How many calories do you burn when doing yoga? This is a question many people ask when they start yoga. The quick answer is that the number of calories you burn doing yoga changes a lot. It depends on many things, like the style of yoga you do, how long your session is, and your body weight. A gentle yoga class might burn around 100-200 calories in an hour. A faster, more challenging class could burn 300-500 calories or even more in the same amount of time. It’s not a simple number; it’s a range that shifts based on many factors.
Image Source: shunyaapp.com
Grasping Yoga’s Energy Burn
Thinking about yoga and calories can be helpful, especially if you want to lose weight. Burning calories is part of the puzzle for weight loss. But yoga is different from running or cycling. It works your body in many ways. It builds muscle, helps you relax, and makes you feel stronger and more flexible. All these things can help with health and weight over time.
Let’s look at what makes the calories burned different yoga styles. Not all yoga is the same. Some types are slow and quiet. Others are fast and make you sweat a lot. This big difference in movement means a big difference in how many calories your body uses up.
Factors That Change Your Yoga Calorie Burn
Many things play a part in how many calories you burn during yoga. Knowing these helps you get a better idea of your own burn.
Your Body Weight
One of the biggest factors is your weight. Yoga calorie burn by weight follows a simple rule: a heavier person burns more calories doing the same activity than a lighter person. Why? Because moving more weight takes more energy.
Think of it like carrying a backpack. Carrying a light backpack uses some energy. Carrying a heavy backpack uses more energy. Your body weight works the same way.
- A person weighing 150 pounds might burn X calories.
- A person weighing 200 pounds might burn X + Y calories.
This is true for walking, running, and yoga too. So, if you weigh more, you will likely burn more calories in a yoga class than someone who weighs less, doing the exact same poses for the exact same time.
The Style of Yoga You Choose
As we said, yoga styles are very different. This is key to the calories burned different yoga styles.
- Gentle or Restorative yoga: These are slow. You hold poses for a long time, often with support (like blankets or blocks). The movement is minimal. Calorie burn is lower, maybe like a slow walk.
- Hatha yoga: Often taught at a calm pace. You move from one pose to the next with short breaks. It’s more active than Restorative but less active than flow styles. The Hatha yoga calorie expenditure is moderate.
- Vinyasa or Flow yoga: Poses are linked together smoothly, often with breath. You move more constantly. This is more like active exercise. The Vinyasa flow calorie burn is higher than Hatha.
- Ashtanga or Power yoga: These are very active and often faster flow styles. They can be quite hard physically. Calorie burn is high.
- Bikram or Hot yoga: Done in a hot room (often 105°F or 40°C with 40% humidity). It’s a set series of 26 poses. The heat makes it feel harder and makes you sweat a lot. Bikram yoga calorie burn can be high, but some of the ‘burn’ might be your body working to cool itself down.
How Hard You Work
Even in the same style, how much energy you put in matters.
- Are you holding poses strongly?
- Are you moving with power and control?
- Are you staying focused and engaged?
Pushing yourself (safely!) during a class will use more energy than just going through the motions. Your effort level is a big part of your calorie burn.
How Long You Do Yoga
This one is simple. The longer you do yoga, the more calories you burn. A 90-minute class will burn more calories than a 60-minute class of the same style.
To talk about how many calories burned 60 minute yoga, we need to look at the style and your weight. But roughly:
| Yoga Style | Approx. Calorie Burn (150 lb person, 60 min) | Approx. Calorie Burn (200 lb person, 60 min) |
|---|---|---|
| Gentle/Restorative | 100 – 150 | 130 – 190 |
| Hatha | 150 – 200 | 190 – 250 |
| Vinyasa/Flow | 250 – 400 | 320 – 500 |
| Ashtanga/Power | 350 – 500+ | 450 – 600+ |
| Bikram/Hot | 300 – 450 | 380 – 570 |
These are just rough ideas. Your actual burn might be higher or lower.
Looking Closely at Different Yoga Styles’ Burn
Let’s dive deeper into the calorie burn of some popular yoga styles. This helps show the range of calories burned different yoga styles.
