5 Shocking Ways Yoga Causes You To Lose Weight 

updated 8/3/22

10-18-2024 Update: this link is no longer active to the Sivana Spirit blog. I am working on getting the article contents back from the company and I will post it here.

Yoga is an awesome healing tool!

I confess, I did not write the title to my article published on the international Yoga blog: Sivana Spirit.

Had I written the title, I would not have used the work "shocking" as Yoga's affects no longer shock me. I am not certain they ever did. I do know, had I been asked 20 years ago when I started doing Yoga postures, I would not have expected all the benefits Yoga has brought into my life. (Notice I put postures in italics up there. I have been doing Yoga meditation, guided visualizations, and mindfulness work since I was 26. I sincerely had no idea this was Yoga. When I started doing postures, I thought like so many others do, that the postures were Yoga. I have learned a lot!)

But these Yoga revelations have not been "shocking." They have been smooth and silky, warm and fuzzy, and oh so stealth in sneaking into my life.

To read more about these "shocking" Yoga weight loss impacts and benefits, click here. 

Yoga truly is an easy and amazing tool for health and healing. Maybe this fact is the shocker in a culture that prefers more difficult answers. 

Yoga tones the vagus nerve… this is a huge factor in creating awareness of what triggers you to do the things you do & react the way you react. You become a calmer, more peaceful person, able to stop - reflect - and chose healthy choices as opposed to knee jerk reacting into emotional outbursts and choices that do not serve your highest good or healing energy.

Namaste good people. 


Yoga Supports these things in Your Life (photos added 7/17/19)
 
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Naturally Simple Ways to Weigh LESS...

Naturally Simple Ways to Weigh Less

and Live More Every Day of your life!

This is all about re-balancing your body, mind, and spirit to create a vibrantly healthy you... inside and out. So much more than the number on the "scales!"

 

  1. Feed your soul with primary food.  Friends and family, physical activity, spirituality and a satisfying career feed us. Lack of primary food creates over-reliance on secondary, edible food.
  2. Drink water. Most people are chronically dehydrated. We often mistake thirst for hunger. If you feel hungry between meals, drink a glass of water before giving into cravings. Limit liquid calories from soda, juice, sports drinks and “enhanced” waters.  Stick with nature made!
  3. Eat a plant-rich diet. Plant foods are typically lower in calories and higher in fiber than meat, dairy and processed foods, while providing loads of essential nutrients.  Purchase your animal products from farmers who raise the food in a natural manner; healthy and naturally balanced foods make for a healthy, naturally balanced human. Make certain you do get enough fat and protein in your daily diet to satisfy hunger, appetite, and nutritional needs for YOU.  Each of our needs is different!
  4. Chew your food well. Digestion begins in the mouth. By thoroughly chewing your food, your body will better assimilate nutrients; you will also slow down your eating. It takes about 20 minutes for your brain to register that it is full. By slowing your eating, you’ll feel full, satisfied, and better nourished on less food.  More nutrients in each cell mean a healthier body!
  5. Eat real food; avoid processed, packaged foods. Avoid products with high-fructose corn syrup or a long list of unpronounceable ingredients. (Reduce or eliminate refined sugars from your diet; glucose, fructose, any “oses”.) Packaged and convenience foods tend to be highly processed, lacking the nutrients your body needs, and are often loaded with empty calories. Avoid artificial sweeteners.  Avoid refined sweeteners, even stevia products.

If you have attended my workshops or been supported by me as a client:  Remember the cellular health information from the Whole Food slide show?  Feed your cells well!  Need to experience this workshop? Join me and the Local Living Venture on Thursday, September 25th for the start of the Whole Health and Healing Academy!  

A few more tips for balancing mind, body, and soul weight.

