• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
The Fit Habit
  • Food
    • Low Carb Breakfast
    • Low Carb Lunch
    • Low Carb Dinners
    • Low Carb Side Dish
    • Soup Recipes
    • Low Carb Snacks
    • Low Carb Treats
    • Healthy Recipes
  • Wellness
    • Burnout Recovery
      • How to Recover from Burnout
      • Best Self Journaling
      • Emotional Freedom Technique
    • Weight Loss
      • My Weight Loss Story
      • How to Become Fat Adapted
    • Mindset & Habits
      • Habit Mastery
      • Mindset
  • Workouts
    • Try a Free Home Workout
      • 6 Weeks of the Work | An Advanced Workout For Extreme Results
      • Barre Blend | A Sample Workout You Can Do Anywhere
      • 9 Week Control Freak 28 Minute Sample Workout
    • Beachbody Workouts
    • Yoga
    • Running
    • Strength Training Workouts
    • Barre Workouts
    • All Workouts
  • Programs
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Beachbody Workouts
  • Weight Loss Over 40
  • Coaching
  • About The Fit Habit
  • Recipes
  • Low Carb Breakfast Ideas
  • Low Carb Lunch
  • Low Carb Dinners
  • Low Carb Desserts
  • Low Carb Drink Recipes
  • Low Carb Side Dish
  • Low Carb Snacks
  • Sauces and dips
  • Most Popular Recipes
  • Let's Connect!

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Yoga » Can Yoga Actually Reduce Belly Fat? Fact vs Fiction

    Can Yoga Actually Reduce Belly Fat? Fact vs Fiction

    Published: May 1, 2021 · Last Modified: May 1, 2021 by Caren · This post may contain affiliate links

    18 shares
    • Share
    • Tweet
    woman doing yoga
    woman doing yoga to burn belly fat

    If you do a quick search on yoga and weight loss, particularly yoga for reducing belly fat, you'll come up with some pretty sketchy responses. So today I'm going to attempt to answer questions about yoga for weight loss and burning belly fat. I hope this provides some clarity, so that you can decide for yourself whether or not a yoga practice is right for you and your goals.

    But First, Yoga is More Than Exercise

    Pin it for later

    Before we dive into this topic, it's important to understand that yoga is more than just a series of physical poses that you do on a mat. It's an entire life philosophy and an ancient tradition.

    Traditionally, yoga poses (known as "asanas") were practiced to prepare the body and mind for meditation. Now, we see them as a way to strengthen the body and elevate the heart rate. While yoga is a great form of exercise, I would be remiss not to point out that it's so much more than that. Yoga can change your life for the better.

    Can you lose weight only doing yoga?

    Forward fold - Uttanasana

    I've answered this post in the past, but it's worth repeating that yes, yoga is an effective way to lose weight, but the reason is not as obvious as you might think. Practices such as power yoga or vinyasa are certainly great ways to improve strength and get your heart rate up, but a regular practice can do much more than than just tone your body.

    Practicing yoga a few times a week will help you feel more connected to your body. I know that might sound a little squishy, but it simply means that you will become more present with your physical state. So rather than reaching for a cookie every time you get stressed, you may choose more productive ways to cope with stress.

    It may also help you reduce inflammation caused by stress, help relieve digestive issues and improve the functioning of your vagus nerve that connects your gut to your brain.

    You may also find that yoga leaves you feeling more peaceful and happier, so you don't need to numb your feelings with food and alcohol the minute you feel emotional discomfort.

    The benefits of yoga go far beyond the scope of this blog post, but I hope that provides some general insight into how it can help support your weight loss journey, and your general wellbeing.

    Can you burn belly fat with yoga?

    Boat Pose - Navasana

    Now that we know that yoga can help us lose weight through better lifestyle choices, a calmer nervous system as well as burning calories, let's address the issue of belly fat.

    Belly fat typically results from poor lifestyle habits such as overeating or consuming too much sugar, alcohol and process carbs. It's also caused by a lack of exercise - a critical component for healthy metabolic function.

    Research also shows that belly fat can often come about because of too much stress. A Yale study shows that women who are chronically stressed suffer from elevated cortisol which leads to a greater level of visceral fat (fat around the internal organs). This explains why otherwise lean and healthy women can suddenly find themselves with a belly.

    In both cases, yoga can help by reducing stress, improving metabolic function and bringing more awareness to lifestyle choices that might be causing the weight gain.

    Anecdotally, it was my yoga practice that helped me quit smoking many years ago. My practice enabled me to walk through near-irresistible cravings and stay present with my vision for better health and freedom from nicotine addiction. The power of present-moment awareness is an incredible tool for creating positive change in anyone's life.