Hatha Yoga Calorie Burn
Hatha yoga is often seen as a good place for beginners to start. It usually involves holding poses for a few breaths and moving slowly between them. The pace is calm and controlled.
The Hatha yoga calorie expenditure is moderate. It’s more active than sitting, but less active than brisk walking.
- For a 150-pound person, a 60-minute Hatha class might burn around 150-200 calories.
- For a 200-pound person, that same class might burn 190-250 calories.
Hatha is great for learning poses, building basic strength, and becoming more flexible. While not the biggest calorie burner, regular Hatha practice helps your body get ready for more active styles and adds to your total daily calorie burn.
Vinyasa Flow Calorie Burn
Vinyasa means linking movement with breath. In a Vinyasa class, you move smoothly from one pose to the next. Sun Salutations are common. The pace is often faster than Hatha. This constant movement makes your heart rate go up.
The Vinyasa flow calorie burn is significantly higher than Hatha or gentle styles.
- For a 150-pound person, a 60-minute Vinyasa class can burn 250-400 calories.
- For a 200-pound person, it could burn 320-500 calories.
The actual number depends on the teacher’s style and how challenging the class is. A fast, powerful Vinyasa can be a great workout for burning calories.
Bikram Yoga Calorie Burn
Bikram yoga is done in a very hot room. The heat makes you sweat a lot. The class follows the same 26 poses and two breathing exercises every time.
Bikram yoga calorie burn is often talked about as being very high because of the heat. However, some of the calories you burn in a hot room are used by your body to cool itself down, not just from the yoga movements. The actual movement in Bikram is not as fast as a Power Vinyasa class.
- For a 150-pound person, a 60-minute Bikram class might burn 300-450 calories. Note that Bikram classes are often 90 minutes, so the total burn is higher.
- For a 200-pound person, a 60-minute period might burn 380-570 calories.
While you sweat a lot and feel like you’re working hard (which you are!), the calorie burn from the movement itself might be similar to a challenging Hatha or moderate Vinyasa class done in a normal room. The heat adds another layer of work for your body.
Other Yoga Styles and Their Burn
- Ashtanga Yoga: A set series of poses, more demanding than Vinyasa. High calorie burn, often similar to or higher than fast Vinyasa.
- Power Yoga: Often a flowing style, but focuses more on strength and fitness. High calorie burn, similar to Ashtanga or strong Vinyasa.
- Restorative Yoga: Uses props to support the body in gentle poses. Very low movement. Calorie burn is low, perhaps similar to just sitting quietly.
- Yin Yoga: Holding poses for long periods (3-5 minutes or more) to stretch deep tissues. Low movement. Calorie burn is low, similar to Restorative.
How to Estimate Calories Burned Yoga
Getting an exact number for calories burned is hard. Fitness trackers and online tools give estimates. But you can get a rough idea. This helps answer how to estimate calories burned yoga.
Fitness experts use something called METs (Metabolic Equivalents). METs measure how much energy an activity uses compared to just sitting still. Sitting still is 1 MET. An activity that is 3 METs uses 3 times more energy than sitting still.
Rough MET values for yoga styles (these can vary):
- Restorative/Gentle Yoga: 2.0 METs
- Hatha Yoga: 2.5 METs
- Vinyasa/Flow Yoga: 3.5 METs
- Power/Ashtanga Yoga: 4.5 METs
- Bikram Yoga: 4.0 METs (Some sources say higher, some lower, depending on how they count the heat effect)
The formula to estimate calories burned using METs is:
Calories Burned per Minute = (METs × Your Weight in Kilograms × 3.5) / 200
Then, multiply this by the number of minutes you did yoga.
Example: A person weighing 150 pounds (about 68 kg) does 60 minutes of Vinyasa yoga (3.5 METs).
- Calories per minute = (3.5 × 68 × 3.5) / 200
- Calories per minute = (238 × 3.5) / 200
- Calories per minute = 833 / 200
- Calories per minute = 4.165
- Calories for 60 minutes = 4.165 × 60 = 249.9
This estimate (around 250 calories) falls within the range we discussed for Vinyasa for a 150-pound person.
