Zoe Cook, 38, runs a catering company with her husband, Jamie, 39, and lives near Cudham, Kent, with their daughters Lila, nine, and Kiera, seven. Zoe says: . Given that I’ve lost more than 3st and dropped from a size 16 to a size 12 in three years, people assume that I must have been on some sort of extreme diet. Actually, my weight loss and leaner, more toned figure is all down to one 90-minute yoga class a week, plus practising a few poses at home when I get the chance. Scroll down for video . Zoe Cook, 38, (pictured), has lost more than 3st and dropped from a size 16 to a size 12 in three years thanks to one 90-minute yoga class a week . I wouldn’t be without yoga now, but three years ago I had to be persuaded to go my first class. I was convinced it would be full of hippies. I was sceptical about how much difference yoga could actually make, and my husband, Jamie, agreed. ‘You won’t be sweating, so what good will it do?’ he said. My reason for trying it was that I was quite stressed trying to juggle family life with running our catering business. My clothes were tight, I was out of shape, felt sluggish and hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in years. A family member, who is now my yoga teacher, suggested that I should give one of her classes a try. I wasn’t sure, but she was adamant it would help me cope with all the demands being made of me and help me sleep better. She teaches Ashtanga — best known because Madonna does it — which is a fast-paced type of yoga. Ashtanga is very structured and repetitive, and the idea is that you flow between poses without stopping, synchronising your breathing as you do, so the class feels like an exhilarating and challenging workout. But it’s not just for people who are superfit and muscular like Madonna — I’m certainly not. It’s brilliant for people of all fitness levels and flexibility because you’re not in competition with each other, just aiming to improve your own ability. To my amazement, the night after my first class I slept like a baby, which was something I hadn’t done in years. Ordinarily, I would lie awake, fretting about how I’d manage to get everything done the next day, but on that night a bomb could have gone off and I wouldn’t have heard it. A couple of days after the yoga lesson, my muscles ached in a way they had never done after the occasional three or four-mile jog that I’d done in the past. It felt satisfying knowing I’d obviously worked them well, even though it hadn’t really felt like it at the time. Yoga quickly became essential ‘me’ time away from the children and work, even if I could only fit in one session a week. And although I haven’t had a lot of time to devote to yoga, my body shape has changed almost beyond recognition. When I look in the mirror my upper arms, as well as my inner thighs and ‘saddlebags’, have all shrunk and are tighter. My core is stronger and my tummy flatter. I’m now a size 12 and sometimes even a size 10 on my bottom half — I’m 5ft 5in tall. My weight hovers around 9st 7lb, as opposed to the 13st I was before. I lost the first half a stone within a matter of weeks of taking up yoga, and the rest steadily over the next couple of years. When I can’t get to my weekly yoga class — typically during the summer months, when Jamie and I are rushed off our feet with the business — I gain at least half a stone in just a couple of weeks, and feel lethargic and less toned. Pop icon, Madonna (pictured), also practices Ashtanga - a fast-paced type of yoga which is very structured and repetitive . Apart from becoming a yoga devotee, I haven’t really changed a lot else to explain the weight loss. I certainly wouldn’t consider doing a faddy diet. But yoga has had a knock-on effect on the food choices I make. On the day of a class, I eat only a very light dinner, such as a salad — you can’t go to yoga on a full stomach or you’d feel very uncomfortable doing the poses and probably give yourself indigestion. Because doing a class leaves me feeling so good inside, for a couple of days afterwards I find myself naturally drawn towards healthy snacks such as fruit or nuts instead of crisps and chocolate. Even I’m shocked at what a huge impact taking up yoga has had on the shape of my body, and how much more energised and calm I feel. There are postures I still can’t master, but I hope that in years to come I will manage them. So, even though classes follow the same structure each week, yoga never stops being a challenge. I’ll be doing it for the rest of my life now. Reporting by Chloe Lambert, Jill Foster and Sadie Nicholas. 