    Yoga weight loss story

    Which yoga is best for burning belly fat?

    There are so many styles of yoga that it's hard to pinpoint one style as being best for fat loss. However, I will say that the style of yoga that brings you the most peace and presence is going to be the best route to success.

    As I mentioned before, belly fat is often related to stress and hormonal issues, so anything that lowers cortisol by better managing stress is going to be most helpful.

    For some people, a hot and sweaty vinyasa style practice with a lot of movement is the best way to bring themselves into calmness. For others, a slower, but more strength-focused practice, like power yoga might be a better fit.

    Personally, I find yoga sculpt to be particularly effective as it draws from other exercises like PiYo and Barre. This is one of the styles of yoga I am trained in (as well as vinyasa) and it's a practice I really enjoy.

    What are the best poses for burning belly fat?

    I did a quick search for this question and I found some odd suggestions from the top articles in Google. Poses like cobra or Pavanamuktasana are suggested as core strengtheners that trigger fat loss in the midsection if held longer than a minute. This is a complete fallacy.

    Cobra Pose - this does NOTHING to strengthen core muscles, but it is a great back bend.
    Pavanamuktasana is ideal for releasing the lower back muscles and good for farting, but useless for reducing belly fat.

    Poses such as cobra do not activate or strengthen the core at all. They also don't elevate the heart rate enough to enter a fat burning zone. The same is true of Pavanamuktasana (curling up into a ball while laying on your back - also known as "wind releasing pose"). This is hardly a strength or cardiovascular workout.

    More over, holding a passive pose where you're lying on the floor for a minute or longer does nothing to promote fat loss. Instead, working through a series of active poses that engages muscles, elevates the heart rate and calls for steady, rhythmic breath that improves vagal tone, may help burn fat. The intention should be to keep the body moving and the breath deep and notable.

    Ready for some yoga classes that may actually help you burn fat?

    Instead of listing a bunch of poses that if practiced on their own won't do anything to help you with your belly fat issues, I'm going to share some of my favorite online classes that will help you work on your overall mind/body condition.

    The Real Truth About Belly Fat

    Even though I do believe yoga can help with belly fat, its only going to get you so far. At least 75% of excess fat is gained through poor dietary habits. If you think you might be eating too much, try counting macros for a few weeks to see if you're over-consuming food. I have a short, but effective macro counting program that will help you determine exactly how much you should be eating in terms of protein, fat and carbohydrates.

    If your body fat is disproportionally centered around your mid-section, you may want to focus on cutting back on processed carbohydrates as you may have developed metabolic syndrome.

    I hope this helps you on your road to better health. Overall, I think yoga is a powerful addition to a healthy lifestyle for all the reasons I mentioned above, but all the yoga in the world will not overcome a poor diet. Speaking as someone who has lost over 80lbs and kept it off, what you put in your mouth mostly determines how you look and feel.

    yoga before and after

    Namaste!

    Caren

    Caren is a certified yoga teacher, fitness instructor and ADHD Coach.  As the founder of The Fit Habit, she shares ADHD-friendly self-care, food & fitness inspiration, along with practical ways to foster mind + body wellness.

    « The BEST Air Fryer Bread | Low Carb & Gluten Free
    Easy Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole | 21 Day Fix Approved »

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Caren

    I'm an ADHD coach & wellness expert with a mind that runs faster than a quick-dry nail polish. I have figured out how to master my ADHD brain through fitness, healthy eating and self-care and I get a thrill out of helping other women like me, do the same. You may or may not have ADHD, but somewhere after 40, most of us end up wondering why our jeans are tight and our brains are foggier than summer in San Francisco. If that's you, I'm here to help. Welcome!

    Let's Connect!

    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • YouTube

    Keep the positive Momentum going

    The best way to stay on track with your wellness + life goals is to keep the reminders and inspiration flowing. Let me help you with that.

    We're in this together, my friend.

    The Best in At Home Workouts

    andrea rogers XB Pilaties

    BOD vs BODi - What's the difference + $$?

    extend barre beachbody

    The Best Beachbody (BODI) Workouts in 2022

    xb pilates founder doing pilates

    XB Pilates Before + Afters (I'm in love)

    woman's before and after of sure thing

    Beachbody's Sure Thing - Sample Workout, Before & After

    extend barre beachbody

    Beachbody's Xtend Barre Review + Sample Workout

    women with wellness app

    The BEST Fitness Apps For Women (That I Use Daily)

    Want more blog posts? →

    Footer

    As Seen In

    • About The Fit Habit
    • Disclaimer & Privacy Statement

    Keep the positive momentum going

    Stay on track with your fitness + wellness goals.

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Accessibility Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Services
    • Media Kit
    • FAQ

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2021

    18 shares