The new Great British Bake Off host has been hailed for her anti-diet talk, but how did the 66-year-old get in such great shape? When reports shared that the GBBO star had lost two stone (about 28 pounds), she was quick to point out this wasn’t the result of calorie counting or dieting. Instead, the chef, who was 55 at the time, credited one workout: Iyengar yoga.
Unlike faster forms of yoga, such as Vinyasa, Iyengar yoga focuses on holding complex poses for extended periods. This can help build muscle and endurance as it keeps your muscles under tension longer. While this won’t immediately lead to weight loss, over time, lean muscle burns more calories at rest than fat tissue, boosting your resting metabolic rate.
Read on to find out what happened when I added this slow, but challenging form of yoga to my routine for a week. As a reminder, if you’re a complete beginner, pregnant or postpartum, or returning to exercise following an injury or surgery, this might not be right for you and your body. Always seek personalized advice from a qualified professional if you’re unsure.
What are the benefits of Iyengar yoga?
As mentioned above, Iyengar yoga focuses less on working up a sweat and more on keeping your muscles working as you hold a pose. There’s a strong focus on precision and alignment as you move with complete control. But what are the benefits of this slower form of yoga?
Improved posture
The Iyengar practice focuses on finding balance and symmetry in the body. Research has found it’s one of the most effective ways of treating chronic back pain, as there’s a real focus on improving posture and moving with alignment. If you spend a lot of time sitting down behind a desk, this is a good workout to try.
Strength and endurance
As mentioned above, you’ll be keeping your muscles under tension longer as you hold the pose for an extended period. This can help build core strength, muscular endurance and joint stability.
Stress reduction
Like all forms of yoga, there’s still a deep focus on moving with your breath. This draws your mind into the present and can help calm the nervous system. As well as just feeling better, Iyengar can lower your heart rate, reduce anxiety, and help manage hypertension.
Low impact
This is a low-impact form of yoga that can be great for those recovering from injury or for seniors. As always, if you fall into either of these categories, it’s always best to find an in-person class to attend, rather than following one online, so you can be sure there’s an expert to help you avoid injury. At least to begin with.
I tried Iyengar yoga for a week — here’s what happened
It’s very slow, guys
Up until now, if I were to attend a yoga class, it would be a fast-paced Vinyasa flow. When my anxiety was really bad when I was pregnant, I did yin yoga at my local studio, and I’d say it’s closer in style to Iyengar, with some key differences.
While yin is very relaxed, with a real focus on stretching, Iyengar keeps muscles active and engaged. It’s definitely more of a workout than yin, but far less than the Vinyasa flow class I’d normally attend.
I’ve not been to a yoga class for a long time, and doing an Iyengar flow every morning for a week reminded me I really need to make it a staple of my workout routine. I’m currently training for my seventh marathon, and I spend a lot of my day sitting behind a desk, so my body felt pretty tight as I moved through the poses. In fact, I found myself returning to child’s pose for a few breaths more than I’d like to admit.
My local studio didn’t offer Iyengar classes, so I stuck to online classes, like the one above. I had to improvise using pillows instead of a bolster, but I’d definitely recommend investing in a yoga strap if you don’t have one, and a yoga mat to lie on.
It was nice, but not for me
In an interview with Good Housekeeping, Lawson said, “No one should be put on this earth to go on a diet! No one should eat themselves ill either. As you get on in life, you value feeling well as opposed to looking well. Yoga certainly makes you feel great, and you want to carry on feeling great. I just do a bit in a very slow way.”
I fully, fully stand by Lawson’s anti-diet message and her idea that if you like a form of exercise, you’ll want to do it, which is often half the battle.
After a week of Iyengar, I can safely say that it’s not for me. I’m a runner, and I move at a million miles per hour even when I’m not running. While I definitely need to find ways to slow down, focus on my breathing, and find some headspace, for me, I’d still prefer a faster flow or a Pilates class.
That said, I’ll definitely be trying to keep a yoga class a week in my routine going forward, so I’m grateful to Nigella for reminding me how great it can be to stretch. Now to work on my baking skills…
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