Yoga for Weight Loss: 8 Poses to Reach Your Goals

Yoga is often seen as a meditative practice, but that doesn't mean you can't shed some pounds and tone your body in the process, too. In fact, Sadie Nardini, the founder of a yoga style called Core Strength Vinyasa Yoga, is a firm believer in the additional benefits that come from putting in the work on your yoga mat.

Nardini's practice is full of twisting, inversions, endurance moves and belly work—all to engage muscles and make you sweat. She believes it's important to watch the length and intensity of your workouts, as "over-exercising has been shown to trigger hunger hormones and shut down your fat-burning mechanisms."

Nardini advocates for moving smarter during your yoga sessions so you experience relaxation and also burn calories. Here's a series of core poses that she says will "build long, lean muscle, amp up your digestive fire and spark your metabolism so you become a calorie-torching furnace all day and night long."