Can Yoga Help With Weight Loss? And Do I Really Need a Subscription?

I’ve been looking at yoga lately.

I’m certainly no yoga expert. I’m at the stage where I’m still deciding whether some of those positions are physically possible, for me at least, or whether the internet is having a joke at my expense.

What interested me was the combination of movement, flexibility, strength and the possibility that yoga for weight loss might actually have some merit.

Then I nearly bought a subscription.

And suddenly, my investigation into yoga became an investigation into fine print.

Can Yoga for Weight Loss Actually Work?

From what I’ve been reading, the answer seems to be yes, it can help - but it isn’t magic.

Some forms of yoga are much more physically demanding than others, so they can contribute to our overall activity. Yoga can also help with strength, flexibility, balance and mobility, which interests me just as much as what happens on the scales.

What it cannot do is magically remove fat from a particular part of the body or guarantee dramatic weight loss because we performed a certain pose every morning.

This is mildly disappointing.

I was hoping there might be a position called The Vanishing Waistline.

Apparently, we still have to consider the rest of our lifestyle.

What I Do Like About Yoga

The appeal for me is that yoga seems to offer more than exercise alone.

There’s movement, stretching, balance and strength, but also an emphasis on breathing and paying attention to what the body is doing. As we get older, maintaining mobility, flexibility and balance starts sounding considerably more attractive than chasing some heroic fitness goal.

I don't particularly want exercise to feel like punishment. I want something I can actually imagine continuing.

Interestingly, after all my investigating, I'm beginning to wonder whether the advertisements that caught my attention were actually for Tai Chi rather than yoga. Or possibly Qigong!

There are so many gentle movement programs appearing in my Facebook feed that I'm starting to lose track of which is which. Perhaps that's another investigation waiting to happen.

For now, I'm learning that choosing an exercise I enjoy is probably more important than choosing one with the most convincing advertisement.

Importantly though, it looks like something that can be adapted.

Then Came the Subscription

This was the part that annoyed me.

I found a yoga program with an introductory price that looked very reasonable. I was close to signing up until I looked more carefully and discovered that the ongoing automatic payment would be considerably higher.

Now, I have absolutely no problem with people making money from their work. Someone created the program, filmed the classes, developed the platform and runs the business.

Charge for it.

Just tell me clearly what I'm going to be charged!

An introductory offer isn't a problem when the ongoing cost is equally obvious. It becomes a problem when the attractive number is enormous and the number that will eventually leave your bank account requires investigative skills.

Yes, we should read the fine print.

But businesses could also make the important print considerably less fine.

Introducing The Suspicious Flamingo

I've therefore developed my first yoga position.

Introducing The Suspicious Flamingo — my newly discovered yoga pose for maintaining balance, breathing deeply and protecting my bank account. Who knew financial peace could be part of inner peace?

The Suspicious Flamingo.

Before entering your card details, stand very still - preferably on both feet - and check:

What will I pay today? What will I pay next time? Does it renew automatically? How often will I be charged? And how do I cancel it?

Hold the position until all answers have been located.

Breathe deeply if necessary.

Do We Even Need to Pay?

That's the other thing I discovered.

There is an enormous amount of free yoga available online. If, like me, you're still exploring whether yoga is something you'd enjoy, starting with reputable free beginner instruction makes a lot of sense.

A paid program might eventually be worthwhile if we want structured lessons, progression, specialist instruction or the motivation of having committed some money to it.

But we don't need a subscription to discover whether we like yoga.

And paying for a program certainly won't make us healthier if we never actually use it.

So that's where my yoga investigation has landed for now.

Yoga may help with weight management, and its benefits for strength, flexibility, balance and general wellbeing make it interesting to me anyway.

I'm going to keep exploring it.

Carefully.

One eye on the yoga mat.

The other firmly on the automatic renewal price.

The Suspicious Flamingo.

I think I'm getting quite good at that one.

If you’re curious about giving yoga a try too, I’ve put together a free Gentle Introduction to Yoga printable with six beginner poses to explore - and, naturally, The Suspicious Flamingo has managed to sneak in there as well.

Namaste

Deb xx

Thoughtful writing across life, mind, and meaning.

P.S. A small note about the printable: I’ve included a few simple yoga poses as a starting point for anyone who, like me, is curious about giving yoga a try. I’m certainly not a yoga teacher or health professional, so please treat it as a general guide rather than instruction. Learn the poses from a qualified instructor or reputable source, listen to your body, and adapt or skip anything that doesn’t feel right for you.

Access your free Beginner Yoga Printable here →