I can’t tell you how many advertisements and fitness
programs I see marketing ‘Yoga for weight loss’. Beginning a yoga practice with the goal or
intention of wanting to lose weight is not a bad thing. On one hand, I’m so happy that yoga finds its
way into our lives through whatever door it can. On the other hand, I can’t lie, I do get
frustrated when we attempt to sell the concept of yoga by trying to hook us
with how it can change our appearance.
This not only strips away the essence of yoga but dangerously encourages
our tendency to focus on the physical.
My hope is that, if someone begins to practice yoga because of the
enticement of losing weight, that they continue to practice because of the
peace, healing, and self-acceptance the sacred practice creates.
Don’t get me wrong!
The commitment to a yoga practice can absolutely encourage weight loss
and it is extremely effective when it comes to lasting weight loss. But not because you mindlessly move in and
out of poses with the attempt to become breathless and increase your heart
rate. Those who practice yoga regularly,
begin to lose weight because of the internal work they are cultivating which in
turn brings so many positive changes into their life and they learn to value
more than just losing weight. Not sure what I mean? Let me explain, what I believe, the 3 main
reasons yoga may encourage weight loss.
AWARENESS
As you practice yoga regularly, you become more aware. Aware of everything! Your breath, your feelings, emotions, others
around you, and most importantly…your body.
You begin, sometimes for the first time, to feel your body. Noticing how certain people’s energy makes
you feel, you notice how a food or drink makes you feel physically. You begin to connect the dots that you hadn’t
noticed before (i.e. when you drink too much caffeine you feel anxious or when
you don’t get enough sleep you crave ‘not so good for you’ comfort foods). This body awareness is huge and, in most
cases, only begins to develop when you allow yourself the time to just be. To witness.
To observe. Yoga!
GRATITUDE
Those who practice yoga regularly develop a deep sense of
gratitude. Gratitude for their breath,
for waking up in the morning, or for a simple cup of tea. They feel gratitude in everyday things that
we generally take for granted. We don’t
mean to! We’re just so busy that we
don’t create the time or space to pause and reflect allowing for grace to flow
into our lives. Yoga allows for this
time and space. When we feel gratitude
for everything, it not only changes our biochemistry (from a state of stress
fight/flight to a state of relaxation/peace) we begin to treat our body as the
sacred temple it is. We feel so much
gratitude for all that our body does that we treat it better and in ways that
cultivate health. We eat nourishing
foods, we drink plenty of water (which our body is 60-70%), and we make sure we
get enough sleep. Yoga cultivates so
many sacred blessings and one that is universal is the awakening and
appreciation of the body temple. You
just begin to look at and treat your body differently.
BREATH
Breath is life! It’s
that connection to our spirit. I could
write for hours on breath and breathwork but in relation to yoga and weight
loss, I believe our breath cultivates health deep within. When you practice yoga, you learn breathing
techniques to cultivate everything from weight loss to better sleep but what’s
most important to me is the cultivation of simply breath awareness. You begin to become more aware of your
breath…always. You notice that as you
get angry or anxious…your breath shallows and quickens. Most people walk through life breathing in
this way from chronic stress. This type
of chest breathing not only creates more stress within the body but it allows
for *dis-ease to manifest in the body.
This is because when we’re not breathing fully and completely, we’re not
allowing Prana (life force) to enter our body, organs, cells. It’s as if we’re just getting by with as
little Prana (Life) as possible. When we
practice yoga regularly, we become aware, we feel when we’re not breathing
completely. And it feels awful! I
believe, those that practice yoga, have more Prana flowing through their body
which creates a less stressed and a vibrant healthy body temple.
Yoga is sacred and a blessing. It creates a space for miraculous things to
happen. Remember, wanting to begin a
yoga practice with the goal for losing weight isn’t a ‘bad’. My hope is that while you’re on that journey,
you embrace all that yoga offers. And
remember, you are so much more than your physical body. You are a beautiful soul who is worthy simply
because you are YOU.
In Love & Gratitude,
Joy Arnold
*The word dis-ease is
not being used as a medical term or diagnosis.
It simply means being out of balance and not in union.
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