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Wonder How Many Calories Are Burned in Different Yoga Classes? We Have Answers!

yoga-calories-585If you ask any avid yogi why they love yoga so much, weight-loss and calorie burn would probably be pretty far down the list. While you don’t want to take away from the mind/body connection people flock to yoga to experience — admit it — you are a little curious how many calories your favorite yoga class is scorching. And if you are on a weight-loss plan, being informed on just how many calories you are expending can be the key to your success.

There is no way around it. Yoga is as an amazing full-body workout — but the intensity can vary based on which class you take, from gentle and relaxing Hatha yoga to sweat-dripping-off-your-nose hot Bikram. So which classes burn the most (and the least) amount of calories? The answers may surprise you.

“If the method to test caloric expenditure was only based on heart rate, then Bikram and other hot yoga classes might top the charts as the styles of yoga that burn the most calories,” explains Jill Lawson, founder of Jill Lawson Yoga. “But while a higher heart rate does correlate with a higher calorie burn, other factors can play a role in increased heart rate without the corresponding caloric expenditure.”

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Comments

72 Comments
  1. Stephanie says:

    I wear a heart rate monitor, so I can see for me what the real calorie burn is. For the yoga classes I take (typically some sort of flow) I’m lucky to get 200-250 calories out of a class. It’s definitely done for the calorie burn!

    What I get out of it is stretching, flexibility, and an overall sense of calmness and relaxation that I never feel coming out of any other sort of exercise class. Mind-body connection indeed.

  2. D says:

    4 years ago I was hit by a 18 wheeler and messed up my left side of my body. So I am not very flexible in my hips on that side nor my neck (for example I cannot look over my left shoulder) so recently I bought a Wii and I’ve been doing the yoga almost everyday along with my regular boxing and high impact cardio and I have noticed that I am starting to get more flexibility in my hip, so I’m hopeful with a little more work with the yoga, I can get better range. There is a bikram yoga place in town that doesn’t charge much, but I hate humidity so I’m concerned I won’t do well in it.

  3. Li says:

    As an athletic woman, it somewhat surprises me that the yoga class that appeals to me most is a slow paced hatha class. I find the spiritual aspect, and the soothing nature of the class balances my exercise routine which is already heavy in calorie burning pursuits. The flexibility and ease of movement that I have gained helps not only in my other fitness activities, but also in daily life.

  4. jah says:

    I’ve been enjoying hot vinyasa flow classes for 10+ years and I’ve never thought about the calorie burn. For me it’s about the stretch, the strength and the cleansing feeling I get during a hot class. I love it! I need the yoga classes to balance the running and weight-training I do on the other days. If I had to choose one type of exercise it would be yoga.

  5. Cindy says:

    I just recently got into Restorative Yoga after an ovarian cyst left me rather athletically debilitated. Believe it or not, my stress decreased immensely and my ovarian cyst actually shrunk! I couldn’t beleive it. Aside from the fact that I lost some muscle definition due to my weight-lifting and HIIT hiatus, I am totally going to incorporate this into my new workout routine when I get back into the swing of things.

  6. was really shocked to see Vinyasa yoga as the type of yoga that burns the most calories. I assumed it would have been Bikram because you sweat so much in hot yoga. Contrary to popular belief, as we’ve already learned, don’t rely on sweat as a gauge of how intense an exercise is. A combination of heart rate and perceived effort are much better indicators of how hard you are working and how much energy you are expending.

  7. elizabeth.grant@ymail.com says:

    How many calories are burned in 75 min of power yoga?

  8. Kelly says:

    Many Vinyasa flow classes are done in the hot room just like the Bikram style class. So there’s plenty of sweating happebing. I’m so excited to learn that Vinyasa flow is such a calorie burner! It’s become my favorite style after practicing different styles over the last decade. Now I love it even more 😀

  9. Never look down your nose at yoga. It takes some serious fitness and burns so much.

  10. Mike says:

    Regarding the description of what Hatha Yoga is – it completely misses the point of doing yoga for many who practice – to still the body to still the mind, finding peace, relaxation, allowing the body to rejuvenate itself. It is also preparation for meditation.

  11. Shiv kumar says:

    Do you think meditations also helps in burning calories ??

