Weight loss: Will yoga help you lose weight? Exercise can burn nearly 700 calories

Weight loss is generally achieved through a combination of the right diet and exercise, but will the seemingly relaxing practise of yoga help you lose weight?

Hollywood is packed with svelte celebrities owing their bodies to yoga, with newlywed Meghan Markle also attributing her enviable frame to the method. 

Meghan, 36, learnt her trusted yoga routine from her yoga instructor mother, Doria Ragland, 61.

Following in her mother’s footsteps, the new Duchess of Sussex once famously declared “yoga is my thing”. Speaking to Canadian Women’s Health back in 2015, Meghan revealed: “That practice is in my blood.”

But strength and flexibility aside, will you lose any weight doing yoga? As a low endurance exercise, yoga does not burn as many calories as high-intensity aerobic sessions.

Yoga itself is the broad term used to describe the wellness method as a whole, but in fact nine key variations of the practice exist, all promising different results.

How many calories burned, and how much weight loss can be achieved, is dependant on the type of yoga undertaken and the intensity level of the class.

Best for HIIT lovers and promising an intense workout is vinyasa yoga. Vinyasa joins movement and breathing together leading to an almost sequence of dance movements.

Vinyasa is often paired with fast-paced, dance music, creating the perfect environment for burning calories and achieving weight loss.

Another yoga option tailored for weight loss is bikrim yoga. Consisting of 26 poses and two breathing exercises repeated in a heated room, burns around 477 calories per hour, which is about equal to using a rowing machine at the gym.

However even more fat burning can be achieved through a session of hot yoga, with some reports suggesting as much as 700 calories being burnt per 90 minute session.

Hot yoga is similar to bikrim as it is practised in a heated room. Not restricted to the 26-pose sequence, hot yoga allows the body to stretch further, leaving users drenches in sweat and burning some serious calories.

Many toning exercises included in yoga routines promise to banish belly fat, with most branches of the practise focusing on the abdominal and core area. Strength-focused exercises will in turn help to achieve weight loss, with muscles still working and burning energy long after the session finishes.

Other methods of yoga exists such as hatha and ashtanga, but experts suggest focusing on bikrim, vinyasa or hot yoga when it comes to weight loss.

Hatha yoga focuses on breathing, mental exercises and winding down, burning only around 188 calories an hour.

On top of great weight loss results yoga also increases flexibility and strength, with followers of the practice using only their own body weigh as leverage for toning.

The ancient well-being method is also known for increasing mobility, posture and improving bone density. Yoga also reduces stress and creates a state of mindfulness. Mindfulness might be just what you need to curb your eating and stick to a weight-loss plan.

According to research, just one yoga class a week can help create mindfulness and improve your mental state, all contributing to a stronger approach to weight loss and helping you shed the pounds.

Another natural method also promising to help you lose weight fast is the practise of drinking cumin seeds. /life-style/life/962847/weight-loss-belly-fat-cumin-seeds

Just one teaspoon of the spice drunk with water can see pounds drop and belly fat melt away. Research has revealed the spice is more effective for weight loss than the obesity treatment pill, Orlistat.