Take it from this longtime yogi: the best way to burn fat with yoga is…not to do yoga. Well, okay, I think I should probably clarify.
Yoga can be an incredible support to a fat-burning practice, but alone, it’s simply not your best bet. The most effective, and also fastest way to burn away excess body fat and reveal the toned, lean muscle shape underneath is to keep the yoga, BUT add something to your weekly exercise routine.
That something is ‘High Intensity Interval Training’, or ‘HIIT’.
What Is HIIT?
This is a super short (7-15 minutes, max) series of moves that quickly build in intensity from low to high in 1-minute bursts.
I have personally seen my body benefits skyrocket when I took out three weekly yoga-only workouts and added in three of my signature HIIT workouts, or what I call “Yoga Shred” sessions.
After 6 months of alternating yoga days (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday) with Yoga Shred days (Monday, Wednesday, Friday), and then taking Sunday completely off, I have seen my body transform, my cardio abilities completely shift, and my excess fat melt away.
Combining Yoga and HIIT
And the cool thing is, I’m no longer spending my life on the yoga mat and the gym. I can use my yoga practices for a more chill, non-agro and more enjoyable movement experience that’s detoxifying, and optimizing my digestion and healing—very important to add to your routine.
Plus, after spending 7 Yoga Shred minutes on my other 3 days, I now have time to live my yoga in other ways—like spending more time with my family and friends, taking long, hot baths, shopping for healthy food and eating it, and taking action toward designing my dreams.
So To Sum Up…
Yes, yoga is a crucial counterpart to keep your body and mind open, healthy, and clean while you serve your strength, fat-burning, hormonal and cardiovascular results with something far more suited to the task.
When you balance your exercise intelligently, you’ll become a master fitness multi-tasker…and still have plenty of time to focus on the rest of your life’s balance too.
