Yoga is known to be the healthiest and safest way to lose weight, and it is essential to learn the best time to do yoga for weight loss.
If you want to get the best out of your yoga practice, knowing when to do yoga isn’t just important—it’s crucial. People worldwide have been using yoga for weight loss for hundreds of years.
This research-based article will teach you the best time to do yoga for weight loss, how long it takes to lose weight with yoga, and the 10 best and most effective yoga poses for weight loss.
Table of Contents
Is There a Best Time To Do Yoga For Weight Loss?
According to some experts, all yogic practices must occur before 8:30 in the morning or after 4:00 or 4:30 in the evening. Even though the hours before sunrise are considered best for doing yoga, most experts say the best time of day for practicing yoga is the time that suits your schedule best and works best for your body and mind.
To get the benefits of yoga, you need to be consistent in your practice. And to do that, you need to be able to fit your yoga practice into your schedule.
Yoga has tremendous benefits that motivate you to carve time out of your busy schedule to restore calm and inner peace.
Your practice may change over time as your life changes. For example, you may have gone to your yoga classes in the morning before work for years. However, when you had kids, attending your classes during the day while they are at school made more sense.
It doesn’t matter if you do yoga at different times on different days of the week as long as you find a sustainable routine.
How Long Does It Take To Lose Weight With Yoga?
Now that we know the best time to do yoga for weight loss let us answer this question: how long does it take to lose weight with yoga?
Yoga is one of the safest and healthiest ways to lose weight and requires long-term commitment and consistent practice. If you want to lose weight doing yoga, aim to practice as often as possible.
If you are a beginner to yoga, begin slowly and gradually build up your practice. Start with 25 Minutes Yoga For Weight Loss For Beginners [With Videos]
Mix your yoga practice with activities such as running, walking, cycling, or swimming for extra cardiovascular benefits.
According to Harvard Health, you expect to burn between 240 and 356 calories per hour, depending on your body weight, while stretching or practicing Hatha Yoga.
Remember that creating a calorie deficit by burning more calories than you take in is central to weight loss success.
Yoga can also help strengthen some essential healthy behaviors and inspire discipline.
For instance, research issued in a 2018 issue of the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity observed that young adults who practiced yoga consumed more fruits and vegetables and were generally more physically active while eating less fast food and sugary beverages.
Another research, issued in a 2016 edition of Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, analyzed the weight loss journey of 20 females who had lost weight.
The study identified five key themes of yoga’s impact on weight loss, including a transformation toward healthy consumption and the benefit of support within the yoga community.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, you’re more likely to lose weight at a steady pace of one to two pounds per week and keep it off over the long term.
A combination of physical activity, nutrition, and self-care is the key to a successful effort to lose weight and keep it off in the long term.
For maximum and fast results, combine your yoga practice with these 40 fat-burning exercises that are scientifically proven to work.
What is The Best Time To Do Yoga For Weight Loss?
Doing yoga in the morning may lead to productivity and better mental health during the day since yoga is excellent for reducing stress. According to experts, working out in the morning, particularly on an empty stomach, is the best way to burn stored fat, making it perfect for weight loss.
An early-morning workout on an empty stomach helps speed weight loss and increases energy levels by priming the body for an all-day fat burn. A study found that when you exercise in the morning, you may have less appetite during the day, which could also help prevent you from gaining weight.
Even if you do not like setting up your alarms early, doing yoga first thing in the morning can quickly become a habit.
A study finds it easier to stick to healthy habits completed in the morning.
Research issued in 2019 in the Journal of Physiology observed that exercising at 7 a.m. may change your body clock earlier, suggesting you will feel more alert in the morning and get tired earlier in the evening, possibly priming you to get enough rest to wake up and repeat the same thing the following day.
However, if you’re not a morning person, go easy and do not force it. Doing yoga in the afternoon also has some benefits.
What About Evening Yoga For Weight Loss?
An afternoon yoga practice can also be an excellent way to avoid an end-of-the-day slump.
The Journal of Physiology research observed that exercising between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. can change your body clock like an early morning workout.
A 2018 study observed that your body naturally burns about 10% more calories in the late afternoon than in the early morning and late night.
For your evening yoga practice, start with these 25 Best Yoga Exercises To Lose Weight Faster And Look Gorgeous [With Videos]
Yoga For Night Time Also Has Benefits
For many individuals, doing yoga is most convenient after work. However, there’s a common belief that evening exercise energizes you so much that it may be difficult to fall asleep later.
Contrary to the common belief, yoga can help you sleep better.
A 2019 paper issued in the Journal of Experimental Physiology observed that nighttime exercises do not prevent sleep. Over time can also decrease levels of the hunger-stimulating hormone ghrelin, which could support weight loss or control.
Research has observed that long-term practice can help with your overall sleep quality.
Doing yoga in the evening is an excellent way to signal to the body that it is time to relax. Yoga can help you feel more mindful, enabling your mind to relax and let go of all the anxiety and worry you have been holding onto all day.
Is It Better To Do Yoga In The Morning or at Night?
Doing yoga in the morning is a great way to set the tone for the day ahead.