Using a Yoga Calorie Burn Calculator
Many websites and apps offer a Yoga calorie burn calculator. You put in your weight, the style of yoga, and how long you did it. The calculator uses formulas like the one above (or similar ones) to give you a number.
Fitness trackers like smartwatches and fitness bands also estimate calorie burn during yoga. They use sensors to track your heart rate and movement.
It’s important to remember:
- Calculators and trackers give estimates.
- They are not perfectly accurate for everyone.
- Factors like your exact effort level are hard for them to measure.
- Use them as a guide, not an exact count.
Comparing Yoga Calorie Burn to Walking
How does yoga stack up against other common activities like walking? This helps put the comparing yoga calorie burn to walking question into focus.
Let’s look at rough calorie burns for 60 minutes for a 150-pound person:
- Sitting quietly: ~60 calories
- Walking, slow (2 mph): ~170 calories
- Walking, brisk (3.5 mph): ~270 calories
- Walking, very fast (4.5 mph): ~440 calories
- Hatha Yoga: ~150-200 calories
- Vinyasa Yoga: ~250-400 calories
- Bikram Yoga: ~300-450 calories (includes heat effect)
From this, we can see:
- Gentle yoga burns fewer calories than even slow walking.
- Hatha yoga burns similar calories to slow walking.
- Vinyasa yoga can burn similar calories to brisk walking or even faster walking, depending on the intensity.
- High-intensity yoga like Power or Ashtanga can burn calories in a range similar to faster walking or a light jog.
So, yoga can burn a good number of calories, especially the more active styles. But it’s generally not as high as activities like running, cycling fast, or swimming hard, which can burn 500-800+ calories in an hour.
Yoga for Weight Loss Calorie Deficit
If your goal is weight loss, you need to burn more calories than you eat. This is called creating a calorie deficit. Can yoga help with this? Yes, absolutely!
Yoga for weight loss calorie deficit works in several ways:
- Calorie Burn: As we’ve seen, yoga does burn calories. While maybe not as many as intense cardio, it still contributes to your daily total. Doing yoga several times a week adds up.
- Building Muscle: Many yoga poses build muscle strength. More muscle means your body burns more calories even when you are resting. This can help create a calorie deficit over time.
- Stress Reduction: Yoga is well-known for reducing stress. High stress can lead to higher levels of cortisol, a hormone that can make your body hold onto fat, especially around the belly. Stress can also cause emotional eating. By lowering stress, yoga can help you manage your eating habits better.
- Body Awareness: Yoga helps you become more aware of your body and how it feels. This can lead to making healthier food choices because you are more in tune with hunger and fullness signals.
- Supports Consistency: Yoga is often gentler on the body than high-impact exercise. This can make it easier to do regularly, week after week. Being consistent with any activity is key for weight loss.
- Better Sleep: Yoga can improve sleep quality. Good sleep is important for hormone balance, including hormones that control hunger and fullness.
To use yoga for weight loss, think of it as one part of your plan. You still need to pay attention to what and how much you eat. Combining regular yoga (especially more active styles) with a healthy diet is a powerful way to create a calorie deficit and reach your weight goals.
Making Your Yoga Practice Burn More Calories
If you want to get the most calorie burn from your yoga time, here are some tips:
- Choose more active styles: Go for Vinyasa, Power, or Ashtanga classes more often.
- Increase your effort: Engage your muscles strongly in each pose. Don’t just hold the pose; actively work in it. For example, in Warrior II, really press into your feet and reach actively through your fingertips.
- Hold poses longer: Holding challenging poses like Warrior III or Chair pose for extra breaths works your muscles more and burns more energy.
- Move with intention: Make your transitions between poses smooth and controlled, not sloppy. This keeps your muscles engaged.
- Add extra movements: If the teacher is moving slowly, you can add movements like pulsing in lunges or doing extra push-ups (Chaturanga) if it feels right and safe for your body.
- Try a longer class: A 75-minute or 90-minute class will burn more calories than a 60-minute class of the same style.
