"Love yourself first and the rest of your life will fall into place."

-Lucille Ball

I worked in the weight management and fitness industry for 6 years as an Exercise Physiologist and a Personal Trainer, prior to owning a yoga studio in Kansas City. Surprisingly, I have seen more people lose weight by practicing yoga, than I did when I was working in the fitness field.

Over the years, I have often asked myself the question, "Why does yoga help people lose weight more than any other form of exercise I have witnessed?" After teaching yoga for 7 years, I feel I finally know some of the answers.

Weight loss is traditionally approached as a physical "issue" and tends to be addressed only in that manor focusing on physical means, diet and exercise education, without attention to the individual's emotional and spiritual needs. Diet and exercise are valuable information, of course, but they do not get to the ROOT issue of why a person is overeating. I believe weight loss is an emotional and spiritual issue, and needs to be approached with emotional and spiritual means. Otherwise, it is like putting a square key (diet and exercise education only) into a round hole (emotional and spiritual well-being), the two just don't fit, at least not for long term weight loss.

Yoga is an exercise that stimulates and fulfills people mentally, emotionally and spiritually, as well as physically. When individuals are feeling fulfilled on ALL these levels, it increases their sense of self worth, so therefore they have less of a need to overeat or abuse their bodies, as they might have in the past. Weight loss begins to occur naturally due to an increase in self-esteem and self love that is cultivated on the yoga mat

The definition of yoga, according to Patanjali's yoga sutras states: "Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind," meaning that if we can quiet the chatter of the mind, union (yoga) between mind, body and spirit can be attained. Notice how Patanjali doesn't say, "He who does a handstand best wins!" Yoga is all about quieting the MIND, so that you can learn to concentrate in the present moment, on and off your mat. The ability to concentrate can help you improve all areas of your life, especially your health.

I believe weight loss begins by ceasing the chatter in the mind as well, the negative self talk that was developed as a self loathing habit over the years, usually stemming in early child hood.

Be very aware that your thought patterns (consciousness) aren¹t just in your mind, they are in every cell in your being, from head to toe. However, YOU have the power to change them thru continuous effort and awareness, to create new, positive, self affirming and loving thought patterns. Remember, your thoughts create your reality!

In Louise Hay's book, "You Can Heal Your Life", she suggests saying, "I love and accept myself exactly as I AM," 100 times a day, especially while looking at yourself in the mirror with your finger on your throat chakra, which is the seed for transformation.

In addition she suggests affirming, "I AM the perfect weight," for weight loss.

The words, "I AM", represent the divine within you, your Higher Self, so be very aware that you are not using these words in a negative context such as, "I AM fat!", "I Am stupid!", and "I AM so lazy!" Do not defame your "I AM", your body and spirit are listening!

Your body follows your mind, not the other way around. I think the saying, "think yourself thin," actually has a lot of validity.

I can¹t even begin to tell you the power of saying affirmations, they truly can produce miracles in your life, sometimes even instantaneously! Say them in the shower, while your getting ready for work or at bed at night, AND say them in your car!!! People may think you're nuts, but WHO CARES, this is your life, not theirs!

In addition to your affirmations, your yoga practice can help you control the thoughts in your mind.

Through the powerful sound of deep ujjayi breath and the yoga postures, the mind is quieted, basically distracted from its' routine way of thinking. The breathing and the postures help to produce deep states of concentration and relaxation, so the mind is trained to stay present in the moment, instead of dwelling in the past or fearing about the future.

What makes yoga, yoga, is the breathing, otherwise it would just be exercise. The breath is the bridge of the body, mind, Spirit union.

Every time you INHALE with awareness, you are drawing in higher states of consciousness, thru the prana (universal life force), helping you to cultivate your Higher Self into being more prevalent in your life. Your Higher Self is the part of you that wants the very best for you and knows without a shadow of a doubt, that you are divine, perfect, whole and complete, just as you are in this moment. This is yoga's greatest gift, divine love, which is non judgmental and unconditional. Basically, yoga helps to teach you to love and knows yourself as God loves and knows you.

In turn, when you EXHALE with awareness, you are being liberated from tension in the the body and fear based (ego) thoughts patterns, experiences and behaviors that are no longer serving your highest good. So the metaphor for yogic breathing can be summed up as follows:

Inhale - drawing in new life force (prana), new physical well being, new life experiences, new career opportunities, new relationships, improved self-esteem, a deeper connection to Spirit, and the courage to live out your heart's desires.

Exhale- releasing and WILLING to let go of the following: negative self talk, draining relationship, careers without passion and purpose, tension in the body, stress in the mind, unhealthy habits and addictions such as, overeating, not eating enough, drinking alcohol, obsessive exercise, compulsive shopping, smoking and drugs, just to name a few.

There is a saying in yoga that states: "Your bad habits will lose you." I have experienced this personally and have witnessed it in many of my students as well. More self love equals less bad habits!

In conclusion, every time you walk out of a yoga class you are a different person than you were before you started the class, whether you want to be or not, change is eminent. In just 1-2 hours, a powerful rebirthing of some sort has taken place on your yoga mat, leaving you feeling joyful, calm, content, connected and more clear about your purpose on the planet.

If you are new to yoga, think of yourself as a chrysalis in a cocoon, going thru the powerful process of metamorphosis, waiting to emerge and embrace the person you desire to be. Yoga can help you facilitate this transformative process, by helping you to shed the layers of your being and your life, that are no longer serving your highest good.

I wish you much success in your new lifestyle changes.

You DESERVE the BEST!

Kathleen Kastner
Exercise Physiologist M.S.
Owner of Maya Yoga
Kansas City, Missouri

*The physical benefits of yoga can be found under the "Ashtanga" heading on this site.