Studies have found that yoga’s effectiveness for reducing anxiety and simple and easy poses in the early morning can help you get into a positive frame of mind for the day ahead.
Practicing yoga first thing in the morning boosts energy and focus throughout the day.
Generally, there are physical and physiological conditions for practicing Yoga:
- You should not be tired, and you should have had proper rest.
- Your minds should be fresh.
- You should not have eaten anything for 3–4 hours before starting Yoga.
- You should have evacuated your bowels.
- The Sun should not be very bright (hot).
- The moon’s effect should not be there (the moon effect is witnessed at an emotional level).
- You should not be in the middle of sleeping.
NOTE: All these conditions are satisfied, particularly in the morning, and, therefore, the most appropriate for doing Yoga.
Finding time to do yoga can be challenging; however, if you want to optimize your practice to get the fullest range of benefits, you might want to do yoga in the morning.
Yoga experts suggest practicing yoga in the morning or early evening. They recommend always finishing your session with Savasana (Corpse Pose), no matter the time of day or season you practice.
Each yoga session brings you closer to your long-term and short-term goals for your weight loss and health journey.
If your long-term goal is to lose weight and tone your body, then morning sessions are better because you will use your fat reservoir.
On the other hand, if your goal is improving focus and relaxing your mind, both morning and evening are equally good.
One essential thing to keep in mind is that you will need to allocate more time to warm-up exercises in the morning compared to the evening, particularly if you are going to do asanas that need static stretching of muscles.
Yoga is highly addictive, and you will start enjoying every session as time passes. In no time, you will want an excuse to do yoga, whether it is morning or evening. Remember, no one said, “I really regret going to yoga today.”
How Much Time To Do Yoga?
It all depends on your time and your experience. Yoga really can help you shape your body and reduce weight. It will make you healthy and happy. Practicing regularly, even if it’s only a few minutes daily, will make a difference.
Even 10 to 15 minutes of yoga practice will help you build concentration, increase flexibility, and strengthen willpower.
Establish a consistent time of day to set aside for practice. Do what feels right to you. Always remember that consistency is key.
10 Best Yoga For Weight Loss
A group of researchers at Yale University observed that women who experienced significant stress levels and were otherwise “slim” were more inclined to have stomach fat.
Yoga can help you relax and lose weight.
1- Surya Namaskara or Salute to the Sun or Sun Salutation
Surya namaskar slowly stretches and warms up the muscles, getting the blood flowing.
It also builds internal heat while simultaneously stretching and toning most of the main muscles. It can help shape your waist, tone your arms, boost metabolism, and stimulate your digestive system.
Do it early in the morning, under the sun, and reap most of the benefits.
2- Phalakasana or Plank Pose
Holding a plank strengthens your core. It may not seem much, but it won’t take long to feel it in your abs. Hold the plank for a little longer, and you can feel the intensity.
3- Virabhadrasana B or Warrior pose II
This pose will tone the muscles in your thighs and shoulders. To reap maximum benefits, try to bend your front knee, so your thigh is parallel to the floor. The longer you hold this posture, the tighter your quads will get.
4- Virabhadrasana C or Warrior Pose II
Do you want a toned butt? This is the best posture.
To get even more out of this position, squeeze your abs while you hold the pose. Doing so will flatten your belly. The longer you can hold, the more your butt will benefit.
5- Trikonasana or Triangle Pose
The twisting motion of trikonasana helps you enhance your digestion and decrease fat deposits in your belly.
6- Adho Mukha Svanasana or Downward Facing Dog
Do you need to tone your total body? Then include downward in your yoga practice. It strengthens your arms, back, and thighs.
While doing the downward, don’t forget to breathe!
7- Setu Bandha Sarvangasana or Bridge Pose
Bridge pose is excellent for the thyroid and glutes and great for weight loss.
And if you want one more reason to practice Bridge, it also helps stimulate the abdominal organs to keep your digestion happy.
8- Sarvangasana or Shoulder Stand
The shoulder stand does everything from enhancing digestion to therapy for the thyroid and improving strength.
This inversion balances thyroid levels boosts metabolism, enhances the respiratory system, strengthens the upper body, legs, and abs, and helps you sleep better.
9- Dhanurasana or Bow pose
Dhanurasana is one of the best postures to burn your belly fat.
The bow pose helps massage the abdominal organs to enhance digestion, but it’s also a fantastic way to strengthen the thighs, chest, and back.
10- Parivrtta Utkatasana or Revolved Chair Pose
Parivritta Utkatasana, or chair posture, works the quads, the glutes, and the abs.
The twisting also helps the digestive system and the lymph system. Combine all these into one movement, and you’ve got an excellent way to lose weight.
Final Thoughts
Morning practice would win if you had to choose the best time to do yoga for weight loss. Early morning yoga practice makes the most of your biology and psychology, possibly leading to better weight loss and commitment over time.
However, there’s really no bad time to practice yoga, and the most important thing is finding the time that works for you.
Always remember to take care of yourself: eat right, exercise, maintain a good lifestyle, eat right amounts of veggies and fruits.
I hope this article successfully armed you with the knowledge you need about the best time to do yoga.
Share this article and tips with your family and friends to learn the best time to do yoga for optimal weight loss.
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