Remember, always listen to your body. Don’t push yourself too hard, especially if you are new to a style or pose. Safety comes first.
Putting It All Together: Your Yoga Burn Picture
We’ve looked at many things that affect how many calories you burn in yoga.
- Your weight plays a big role.
- The style of yoga matters a lot, from gentle to powerful.
- How much effort you put in makes a difference.
- How long you practice affects the total burn.
While yoga might not always burn as many calories per minute as running or biking hard, it offers many other benefits. It builds strength, improves flexibility, reduces stress, and increases body awareness. These benefits support overall health and can help with weight management in many ways beyond just the calorie count.
Thinking about how many calories burned 60 minute yoga is a good start, but remember that number is not fixed. It’s a range that changes for each person and each class. Use the information about different styles like Vinyasa flow calorie burn, Hatha yoga calorie expenditure, and Bikram yoga calorie burn to pick classes that fit your goals.
Estimating your burn using a Yoga calorie burn calculator or the METs formula gives you a rough idea. How to estimate calories burned yoga involves considering your personal factors and the class type. But don’t get too hung up on the exact number. Focus more on how yoga makes you feel and the positive changes it brings to your body and mind.
When comparing yoga calorie burn to walking, you see that active yoga is a good moderate-to-vigorous activity. It’s a great way to add calorie-burning movement to your week.
For yoga for weight loss calorie deficit, remember that yoga is a tool to support your overall healthy lifestyle. It helps you burn some calories, build muscle, manage stress, and feel better in your body, all of which help you reach and keep a healthy weight.
So, whether you burn 150 calories or 400 calories in a session, every bit counts. More importantly, the strength, peace, and well-being you gain from yoga are benefits you can’t measure in calories alone.
Frequently Asked Questions About Yoga and Calorie Burn
Here are answers to some common questions people ask about yoga and calories.
Q: Is hot yoga better for burning calories?
Hot yoga, like Bikram, makes you sweat a lot because of the heat. This feels like you’re burning a lot. The heat does make your body work harder to stay cool, which burns some extra calories. So, a hot yoga class might have a higher calorie burn than a similar style done in a cool room, but part of that is due to the heat, not just the yoga movements.
Q: Does holding a pose longer burn more calories?
Yes, generally, holding a pose that requires muscle work for a longer time will burn more calories than just moving through it quickly. Your muscles are engaged, working against gravity or holding a shape, which requires energy.
Q: Can I lose weight just by doing yoga?
It is possible to lose weight with yoga, especially if you do more active styles regularly and it helps you eat fewer calories overall. However, for many people, especially if the weight loss goal is significant, combining yoga with dietary changes to create a calorie deficit is more effective than relying on yoga alone for calorie burning. Yoga is fantastic for building strength, flexibility, and managing stress, all of which support a healthy weight journey.
Q: How accurate are fitness trackers for yoga calorie burn?
Fitness trackers use your heart rate and sometimes movement to estimate calorie burn. They can give you a general idea, but they are not perfectly accurate for yoga. Yoga involves many static holds and slow movements where heart rate might not be as high as during cardio, even though muscles are working hard. Trackers are better at estimating calorie burn for rhythmic activities like running or cycling. Use the tracker’s number as a helpful estimate, but know it might not be exact.
Q: Which yoga style burns the most calories?
Generally, the most active and physically demanding styles burn the most calories. These include Power Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga, and fast-paced Vinyasa Flow classes. Hot yoga styles can also have a high calorie burn due to the heat.
Q: How many calories do you burn in 30 minutes of yoga?
To estimate the calorie burn for 30 minutes, you can take the 60-minute estimates we discussed and roughly divide them in half. For example, for a 150-pound person:
* Gentle/Restorative: ~50-75 calories
* Hatha: ~75-100 calories
* Vinyasa/Flow: ~125-200 calories
* Ashtanga/Power: ~175-250+ calories
* Bikram/Hot: ~150-225+ calories (in 30 mins of a 90 min class)
Again, these are estimates and depend on the style, your weight, and your effort.