  1. Eat raw foods:  raw fruits & veggies, raw nuts and seeds, raw nut & seed butters.  Raw foods are rich in nutrients that are not altered by the heat of cooking and provide natural enzymes needed in the body for many processes including digestion.
  2. Eating enough healthy fats and protein to satisfy your appetite and your body’s nutritional needs:  choose naturally raised animal products for protein and fat and the omega 3's found in naturally raised meat, eggs and dairy products, wild salmon, avocados, walnuts, raw nuts and seeds.
  3. Eat breakfast. Skipping meals causes your blood sugar levels to peak and dip, affecting your energy and moods. It can also cause overeating later on because you’re so hungry.  With this said, listen to your own body and what you know works for you.  Some people do much better without breakfast and have no problems with the rebound overeating later in the day.  Be conscious of you and your needs. I can personally admit I am not a breakfast eater.  I get hungry by 11 AM or so. I listen and follow my body's requests for food.
  4. Eat mindfully. Turn off the TV. Get away from the computer. Sit down and savor the food you are eating with no distractions.  Eat from a space of unconditional self-love!
  5. Get moving. Do any type of physical activity every day. Find movement or exercise you enjoy.
  6. Get outside.  Your body needs fresh air and natural light.  You will create life long health benefits!
  7. Sleep, rest and relax. Breath work creates relaxation, slow down & breathe deeply.  Ask me for my educational handout on breath work.  When you are sleep-deprived or stressed, your body will crave energy, causing cravings for sugary snacks and caffeine as an energy boost.
  8. Schedule fun time. Boredom and stress can lead to overeating. Make sure to take time to laugh, play and participate in activities that bring you joy.
  9. Find a mindfulness practice and use it every day. (Yoga, Tai Chi, Tae Kwon Do, Meditation, Prayer...)

 

PS  Just a reminder about the Whole Health & Healing Academy that starts Thursday, September 25th. Join us to create vibrant health in your life!

Divine Weight Loss Tip #6

Back today with some more thoughts and ideas around weight loss, which are really thoughts and ideas around healing body, mind, and spirit.

Took the day off yesterday (well, sort of!) to climb two Adirondack high peaks with my kids.

Boys lounging on Porter Mt 

Boys lounging on Porter Mt 

Atop Cascade Mt.

Atop Cascade Mt.

Hiking on to thoughts on health, healing, and weight loss...

Forced to eat things we did not like... forbidden foods, foods to make our boo-boos feel better, over-abundance of food, not enough food... we all have events, in our past, that shape the way we think about, function around, choose, and eat food.

Can you think of 2 things, right now, that shaped your habits around food?

 

Tip #6

Acknowledge, address, and let go of emotional / spiritual issues around food, health, and your life.

Ok, so are you saying: "Hey Paula, easier said than done?"

Most of us, whether we consciously acknowledge or not, know what is keeping the weight on our bodies:

  • binge eating
  • sneak eating
  • hiding forbidden foods
  • constant snacking
  • eating to soothe negative emotions and loneliness 
  • overeating
  • sugar addictions

I am certain there are many other emotional eating habits we could come up with, if we sat down and brain stormed together.

Examples from my funny life:  (I do have to laugh at myself... right?)

  • The chocolate chips I hid in the cellar freezer.  When they are not right there, handy, I did not eat them as often or as many at a time. Sitting in the cellar, eating piles of chocolate chips was just not pleasant. But, they were there for me to grab, a few each time, when I went down to do a load of laundry or grab a real food item out of the freezer.
  • The big bag of organic raisins kept by my bedside for night time snacking while reading. What is wrong with this? They are organic. They are just fruit. Fruit is good for me! Totally justifiable.
  • My favorite confession... the pint of organic ice cream, in the before mentioned cellar freezer. Spoon was kept on the metal-loop, door handle on the breaker box. Hey, the breaker box was right next to the freezer. Convenience was important on those trips down to do laundry.
  • One of my habits (Or lack of) that I find even funnier, is about the deprivation thing, my Mom did not buy us soda. One would think I would run to it now with Mom not around to control my drinking soda or not. Nope, never liked the sickly sweet stuff. (Well, Coke was always good for that occasional hangover, college keg party induced, back in the day...!)

