Weight loss is a tricky subject. In our society “thinner” has become synonymous with “more beautiful”. We are brainwashed to believe that if we are thinner/more beautiful, we are more loveable. People will like us. We will have more friends. We will be happier. And gosh, who doesn’t want all that?

There is one idea that I’d really like to focus on here. . . the difference between weight loss and health. Weight loss is a numbers game, whereas health is a state of being. First of all, if you are “out of shape” and you commit to a steady, challenging yoga practice (3 or more times a week), you will lose weight. Here’s the thing though. . . weight loss, like anything else, is simply another way of changing your external condition. It’s like getting a new haircut, buying new clothes, or driving a fancy car. As much as we all know on an intellectual level that these things won’t truly make us happy, we still buy into it. And it’s the same thing with our physical shape. With yoga, we learn to love and accept ourselves right now, in this moment. No matter what we look like on the outside. And once you get a taste of that self-love and acceptance, you begin to let go of the critical voice that cares so much about outer appearances.

I like to look at yoga as a way to become healthier. If you take the emphasis of weight loss away from appearance and place that emphasis on health, then it’s a whole new ballgame. Working towards the goal of getting “thinner” is a constant form of self-criticism. It’s re-enforcing the false belief that there is something wrong with you and if you change, then you will be enough. Weight loss with the goal of health is an active choice to love yourself enough to take care of your body. And that begins to happen naturally as you practice yoga. The self-acceptance you cultivate on your mat is often the very important first step towards making healthy choices in your life.

So, while weight loss is most definitely a side effect of a consistent yoga practice, that is just a small part of the overall healthy state of being you can achieve.