| Yoga might not be the first thing anyone thinks of | | | | thinner and more attractive by getting you to stand up |
| when they think of an exercise to help them lose | | | | straighter. Some people even claim that yoga has |
| weight. Think again - though the results may not be as | | | | made them taller - one woman claims to have grown |
| fast as with other types of exercise, the long term | | | | a full three inches! Of course, she didn't really, but once |
| benefits of yoga (in terms of weight loss and overall | | | | she started to stand up straighter, people responded |
| health) are great. | | | | to her as if she were really taller. |
| Yoga is a system of exercise that is thousands of | | | | Karen Zebroff, who used to have a TV yoga |
| years old. Conceived in India, it is now practiced world | | | | exercise program, is credited with having brought yoga |
| wide. The type of yoga that is most often practiced in | | | | to the North American public in the 1970s. Yoga literally |
| the west is known as 'hatha' yoga - however, this is | | | | changed every aspect of her life. She lost weight - |
| by no means the only type of yoga. Others include | | | | about twenty pounds - and the weight she continued |
| kundalini, which involves breathe work and is quite a bit | | | | to carry was distributed better on her body. As a |
| different from other types of yoga. | | | | result of this, the depression she had been |
| Some athletes are rather disparaging of yoga, | | | | experiencing lifted, and she felt better about herself. |
| wondering how something so gentle can cause you to | | | | Interestingly, though yoga is a great weight loss |
| lose weight or significantly increase your fitness level. | | | | measure, it's also used to treat girls with eating |
| The fact is, however, that it can, and at the same time, | | | | disorders such as anorexia. There are several reasons |
| it can increase your concentration, clarity, and sense of | | | | why that approach is effective. First, anorexic girls feel |
| well being. There is really no reason not to take up | | | | anxious if they can't exercise, as many of them used |
| yoga, if you are at all attracted to the idea. | | | | over-exercising as a means of weight control. Once |
| Choose a beginner's yoga class at first, and go slow - | | | | they are in treatment, of course, they can't be allowed |
| it can be harder than you think. Hatha yoga involves | | | | to jog or do other exercise that might prevent them |
| putting yourself into a variety of different positions, | | | | from making progress with weight gain. Gentle yoga is |
| some more challenging than others. The goal is not to | | | | different, though. Practiced in a low-impact setting, it |
| do them quickly, or to work up a sweat; the goal is to | | | | can provide some exercise without making an already |
| take those few positions and to perfect them - do | | | | emaciated girl thinner. Yoga also eases the anxiety of |
| them as precisely as you possibly can. That way, your | | | | these girls, and it makes them more conscious of their |
| body is being trained in a precise skill and discipline, and | | | | bodies. |
| the position itself can have various benefits for your | | | | In fact, it does the same thing for people with the |
| health and your mind, as well. The different positions | | | | opposite type of eating disorder - binge eating or |
| have their own benefits. For losing weight, positions | | | | compulsive overeating. As a matter of fact, that |
| that bring the chin down to stimulate the thyroid gland | | | | condition and anorexia are not as different as you |
| are helpful - such as the classic shoulder stand, for | | | | might assume. Yes, one causes overweight and the |
| instance. However, yoga in general is helpful for weight | | | | other can bring on starvation, but both stem from a |
| loss because it makes you more conscious of your | | | | fundamental discomfort with the body and underlying |
| body, of how you hold yourself and how you stand, | | | | emotional issues. Yoga can help with all of these |
| while it also tones your muscles and makes your body | | | | issues, and if you are looking to lose weight, it can be a |
| more flexible, easier to move. Even before you start | | | | great choice for you. |
| losing weight, yoga can make you look as if you're | | | | |