HOW OFTEN TO DO YOGA: IT’S ALL BASED ON YOUR GOALS!

Are you wondering how often to do Yoga?

Maybe you’re struggling to fit a Yoga workout into your schedule every day, or you want to mix things up and add in different workouts throughout the week.

Whatever the case, I’ve got good news for you: you don’t HAVE to do Yoga every day. You can do Yoga exactly as often as you want, and as often as it takes to reach your specific fitness objectives.

Below, I’ll break down how often to do Yoga according to your end goals, looking at frequency, duration, even difficulty level of your Yoga sessions.

By the end of this post, you’ll have all the information you need to plan the perfect weekly workout program—including as few or as many Yoga sessions as your body needs.

How Often to Do Yoga: Evaluate Your Goals and Plan Accordingly!

I want to start this off by saying that there is no specific “minimum” or “maximum” for your Yoga workouts—or any workout, for that matter. Your workout plans revolve entirely around your schedule, the accessibility of a gym or home gym, and your energy levels. Yoga is all about finding what works best for you, and that’s exactly what I want for you by reading this post.

With that out of the way, let’s take a look at your specific goals, and how you can use Yoga to achieve them:

For beginners, the goal of doing Yoga is likely to strengthen your body, increase your mobility and flexibility, and perhaps derive the mental and spiritual benefits of Yoga. You may be just getting into working out regularly or still trying to find the time in your schedule for a few workouts a week. Good on you for putting in the effort!

Beginners should consider doing 2-3 Yoga workouts a week, typically sessions between 20 and 60 minutes long. If you want to really dive in deep, longer workouts will help you push your body to the max and develop your Yoga abilities. If you don’t have a lot of time to dedicate but still want to incorporate Yoga into your life, shorter workouts are easier to fit into your busy day.

For anyone trying to lose weight, more Yoga workouts may not deliver the long-term results you’re looking for. Yoga isn’t as effective for weight loss as more active forms of exercise—such as cardio, weight lifting, running, dancing, etc. However, Yoga can help to increase muscular endurance and boost your stamina.

If you are going to incorporate a lot of other workouts into your week, try for at least 2 short, relaxing Yoga sessions interspersed among your training sessions. That way, you can still work on your mobility and flexibility, stretch out your sore muscles, and calm your mind and spirit throughout a busy work week.

If Yoga is going to be the only focus for your weight loss efforts, you’ll want to incorporate at least 5-6 weekly sessions, each lasting between 45 and 90 minutes. It takes more time to burn calories and fat through Yoga, so a longer workout will lead to better weight loss results.

For those working on increasing mobility and flexibility, Yoga can be a short, daily practice that helps you focus on “trouble spots” or postures where you feel more limited. For example, you may notice that your lower back is very stiff, so you can work on Yoga poses that encourage better core mobility. Or your knees may be aching after a lot of intense training sessions, so you can use lower body stretches and poses to improve your joint mobility and maximize leg flexibility.

However, take note: flexibility training without strength training can lead to joint instability. If you’re going to train for flexibility, make sure to also incorporate muscle-strengthening exercises—be it Yoga or resistance training—into your day as well.

For those who want to grow stronger, you need to know that Yoga builds muscular endurance, not strength. Weight lifting is the quickest path to increased muscular strength. However, endurance is a critical component of fitness. Just like you want to be able to lift heavy items, you want to be able to hold weight for prolonged periods of time.

Ideally, you’ll combine Yoga with resistance training, typically alternating between the two workouts. Your muscles need between 24 and 72 hours to recover (depending on workout intensity), so alternating workouts will lead to better results and reduce your risk of muscle injury or strain.

Try for the more dynamic, challenging, and intense forms of Yoga, including Power Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga, Hot Yoga, Bikram Yoga, and Vinyasa Yoga.

For those who want to sleep better, Yoga is an amazing addition to your evening routine that will help to shut down your body and calm your mind so you can drift off more easily. Even just 10-15 minutes of calming poses, regulated breathing, and mindfulness meditation can contribute to a better night of rest. Keep the Yoga sessions relaxing and restful at night, and you’ll find yourself much more at peace when you finally go to bed.