The Yoga-Weight Loss Connection

Yoga provides many benefits: It's a great total-body workout; it can help you develop a leaner, stronger body; and it improves your balance and stability, which is important for staying injury-free. It can also help you lose weight.

The physical practice of yoga is a moving meditation. When you connect your breath to your movement, you're focusing on yourself. It is about you, on your mat, right in that moment, which allows you to tune out the noise of the world and pay attention to your body and mind.

That mindfulness that yoga encourages also can apply to what you eat. When you become more mindful in general, you will become more aware of what you eat. If you care about what is going into your body, you are more likely to care how it is prepared and thus be more apt to cook your own food.

Knowledge is power. Knowing what you put in your body allows you to have choice. You can then choose to eat things that allow your body to function at its best. Everybody reacts differently to every food. Be your own laboratory. Experiment. Make choices you feel good about.

I get questions every day about what I eat. The answer is simple: whatever makes me feel good in any given moment. Food is fuel, so I only eat things that make me feel strong and healthy. And, yes, I have a sweet tooth! But before I eat something, I always make sure to ask myself, “Is this going to make me feel good? How I will feel about this choice in 10 minutes? Thirty? Tomorrow?"

There is no one-size-fits-all "yoga diet." Yoga helps you lose weight because it gives your body a voice that you can hear. If you listen and pay attention, your body will tell you everything you need to know to find its happiest weight.