Yoga helps increase your muscular range of motion. Plus, yoga stretching can help you improve your body posture and flexibility over time. But, does yoga stretching burn calories in reality or not?
Yoga stretching is not the best choice for a highly intensive workout routine, but a few high-intensity yoga stretches can make you sweat as if you are in a sauna.
To begin with, you have to carefully read the information below in chronological order and understand the basics behind yoga stretching. So, why wait? – Without a future do, let’s get started!
Types of Yoga Stretching Routines
1. Dynamic Stretching
The meaning of Dynamic is itself easy to understand. When we perform a series of stretching moves in a flow of sequence one after another, it is termed as Dynamic Yoga Stretching.
Dynamic stretching has a slight aerobic level. Therefore, it might start to burn calories immediately.
Although, dynamic stretching is mostly used for the purpose of warm-up before an intense workout session because it will help you increase your blood circulation levels instantly within the deep muscle and tissue layers, making you lesser prone to muscle or joint injury.
2. Static Stretching
Static stretching usually involves pressing your joints, muscles, and tendons to the deepest stretch possible which comes with a slight amount of discomfort at first, and then holding of that pose for an elongated period of time.
Static as its name suggests, Static Yoga Stretching is referred to as holding into a pose for more than 15 seconds for enhanced muscle elasticity and endurance.
Static stretching must be a part of your cool-down routine to minimize the after-effects of an intensive workout like muscle cramps and soreness.
Well, Static Stretching is also further divided into two parts:
a) Active Static Stretching
It is referred to as the contraction of any one muscle that is our antagonist’s muscle for less period, that is lasting around 10-15 seconds.
Antagonistic muscles are those muscles that produce movements in an antagonistic pair of muscles by opposing the movement of the agonistic muscle.
For example, the Bicep is an agonist muscle as it contracts to produce the movement, whereas the triceps will be the antagonist muscle as it relaxes to allow the movement to occur.
Similar goes with muscles like Quadriceps and Hamstrings, Gluteus Maximus and Hip Flexors, Pectoralis Major and Latissimus Dorsi, etc.
Active static stretch has more muscle involvement as compared to passive static stretching.
Active stretching can help strengthen the agonist’s muscles as well as build a higher stretch tolerance for the antagonist’s muscles.
b) Passive Static Stretching
Passive stretches are the ones, which demand to stay back in one position for a longer period of time as it lasts around for more than 60 seconds.
Passive yoga stretching helps the muscle fibers relax from within and allows for a deeper muscle extension.
It is the best form of stretch to decrease muscle soreness, tension, or muscle pain, post-workout for rejuvenation purposes.
Some easy-to-do passive static stretches are Forward Bending, Child’s Pose, Runners Lunge, and Cross Body Arm Stretch, etc.
Pre-requisites: Yoga Stretching Tools
A. Yoga Blocks
Usually these are rectangle brick-shaped boxes. These are made with cork, wood, foam, and bamboo to furthermore improve your level of extension. Yoga blocks support a range of motion and extension in the arms, back, chest, hips, and legs.
B. Yoga Wheels
This is a circular-shaped, hollow tool and it is used for deeper backbend stretches with support. This yogi prop is designed for an enhanced level of stretching, releasing tension in muscles, and improving the flexibility of muscles.
C. Yoga Stretch Out Straps
When a yoga pose becomes difficult to hold, the yoga straps become useful. Yoga straps are widely used by beginners to perform deeper yogi backbends and core-strengthening workouts.
List of 7 Yoga Stretching Poses
Many people have this question in their minds often – Does Yoga Stretching Burn Calories?, Can Yoga Stretching Help to Lose Weight Instantly?, Is Yoga Stretching Even Worth It?
The simple answer to this is- No, yoga stretching might not be the best way to lose tons of wight ‘Instantly.’ However, yoga stretching does worth a shot anyway.
Why? – Because yoga is the only way to unwind your body from muscular tension and rewind your mind from stress.
