Can yoga help me lose weight?

This is probably the most common question I get from new yoga students, and my answer is always a resounding yes! While it's true that a typical yoga class does not have near the calorie-burning power of a spinning or weights class, if practised mindfully, yoga can help you shed extra pounds.

Because yoga puts you in touch with your body and mind, you learn the art of 'mindfulness', that ability to observe what is happening internally, thus changing your relationship with your body and, in time, to food. Over the years, I have seen countless people come to Shakti, begin yoga practice and without being conscious of it, start to eat more healthily and recognise when they are eating out of habit or stress. The result is always a slow, but natural healthy weight loss.

Ask Buffy Campbell, who attributes her 120-pound weight loss over the last three years to practising yoga. "Yoga puts me in a place of peace with my body. My body is no longer my enemy but a temple of the Divine, which I honour by eating foods that are good for me and thinking positive thoughts that keep me motivated on my path to wellness," she said.

Type of yoga that helps

While traditional types of yoga such as iyengar yoga, based on breathing techniques and slower, more static poses, will help you be more mindful, if you are serious about weight loss, you should look for a more westernised power or vinyasa yoga class with faster more active movements. Aerobic means to exercise in the presence of oxygen, so when you are doing yogic breathing with very active, flowing poses, you stay in a fat-burning zone, shedding pounds, while gaining muscle and flexibility.

What I recommend to my clients for weight loss is a combination of at least 90 minutes of vigorous yoga three times a week, light-weight training and cardio exercise such as walking or spinning.

Some work tips

1. Find a power or vinyasa yoga class close to you.

2. If that is unavailable, get a great DVD!

3. Learn to go inside and observe your body, even the most subtle sensations and micro movements. This will teach you the art of mindfulness.

4. Learn to eat like a yogi. Yogis eat a mostly vegetarian-based diet. Cut out processed foods, diet sodas, sugar, wheat and dairy and watch those pounds drop!

5. Commit and be consistent!

Sharon McConnell-Feanny is a certified yoga instructor and co-owner of Shakti Mind Body Fitness in Kingston. She has more than 25 years' experience in health and fitness; email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.