'I dropped two sizes without dieting' Natalie Reid, 38, works part-time in retail. She lives with her partner Dan, 44, and their daughters Rain, ten, and Noa, two, in South West London. She says: . Four years ago my cousin came to my 34th birthday party looking fabulous. She was more toned than she’d been in years and I asked what her secret was. She told me she had started doing yoga, specifically Bikram yoga, and said I should come to a class. At the time I wasn’t very happy with my body. I’d been putting on weight since the birth of my first daughter — before Rain’s arrival I’d been a size 10-12, now I was a size 14 and felt flabby. Natalie Reid, 38, takes classes in Bikram yoga, which is practiced in heats of around 40c. Natalie has lost more than a stone since starting Bikram, despite having made barely any changes to her diet . I knew Bikram yoga was done in high heat, but that was about it. On the internet I learned the heat enables you to stretch into postures more safely. The humidity also promotes sweating, which is believed to help flush toxins from the body. I was intrigued. When I walked into my first class the heat (about 40c or 104f, and 60 per cent humidity) hit me and my first concern was: ‘What’s my hair going to look like after this?’ People say they can’t try yoga because they can’t touch their toes — and that was true with me. I couldn’t do half the things we were being asked to do, but I had a go. At the end I felt invigorated. That day I’d been feeling down, but the yoga left me upbeat and energised. I was hooked. I joined the yoga studio in January 2011 and went every other day for nearly a month. After that, I took out a monthly subscription. I was impressed by how quickly my shape began to change. So did how I felt about my body. After about two months I noticed that my legs were more toned, and so was my stomach. When I found out I was pregnant again, I carried on doing yoga. You can do pregnancy Bikram where the temperature is a little lower, but I went to my normal classes. After I’d had Noa I slipped right back into my jeans. My doctor tells me I’ve lost more than a stone since I started yoga. My diet has changed very little, although I do eat less because I’m drinking around two litres of water a day. My mind feels much calmer, too.
Zoe Cook, 38, has dropped from a size 16 to a size 12 .
She says her leaner, more toned figure is all down to Ashtanga yoga .
Although initially sceptical, she says she'll be doing it for the rest of her life .
Natalie Reid, 38, has been doing Bikram yoga for four years .
She's lost more than a stone and can see a real change in her body .
Zoe Cook, 38, runs a catering company with her husband, Jamie, 39, and lives near Cudham, Kent, with their daughters Lila, nine, and Kiera, seven. Zoe says: . Given that I’ve lost more than 3st and dropped from a size 16 to a size 12 in three years, people assume that I must have been on some sort of extreme diet. Actually, my weight loss and leaner, more toned figure is all down to one 90-minute yoga class a week, plus practising a few poses at home when I get the chance. Scroll down for video . Zoe Cook, 38, (pictured), has lost more than 3st and dropped from a size 16 to a size 12 in three years thanks to one 90-minute yoga class a week . I wouldn’t be without yoga now, but three years ago I had to be persuaded to go my first class. I was convinced it would be full of hippies. I was sceptical about how much difference yoga could actually make, and my husband, Jamie, agreed. ‘You won’t be sweating, so what good will it do?’ he said. My reason for trying it was that I was quite stressed trying to juggle family life with running our catering business. My clothes were tight, I was out of shape, felt sluggish and hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in years. A family member, who is now my yoga teacher, suggested that I should give one of her classes a try. I wasn’t sure, but she was adamant it would help me cope with all the demands being made of me and help me sleep better. She teaches Ashtanga — best known because Madonna does it — which is a fast-paced type of yoga. Ashtanga is very structured and repetitive, and the idea is that you flow between poses without stopping, synchronising your breathing as you do, so the class feels like an exhilarating and challenging workout. But it’s not just for people who are superfit and muscular like Madonna — I’m certainly not. It’s brilliant for people of all fitness levels and flexibility because you’re not in competition with each other, just aiming to improve your own ability. To my amazement, the night after my first class I slept like a baby, which was something I hadn’t done in years. Ordinarily, I would lie awake, fretting about how I’d manage to get everything done the next day, but on that night a bomb could have gone off and I wouldn’t have heard it. A couple of days after the yoga lesson, my muscles ached in a way they had never done after the occasional three or