Yoga Is Not For Weight Loss. Yoga Is For Self Worth.

Since starting a daily yoga practice, I’ve probably lost about 20 pounds, but I’d never say this is what yoga is for.

However, if you do a quick Google search for “yoga for weight loss” you’ll find more than 55 million results with over 100,000 videos on YouTube. It’s overwhelming and if you ask me, enough is enough.

I get it. The weight loss industry is massive and has targeted over 100 million dieters (84% of whom women) to subscribe to the idea that skinny is in.

Last year, the industry was estimated to have reached over $60 billion in annual revenue.

But there's something severely wrong with the premise of this business.

Selling "yoga for weight loss” insinuates that there's something wrong with you, but guess what!?

You are Divine, just the way you are.

So what if you might be a little thicker than the skinny yoginis on magazine covers?

So am I.

And that’s OK. As a matter of fact, most women have curves. It’s natural.

Granted, obesity is a problem in our country with over one-third of U.S. adults considered to be overweight. But if overweight individuals are going to practice yoga, they might notice other beneficial results before they lose a single pound.

Yoga is for cultivating an awareness of the breath and calming the fluctuations of the mind. Yoga is for appreciating your body and being grateful for it’s incredible abilities. Yoga is also about creating consciousness regarding your body, how you move it, what you put into it, and how it affects your energy.

If you lose weight as a result of these practices, well then, I guess you get to buy yourself a new pair of yoga pants. But that’s not what yoga is for.

My weight loss came from decreasing the stress and anxiety in my life, while increasing my core strength and food consciousness. And, it didn’t happen overnight.

The change was a shift in my overall lifestyle to become happier and healthier. That’s what yoga is for. Yoga is a conscious lifestyle and a union between your physical, mental and spiritual self.

So don’t do yoga to lose weight. Do yoga for you! Do yoga to relax your mind. Do yoga to strengthen your body. And do yoga to maximize every breath!

Why? Because you deserve to be happy. You deserve to be healthy. You deserve to feel calm. Most importantly, you deserve to love your body, no matter what shape or size.

And don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Photo Credit: Fluid Frame

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