Here’s a list of seven different yoga stretches you can try performing from today onwards, if you want to fix your posture, gain some flexibility, and lose weight overtime.
1. The Downwards Dog (Static Stretch)
This yoga stretching sequence helps in specifically targeting hamstring muscles, calves muscles, ankle mobility, and back muscles extension.
Performing down dog stretch for 7-10 laps with 60-second hold and 15-sec rest each will provide increased lower body strength and flexibility with time.
2. The Bow Pose (Static Stretch)
Bow pose is a backbend yoga stretch, this helps to activate every muscle in your upper body and core. Bow shape stretch majorly targets burning fat around your Abdomen, Chest, Back, and Quads.
Hold your breath with this static stretch for 30 seconds, rest for 30 seconds and repeat the same for 4 to 5 more laps.
3. The Boat Pose (Static Stretch)
Yoga master claims the boat pose as a core strengthening exercise. Holding this static stretch for more than 60 seconds for 4 to 5 laps can help you burn abdomen fat instantly.
Also, doing boat pose for only 12 weeks on a consistent level can help you lose belly fat (do not forget a good diet and sleep for faster results!).
4. The Plank Pose (Static Stretch)
Planks are, as usually the best exercise for your core. It is a highly effective isometric yoga stretch that, helps you burn fat around all over your core, i.e glutes, quads, abdomen, obliques, chest, back, shoulders, and arms.
Performing 60 second plank poses with the right posture, can help you burn 5-6 calories per minute. You can take 15-seconds rest and repeat this 4-5 times for better results.
5. Cat-Cow (Dynamic Stretch)
Cat and cow yoga stretching is an old-school yoga stretch, which is very frequently used to improve posture and body balance.
It is performed with dynamic synchronization of breathing movement. Firstly, inhale deeply during cow pose and look upon the ceiling, now exhale deeply and get into cat pose. Tuck your chin inside, while gazing at your navel.
The correct series of deep inhales and exhales for the next 3 to 5 minutes continuously, will make you feel relaxed and toned down in your spinal and lower back muscles over time.
6. Four-Limbed Staff Pose / Low Plank (Dynamic Stretch)
Simply begin into a plank pose and then start bending your elbows at 90 degrees to come down in a low plank is called a four-limbed staff pose.
Make sure to stay a few inches above the ground keeping your spine in a straight line.
Hold the elbows at 90 degrees for 15 seconds, relax on the ground for 5 sec and then again lift into a plank by repeating the same steps.
Do it as consistently as possible, it will help you gain shoulder stability and toned slim arms over time.
7. Down Dog to Knee into Chest (Dynamic Stretch)
Begin in Downward Facing Dog with equal weight on the hands and feet.
Inhale to step both feet together and raise the right leg into the air, coming into Three-Legged Dog.
Extend the leg in the air as high as possible, to feel stretch in the leg placed on the mat.
Now, bend and bring the leg in the air close to your chest, hold it for a few seconds keeping your core engaged. Now put the feet back on the ground.
Repeat this for the other side as well and then perform this dynamic stretch for the next 5 minutes.
The more you keep your core tight and engaged the more burn you will feel. Performing this movement with a slower pace and prolonged duration every day will make you burn abdomen fat over time.
The Bottom Line
Being a low-intensity exercise routine, stretching has a minimal effect on burning fat and weight loss.
Though it is a great way to add some extra calories into your daily calorie expenditure via dynamic stretching routine.
A 10 -15 minutes yoga stretching session before and after your workout is a critical step to take into consideration because it helps in increased blood circulation with a reduced risk of muscle injury and cramps.
Although, there is still not much evidence on, whether yoga stretching can aid in muscle hypertrophy but it is good for muscle recovery and flexibility.
So, the answer to our opening question “Does Yoga stretching burn calories” is – Yes, science proves that Yoga stretching do burn calories when done the right way. Also, stretching every day helps you feel more physically strong less mentally stressed.
So, what are you waiting for? – Roll out yours mats for some quick yogi stretchs’ now!
Happy Stretching!