four-mile jog that I’d done in the past. It felt satisfying knowing I’d obviously worked them well, even though it hadn’t really felt like it at the time. Yoga quickly became essential ‘me’ time away from the children and work, even if I could only fit in one session a week. And although I haven’t had a lot of time to devote to yoga, my body shape has changed almost beyond recognition. When I look in the mirror my upper arms, as well as my inner thighs and ‘saddlebags’, have all shrunk and are tighter. My core is stronger and my tummy flatter. I’m now a size 12 and sometimes even a size 10 on my bottom half — I’m 5ft 5in tall. My weight hovers around 9st 7lb, as opposed to the 13st I was before. I lost the first half a stone within a matter of weeks of taking up yoga, and the rest steadily over the next couple of years. When I can’t get to my weekly yoga class — typically during the summer months, when Jamie and I are rushed off our feet with the business — I gain at least half a stone in just a couple of weeks, and feel lethargic and less toned. Pop icon, Madonna (pictured), also practices Ashtanga - a fast-paced type of yoga which is very structured and repetitive . Apart from becoming a yoga devotee, I haven’t really changed a lot else to explain the weight loss. I certainly wouldn’t consider doing a faddy diet. But yoga has had a knock-on effect on the food choices I make. On the day of a class, I eat only a very light dinner, such as a salad — you can’t go to yoga on a full stomach or you’d feel very uncomfortable doing the poses and probably give yourself indigestion. Because doing a class leaves me feeling so good inside, for a couple of days afterwards I find myself naturally drawn towards healthy snacks such as fruit or nuts instead of crisps and chocolate. Even I’m shocked at what a huge impact taking up yoga has had on the shape of my body, and how much more energised and calm I feel. There are postures I still can’t master, but I hope that in years to come I will manage them. So, even though classes follow the same structure each week, yoga never stops being a challenge. I’ll be doing it for the rest of my life now. Reporting by Chloe Lambert, Jill Foster and Sadie Nicholas. 'I dropped two sizes without dieting' Natalie Reid, 38, works part-time in retail. She lives with her partner Dan, 44, and their daughters Rain, ten, and Noa, two, in South West London. She says: . Four years ago my cousin came to my 34th birthday party looking fabulous. She was more toned than she’d been in years and I asked what her secret was. She told me she had started doing yoga, specifically Bikram yoga, and said I should come to a class. At the time I wasn’t very happy with my body. I’d been putting on weight since the birth of my first daughter — before Rain’s arrival I’d been a size 10-12, now I was a size 14 and felt flabby. Natalie Reid, 38, takes classes in Bikram yoga, which is practiced in heats of around 40c. Natalie has lost more than a stone since starting Bikram, despite having made barely any changes to her diet . I knew Bikram yoga was done in high heat, but that was about it. On the internet I learned the heat enables you to stretch into postures more safely. The humidity also promotes sweating, which is believed to help flush toxins from the body. I was intrigued. When I walked into my first class the heat (about 40c or 104f, and 60 per cent humidity) hit me and my first concern was: ‘What’s my hair going to look like after this?’ People say they can’t try yoga because they can’t touch their toes — and that was true with me. I couldn’t do half the things we were being asked to do, but I had a go. At the end I felt invigorated. That day I’d been feeling down, but the yoga left me upbeat and energised. I was hooked. I joined the yoga studio in January 2011 and went every other day for nearly a month. After that, I took out a monthly subscription. I was impressed by how quickly my shape began to change. So did how I felt about my body. After about two months I noticed that my legs were more toned, and so was my stomach. When I found out I was pregnant again, I carried on doing yoga. You can do pregnancy Bikram where the temperature is a little lower, but I went to my normal classes. After I’d had Noa I slipped right back into my jeans. My doctor tells me I’ve lost more than a stone since I started yoga. My diet has changed very little, although I do eat less because I’m drinking around two litres of water a day. My mind feels much calmer, too.
3st and dropped from a size 16 to a size 12 in loss and leaner, more toned figure is all down to down for video . Zoe Cook, 38, (pictured), has challenge. I’ll be doing it for the rest of my dieting' Natalie Reid, 38, works part-time in lost more than a stone since starting Bikram,