A.C.
I just started Yoga and LOVE it! I am very sore later on and i can feel all the muscles in my body work (even on the days I don’t do yoga – I feel more “aware” of my body) :)
Mayo clinic says:
The health benefits of yoga
The potential health benefits of yoga are numerous and may include:
1) Stress reduction. With its quiet, precise movements, yoga draws your focus away from your busy, chaotic day and toward calm as you move your body through poses that require balance and concentration.
2) Increased fitness. As you learn and refine new poses, you may enjoy improved balance, flexibility, range of motion and strength. And this means you're less likely to injure yourself in other physical endeavors or in your daily activities.
3) Management of chronic health conditions. Yoga might help with a variety of health conditions, such as cancer, depression, pain, anxiety and insomnia, by helping with sleep problems, fatigue and mood. Yoga also can help reduce heart rate and blood pressure.
4) Weight loss. If you're overweight or have binge-eating disorder, yoga may help you make the healthy lifestyle changes necessary to gain control of your eating and drop those extra pounds.
In order to lose pounds you need to burn more calories than you take in. cardio can burn calories, but weight lifting/muscle building/toning/weight bearing will burn calories over time and is important for bone health. So it is good to have a balance of both weight bearing (e.g. yoga) and cardio (walking)
here is a great reliable resource:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/weight-loss/MY00432
have fun!