortisol, a nasty hormone that tells fat to stick to the belly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yoga also helps increase insulin sensitivity. This makes the body turn food into energy instead of fat. In addition to arresting the padding, it is easier to lose weight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:25px\">Mental Fortitude<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Weight loss is a mental game. In the battle against the bulge, being in tune with your behaviors and emotions is the biggest asset. Psychologists agree. One important study from the <strong><em>Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle <\/em><\/strong>assessed 15,000 adults in the 45 to 55 age group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As you know, this is when your metabolism starts to slump. People who didn\u2019t practice yoga during this important time gained about 14 pounds. Those who practiced yoga at least once every week lost 5 pounds. The difference between losing a little and gaining a lot is nearly 20 pounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You don\u2019t have to do a power-packed ashtanga yoga routine or sweat your eyes out in a Bikram yoga studio to reap the benefits. Even the mildest, gentlest restorative forms are beneficial. Plus, these are more accessible for people who might be overweight, have a poor sense of balance or don\u2019t have the confidence to try one of the more challenging forms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Of course, working out before your routine or increasing the pace of the flow will boost your metabolism as well. Weight loss can be stress-free. With yoga, it is. Roll out your mat, and be inspired to drop the pounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:20px\">In Conclusion<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Yoga is good for weight loss. It works, it\u2019s not hard on the body (like a marathon). Measure it and test for yourself.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Start your <a href=\"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/500-hour-kundalini-yoga-teacher-training-in-rishikesh.php\"><strong>500 hour yoga teacher training in Rishikesh<\/strong><\/a> and see if you lose any weight loss<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Yoga\u2019s Secret Like so many things in life, the manner in which yoga promotes weight loss is crazy and wonderful. The scientific secrets behind yoga\u2019s uncanny ability to control weight gain are subtly revealed in the Sanskrit root word \u201cto unite.\u201d By joining the body and the mind, This is exactly what we focus on [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":873,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[150],"tags":[140,151,152,121,138],"class_list":["post-872","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-weight-loss","tag-200-hour-yoga-teacher-training-in-rishikesh","tag-500-hour-yoga-teacher-training-in-rishikesh","tag-weight-loss","tag-yoga-school-in-rishikesh","tag-yoga-teacher-training-in-rishikesh"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Yoga and Weight Loss: How it Works - Kundalini Yoga Ashram Rishikesh<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/yoga-and-weight-loss-how-it-works\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Yoga and Weight Loss: How it Works - Kundalini Yoga Ashram Rishikesh\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Yoga\u2019s Secret Like so many things in life, the manner in which yoga promotes weight loss is crazy and wonderful. The scientific secrets behind yoga\u2019s uncanny ability to control weight gain are subtly revealed in the Sanskrit root word \u201cto unite.\u201d By joining the body and the mind, This is exactly what we focus on [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/yoga-and-weight-loss-how-it-works\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Kundalini Yoga Ashram Rishikesh\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-15T10:43:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-15T10:43:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/YOGA-AND-WEIGHT-LOSS-KUNDALINI.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"938\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"528\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/yoga-and-weight-loss-how-it-works\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/yoga-and-weight-loss-how-it-works\/\",\"name\":\"Yoga and Weight Loss: How it Works - Kundalini Yoga Ashram Rishikesh\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/yoga-and-weight-loss-how-it-works\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/yoga-and-weight-loss-how-it-works\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/YOGA-AND-WEIGHT-LOSS-KUNDALINI.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-15T10:43:37+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-15T10:43:39+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2206bd625009a1e8e98b02c06a369702\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/yoga-and-weight-loss-how-it-works\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/yoga-and-weight-loss-how-it-works\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/yoga-and-weight-loss-how-it-works\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/YOGA-AND-WEIGHT-LOSS-KUNDALINI.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/YOGA-AND-WEIGHT-LOSS-KUNDALINI.png\",\"width\":938,\"height\":528,\"caption\":\"Yoga and Weight Loss: How it Works\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/yoga-and-weight-loss-how-it-works\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Yoga and Weight Loss: How it Works\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Kundalini Yoga Ashram Rishikesh\",\"description\":\"Blog\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2206bd625009a1e8e98b02c06a369702\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2bf05f397e441fbf1f3bddd0d9c03c7a977dc3c897fbf81d46dbbc961e025c01?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2bf05f397e441fbf1f3bddd0d9c03c7a977dc3c897fbf81d46dbbc961e025c01?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/author\/admin\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Yoga and Weight Loss: How it Works - Kundalini Yoga Ashram Rishikesh","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/yoga-and-weight-loss-how-it-works\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Yoga and Weight Loss: How it Works - Kundalini Yoga Ashram Rishikesh","og_description":"Yoga\u2019s Secret Like so many things in life, the manner in which yoga promotes weight loss is crazy and wonderful. The scientific secrets behind yoga\u2019s uncanny ability to control weight gain are subtly revealed in the Sanskrit root word \u201cto unite.\u201d By joining the body and the mind, This is exactly what we focus on [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/yoga-and-weight-loss-how-it-works\/","og_site_name":"Kundalini Yoga Ashram Rishikesh","article_published_time":"2026-04-15T10:43:37+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-04-15T10:43:39+00:00","og_image":[{"width":938,"height":528,"url":"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/YOGA-AND-WEIGHT-LOSS-KUNDALINI.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/yoga-and-weight-loss-how-it-works\/","url":"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/yoga-and-weight-loss-how-it-works\/","name":"Yoga and Weight Loss: How it Works - Kundalini Yoga Ashram Rishikesh","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/yoga-and-weight-loss-how-it-works\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/yoga-and-weight-loss-how-it-works\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/YOGA-AND-WEIGHT-LOSS-KUNDALINI.png","datePublished":"2026-04-15T10:43:37+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-15T10:43:39+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2206bd625009a1e8e98b02c06a369702"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/yoga-and-weight-loss-how-it-works\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/yoga-and-weight-loss-how-it-works\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/yoga-and-weight-loss-how-it-works\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/YOGA-AND-WEIGHT-LOSS-KUNDALINI.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/YOGA-AND-WEIGHT-LOSS-KUNDALINI.png","width":938,"height":528,"caption":"Yoga and Weight Loss: How it Works"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/yoga-and-weight-loss-how-it-works\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Yoga and Weight Loss: How it Works"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/","name":"Kundalini Yoga Ashram Rishikesh","description":"Blog","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2206bd625009a1e8e98b02c06a369702","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2bf05f397e441fbf1f3bddd0d9c03c7a977dc3c897fbf81d46dbbc961e025c01?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2bf05f397e441fbf1f3bddd0d9c03c7a977dc3c897fbf81d46dbbc961e025c01?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"url":"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/author\/admin\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/872","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=872"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/872\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":874,"href":"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/872\/revisions\/874"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/873"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=872"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=872"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kundaliniyogaashram.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=872"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}