Weight Loss with Meditation and Yoga

Human body is more than simple physics and chemistry. At a more subtle level your mind regulates body’s chemistry (metabolism) and physics (energy balance). It is more complicated than calories in, calories out scenario. Sure, it is important for weight loss to eat less (calories) and burn more (calories) by exercising.

It is not enough though. Scientifical studies showed without a doubt that chronic stress turns on a chemical messenger called neuropeptide Y, which is found in body fat. This hormone increases appetite, especially for carbohydrate-rich foods. It also causes your body to convert these calories into belly fat. A double impact that will add pounds to your weight in a very short period of time.

We knew that as a matter of fact. Whenever we are tensed, we tend to swallow absentmindedly our food without deriving much satisfaction or pleasure. So we eat more.

And like this is not bad enough, the chronic stress is also one of the main triggers for metabolic syndrome (glucose intolerance) that can lead to diabetes with all the associated conditions like high cholesterol, high blood pressure and inflammation.

What to do?. Well, meditation and yoga are perfect remedies for stress.

Among other benefits, meditation calms your mind and raises your threshold to stress. Again it works under the same pattern, mind over body. When meditating your body releases the good mood neurotransmitter Serotonin. In time your body becomes “addicted” to good mood hence a higher tolerance for stress.

Specific to meditation is also the increased awareness that will wipe out the unconscious food stuffing beyond your body needs. You will eat calmer and slower and allow your body send the message “enough” to your mind.

Now, combine these benefits with hatha-yoga (the physical part of yoga) and you get an unstoppable trend toward a slimmer and younger body. From hatha-yoga sun salutations works perfectly as a low impact workout, midway between resistance training (e.g. weight lifting) and cardiovascular (e.g. jogging). In fitness terminology they call this new, in vogue type of exercise Interval Training.

Sun salutation goes beyond that. It has it all including the stretching and the mind focus. And you know what? It was around for so long that it may have some extra value.

For the more advanced yoga practitioners, specific yogic postures (e.g. shoulder stand), activates and regulates the internal secretions of the thyroid gland -the master gland, that affects the fat metabolism.

This is it!. Meditation and yoga works synergistically toward a better mind and body. If only you had the will power to initiate this process. Do you?.

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