How does yoga work?

Question

every one seems to say that excercise is the key to loosing weight but i automaticaly think of running/joggin around but then some people say that half an hour of yoga a day helps aswell but how does it work if it is soo relaxing and calm and involves no cardio??

Answer 1

At the outset, we must understand what we can gain out of this wonderful practice

At the physical level, yoga and its cleansing practices have proven to be extremely effective for various disorders. To get a sampling of how yoga benefits health disorders, please visit the Yoga Therapy section.

More importantly, yoga is extremely effective in:

Increasing Flexibility – yoga has positions that act upon the various joints of the body including those joints that are never really on the ‘radar screen’ let alone exercised.


Increasing lubrication of the joints, ligaments and tendons – likewise, the well-researched yoga positions exercise the different tendons and ligaments of the body.

Surprisingly it has been found that the body which may have been quite rigid starts experiencing a remarkable flexibility in even those parts which have not been consciously work upon. Why? It is here that the remarkable research behind yoga positions proves its mettle. Seemingly unrelated “non strenuous” yoga positions act upon certain parts of the body in an interrelated manner. When done together, they work in harmony to create a situation where flexibility is attained relatively easily.


Massaging of ALL Organs of the Body – Yoga is perhaps the only form of activity which massages all the internal glands and organs of the body in a thorough manner, including those – such as the prostate - that hardly get externally stimulated during our entire lifetime. Yoga acts in a wholesome manner on the various body parts. This stimulation and massage of the organs in turn benefits us by keeping away disease and providing a forewarning at the first possible instance of a likely onset of disease or disorder.

One of the far-reaching benefits of yoga is the uncanny sense of awareness that it develops in the practitioner of an impending health disorder or infection. This in turn enables the person to take pre-emptive corrective action

Complete Detoxification – By gently stretching muscles and joints as well as massaging the various organs, yoga ensures the optimum blood supply to various parts of the body. This helps in the flushing out of toxins from every nook and cranny as well as providing nourishment up to the last point. This leads to benefits such as delayed ageing, energy and a remarkable zest for life.

Excellent toning of the muscles – Muscles that have become flaccid, weak or slothy are stimulated repeatedly to shed excess flab and flaccidity.

Answer 2

The most important aspect of Yoga is rhythmic, deep and correct breathing (breathing into stomach). As a rule, each time you stretch you have to inhale and as you relax, exhale. So, no matter how difficult your excercise or posture is, you are breathing at the same pace with all your concentration. This helps in toning muscles, burning calories, giving peace and calm to the body and brain and a very positive feeling.

As a bonus, because of the positive/ happy/ satisfied frame of mind, people who do Yoga regularly seldom binge on food and have very healthy eating habits!!!!

Answer 3

I do just a minimal amount of yoga and the benefits are amazing. It has kept my chronic back pain at bay for years now, ever since I started doing it. I tried a Yoga class but it was too hard. I bought some cards that have beginning yoga exercises on them and that is a good place to start. I got them at Barnes and Noble.

Answer 4

Doing yoga is like weight training in that you’re often doing resistance against your own body weight (plank position is like getting ready to do a push up in the up position--just you try to hold that and keep breathing calmly for one minute!). More muscle burns more calories when resting so, having more muscle tone will help accumulatively.

Also, if you're doing flowing poses or moving from one pose to another (like in sun salutation), you quickly increase your breathing and will start to sweat. Thirty minutes of sun salutations are a lot. I can dance for 2 1/2 hours but doing 30 minutes of straight, quick sun salutations would literally wear me out to the point of shaking. I can only do about 10 minutes before I have to switch to doing something else.

It's all in what you "do."

--I've practised yoga since I was a child and I'm 35. I do it secularly.

Answer 5

Yoga allows the body to use itself to achieve a natural body.the shape meant for your body.I also find yoga can be done to energize as well. as you become more advanced you will find out why it gives the body the abilities to stay more powerful than you ever thought.
however, it does not mean you can't ad cardio to your regime. all depends on your personal needs and/or goals.

Answer 6

Have you ever tried yoga? You do feel a burn. It's great and I swear that it's the best exercise.
I think it's nice though to do a blend of different exercises throughout the week.

Answer 7

Yoga is both a physical and spiritual exercise coupled with discipline of body and mind hence the top most exercise .all around