Will Yoga Help You Lose Weight?

I suppose it was only a matter of time before the mass
marketing about diet and fitness and weight loss caught
up with Yoga.

After all, Yoga is certainly going through a period of
resurgance - not the first, as these things typically move
in cycles as does most of the market.

Typically though, when you read about Yoga, the topic is
peace of mind, spirituality, relaxation, meditation, perhaps
physical conditioning and strength (both physical and mental).

This time though, the debate rests squarely on yoga's ability
to shed pounds in a society that is struggling with record
levels of obesity on the one hand, and a severe "thin" image
problem held by popular celebrities on the other.

A recent study started the heated debate by claiming a link
between yoga and weight loss.

Specifically, the study found that middle-age people who
practice yoga tended to experience gradual weight loss
over a 10-year period, while those that did not practice
yoga seemed to experience fairly substantial weight gain
over the same period.

Since the study was released, a constant barrage of skeptics
have pointed out flaws in the research that range from
self-reported results to missing many other factors that may
lead people to both practice yoga and have reduced weight.

As usual, the truth lies somewhere in the middle, at least
based on my own experiences.

It is much more likely that the positive factors of yoga
and meditation have on your mind and body impact your self-image,
nutrition choices, and overall stress level which are major
factors in weight control. We point to many of the benefits
of practicing yoga over at: http://www.yogasuccess.com

Stress not only results in unhealthy binge eating and poor
nutritional choices, but actually has physiological impacts on
your body that often result in craving foods that can result
in greater weight gain such as sugars, starches and carbohydrates.

In the end, what is important is that you are becoming healthier,
happier, experience less stress in your life and enjoy your
life to the maximum possible.

Let the journalists fight it out over who is technically right,
after all, they are likely all fighting to meet deadlines and
beat each other's coverage of the story.

It's time I took a break and go practice some meditation.