Fad diets are so yesterday!
Weight loss without dieting: Kripalu yoga prescribes meditation, pranayama and asanas to improve your mental and physical well-being, instead (International Journal Of Yoga Therapy).
Kripalu yoga, with its “emphasis on self-acceptance, self-care,” and lifestyle changes, is a nondieting approach to losing weight.
This effective alternative weight loss program emphasizes the importance of psychological well-being and might be the missing link you and your loved ones need to lose weight and keep it off long term.
What is Kripalu Yoga?
The three components in a typical Kripalu Yoga class are
- Gentle Hatha yoga poses
- Yogic breathing exercises (pranayama)
- Meditation
A Kripalu Yoga class does not follow a set sequence, and its “creative nature” allows each instructor to conduct her class in a unique way. Emhasizing a true mind-body connection, in Kripalu Yoga, your “thoughts, feelings and actions” are just as important as performing the Hatha yoga poses properly.
Kripalu Yoga guides you through a life-changing physical and psychological transformation to improve your quality of life.
Kripalu Yoga Offers Integrative Weight Loss without Dieting
For this yoga study, published in the International Journal Of Yoga Therapy, the participants completed a 5-day residential Integrative Weight Loss Program at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.
During the program, these weight-loss enthusiasts learned
- The principles of whole foods nutrition
- How to cook whole foods
- To receive support through sharing circles
The activities during the Kripalu Yoga Integrative weight loss without dieting program activities were (scroll down to view a copy of the daily schedule):
- Going for walks
- Learning to eat mindfully
- Stress management strategies
- Self-care training
- Yoga classes
Who Can Lose Weight with Kripalu Yoga?
The participants in this study were primarily highly educated, middle-aged women aged between 32 and 65 years. The women were exclusively Caucasian (sorry about that, beyond my control), with 84 percent classified as obese:
- 37% completed the Integrative Weight Loss program
- 84% of the women completed the post-program surveys
- 49% of the women completed the surveys given 3 to 4 months after program completion
- 51% of women revealed their body weight at the one-year follow-up
Results of the Kripalu Yoga Weight Loss Study
The good news is the women’s scores improved on every aspect measured by the Kripalu Yoga Integrative Weight Loss Program study. The original mean of the participant’s weight was 204.63 pounds. After one year, their mean weight dropped to 187.68 pounds, for a loss of 16.95 pounds with an average rate of 1.41 pounds per month.
The women also showed
- Large improvements in physical activity and self-observation
- Medium-sized improvements in nutrition, spiritual growth, and stress management, as well as self-awareness, non-judgment, and non-reactivity
- A significant decline in negative mood
- A significant increase in self-compassion