Thoughts and suggestions on letting go of these issues that allow us to hang onto unhealthy lifestyle choices*:

  • Holistic Health Coaching with me!  I would love to support your goals, give me a shout!
  • Acupuncture. If in the St. Lawrence County area of NY State, give Shelby Connelly a call. You will be glad you did!
  • Yoga... hey, haven't I mentioned this one before? Local Yoga action:  Yoga Loft in Canton, NY;  Northern Lights Yoga in Canton, NY; SUNY Potsdam CLEAR Program in Potsdam, NY; and I would be happy to work with you around Yoga. I am a NYS Health and Phys Ed Teacher, Holistic Fitness instructor, and a Yoga Teacher. Yoga is part of my daily life!

  • Rich Tenace: Rich practices a Subconscious Analysis and Re-programming Therapy. This is a Spiritual System / Psychological Help, a unique way to take away fears, bad habits, phobias, and issues... those issues that keep you sabotaging your healthy eating intentions! I can vouch for this guy; he ended my kid's terrible spider phobia! 

  • EFT - Emotional Freedom Training.  This is a "treatment" that Wayne Dyer recommends! Looking for a skilled EFT person to help you out of emotional and spiritual issues around food and healing? My top recommendation is Joanne Jaworski. Yes, I have known her for 15 years. This amazing lady has worked, successfully, with the US Olympic teams and people all over the world. Check out her products page, she has fun stuff coming to support people on their quest to release "issues." Joani is in the Rochester area... not such a stretch if you are in my local area and she works via phone and skype!
  • Hypnotherapy for sugar addiction. Seriously, it works. Wendi Frisen is a clinical hypnotherapist and yes, I have successfully used her hypnotherapy programs. I would love to have a local person to send you to, here in Northern NY. I am not aware of a hypnotist, currently practicing, in our area. Wendi is in Colorado.

 

*In case you are wondering... Hey, is this just a big infomercial for local healers? Nah, I get zero kickbacks. Bummer, right?! And my recommendations are not all local. Colorado and Rochester, NY are included here! The only way I benefit (we both will benefit!) is if you work with me.

The rest I toss out to you as options, options to support you in your mind, body, spirit healing. No one therapy will appeal to everyone. Options, to find the healing method that speaks to you, is a beautiful gift I can give you. Every one of the practitioners above I have personally worked with and know their abilities to heal... mind, body, and spirit.

When we heal the emotional and spiritual blockages that are preventing us from making the best choices for our health (wellness over weight loss), we begin to make the best choices for ourselves in every given moment. That is my wish for you!

Be well, work out the issues, and make whole foods your #1 healing choice!  Peace, Paula

Practicing mind, body, spirit healing.

Practicing mind, body, spirit healing.

Divine Weight Loss Tip #3

First of all... use these weight loss tips to heal any health issue that challenges you and your beautiful body!  

Healing your body, mind, and soul is an amazing process; make it fun... start today!

It is me, in my summer (2014) yoga studio working towards wellness goals and nourishing the intrinsic motivation I have created in my 23 years of practicing yoga (now, in 2020, its been 29 years. Wow). What you do not see here is my 4 cats, lounging…

It is me, in my summer (2014) yoga studio working towards wellness goals and nourishing the intrinsic motivation I have created in my 23 years of practicing yoga (now, in 2020, its been 29 years. Wow). What you do not see here is my 4 cats, lounging about the deck, engaging in their own form of yoga and wellness promotion. My camera man, Eli, missed the cats!

So, here we go...

Tip #3

Self-Responsibility: If you want to lose weight AND keep it off for life, you HAVE to take self-responsibility for your own health and healing... self-responsibility for your life.

You are responsible for choices you make regarding your health. 

Health is about self-responsibility. The ability to heal lies within us.  The responsibility to care for our bodies to ensure lifelong health, prevent disease, and heal lies within us. 

By making natural choices in one’s eating and lifestyle choices, the symptoms of disease heal and an individual can and will return to whole, vibrant health. 

Whole Health Healing is not about what you are giving up, it is not about deprivation.  It IS about what you are inviting into your life: the choices, changes, and additions that will open doors to healing, health, body weight re-balancing, and happiness in ways you may have never imagined or experienced.

Gathering support:  I do encourage you to surround yourself with like-minded people, people interested in pursuing their health and healing and re-balancing their body weight. However and but… is there not always a however or a but?, ultimately the responsibility to change your life lies with you and within you.

Intrinsic motivation is absolutely needed to create wellness goals and intentions, work towards your goals and intentions, and turn them into permanent lifestyle changes.

Support is a beautiful thing (here is the but) but you have to be your best support, your best cheer leader and coach.

Let’s say you rely on a support buddy to get you through a decision. What happens when you text or FB message your support buddy and get no reply?  “Help, I am about to order and eat an entire banana split” or “Help, I cannot seem to get my shoes on and get out the door to go for my daily wellness walk.”

Now what? Who do you rely on right now? You, of course! You are your best wellness coach because you do want to choose what is best for your long-term health, body weight re-balancing, and healing.

I am, in the link here and above, referring you back to Divine Weight Loss Tip #1.

Have much fun creating your intrinsic motivation, your personal self-responsibility for you! Paula

 

Divine Weight Loss Tip #1

Want To Lose Weight?

Choose Wellness

and

Other Divine Weight Loss Tips

A White Pine Wellness Romp at Debar Pond, NY

A White Pine Wellness Romp at Debar Pond, NY

Wellness Romp, with Nancy and Basil, at Debar Pond.

Wellness Romp, with Nancy and Basil, at Debar Pond.

So, I have heard this many times... "What would you know about weight loss, you don't have any weight to lose?'

I confess, this was not always the case. After growing up as a rail-thin child and teen, I flourished into my adult years thinking I could eat whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted.  This had always been my eating plan... why should I change?

By age 30, I weighed 20 pounds more than I do right now. (My sisters called me "Nanny with the Fanny") Now this is not such a horrible thing but how did I get here and how was I to not get any further on this weight gain path? Losing 20 pounds was tough, very tough for me. Remember, I grew up super skinny no matter what I ate. It's a tough deal, 30 years later, to need to learn how to lose weight. 

My concern: That 20 pounds had literally ambushed me. I never saw it coming.  I ate healthy (or so I thought I was eating healthy... a vegetarian, high complex carb eating plan) and I was concerned that if 20 pounds could overtake me in 4 years... where would I be in 20 years? 50 to 100 pounds overweight? Yikes!

I knew I needed to make some big changes in my life.  If not, where would I be today? 

Bottom line:

  • I changed my eating habits. I gave up vegetarian eating. My first pregnancy helped out here. Pregnancy had me dreaming, literally, of roast beef, chicken and dumplings, and pulled pork dinners.

  • My big breakthrough was choosing wellness over weight loss. Yes, click this blue link and remind yourself what this wellness choice means for you and your mind, body, spirit health.

  • When I stopped trying to lose weight, stopped focusing on my weight, and instead made lifestyle choices based upon what was best for my wellness... well, the weight loss was no longer an issue.

  • This is a self-responsibility choice. When we take responsibility for our health and healing, in all areas, our weight drops and our health soars, healing happens.

Stay tuned for more Divine Weight Loss Tips.  I have several more in store for you.

Be happy, be healthy, chose wellness!  Love, Paula

PS I have about 12 more tips and will post more frequently until I have polished off my list of wisdom around weight loss. Remember, it is my wisdom. Use your experiences and create your own wisdom around health, weight balancing, and healing.

Future Wellness Romp: Kayak down Debar Pond to Debar Mountain (You can see Debar Mt. at end of pond), bushwhack to Debar Mt, and climb to the top. Guess I will have to bushwhack back to my kayak and re-paddle the pond! This is a true wellness choice…

Future Wellness Romp: Kayak down Debar Pond to Debar Mountain (You can see Debar Mt. at end of pond), bushwhack to Debar Mt, and climb to the top. Guess I will have to bushwhack back to my kayak and re-paddle the pond! This is a true wellness choice that will entail burning a few calories and building muscle and vitality. 12/30/2018: no, I still have not accomplished this BUT I have climbed many, many ADK High Peaks in the 4+ years.