  12. Janice Stephenson says:

    I love yoga cause Ican feel by body getting stronger, my balance better, and my mind more focused.

  13. Former collegiate athlete says:

    I take yoga to burn calories but also to help with my mental health! It is my favorite way to workout I usually try to go at least 2 times a week.

  14. I will try these tips for sure. These tips will be helpful for a lot of people like me. Looking forward to more informative articles like these.

  15. It was useful information . It helped me lot to make a perfect yogas .Thank you Jenn for sharing this

  16. Yes… i am agree with you. you are totaly right………..

  17. yes this is true, because yoga give so much energy and calmness.

  18. Elmer says:

    Thanks for the tips.

  19. Sani says:

    I am a regular runner and doing yoga since last 5 months, and I could able to lose a good amount of calories, not sure about the calories how much effective it is, but I become more effective and balance with the help of yoga.

  20. Deano says:

    I LOVE Yoga! I couldn’t imagine a week without it. So many benefits like you say, great post guys 🙂

  21. Has anyone used an HRM doing vinyasa or power yoga? How many calories did it say you burned?

    If you estimate like me, how much do you estimate?

    I am 5’3” and 150 lbs.

  22. Taylor Lincoln says:

    Hi there!

    This was a great read! I really enjoyed it.

    Alert1 recently published a complete yoga resource page that I believe would compliment the content in this piece really well.
    Check it out here: https://www.alert-1.com/blog/resources/the-ultimate-yoga-resource-page-for-seniors/6978
    Might be worth a link on the page!

    Best, Taylor.

  23. Zoe says:

    Being able to burn calories with help of yoga is double benefit of applying different styles of yoga. I have been doing it for last 4 years and it has helped me to remain fit and healthy.

  24. Clarke says:

    Very helpful tips. Thanks.

  25. My favourite yoga is burning calories?! I started to do yoga for calmness but it is even better!

  26. Yes i too believe that yoga helps to burn calories and relax my mind i’m also trying to loose my belly fat and gain some extra muscle and yoga is popular in india and my family also suggested me to do yoga.

  27. John says:

    Most of the time i do yoga and other exercises to burn calories.
    Yoga is very important for mentality point of view.
    Thanks for sharing

  28. Trendy says:

    I am feeling lucky to read this blog because i like to do yoga exercises daily. Yoga makes me a good fit the body becomes flexible yoga plays an important role to get fit and burn calories i like this post thanks for sharing.

  29. thanks for sharing this amazing post.

  30. Fitma says:

    Wow 100 to 450 calories per hour, I did not that. anyways very informational post Jenn.

  31. box35100 says:

    Hi Jenn,
    Nice sharing this post contains a lot of information which is very helpful for us this blog is very interesting and motivative i really enjoyed this blog thanks for it.

  32. Box35100 says:

    thank you very much i want to start it for burn lots of calories as soon as possible

  33. Tanveer says:

    Thanks for sharing this wonder ful article. It’s been a long time since I was searching for a blog like this.

  34. Jake says:

    My wife does a lot of yoga so it’s pretty amazing to see how many calories can be burned. Yoga looks so peaceful, hmm maybe I should start doing yoga…

  35. Houda Ange says:

    it was a great article thnx and keep up the goood work (y)

  36. Health is the most important part of life nothing is more valuable than good health yoga is the best way to get fitnice article shared its very interesting and informative thanks for it.

  37. Pam says:

    I attend yoga class because you become more flexible, strengthen my muscles, and to relieve stress I do yoga about 2x a week, not enough to lose weight if that was my goal. I think yoga is a great addition to any fitness program you participate in, Any calories burned are a big plus because they’re in addition to what you burn with cardio and strength training.

  38. fraddy Roy says:

    it was an awesome Article thanks for sharing and keep doing awesome!

  39. nice article thanks for sharing

  40. useful inforamtion thnaks for sharing

  41. yoga works wonder. so i do agree with you..

  42. Redge says:

    Wow! Thanks for this!

  43. Mukesh says:

    The article is very nicely written and the content is very good keep on sharing the articles like this.

  44. Ashley says:

    i love this Jenn. it helped me burnt a few calories i usually get really hungry after yoga so i try to eat a healthy snack with low calories but also delicious i found some nutritious low calories bars and they are super deliciouuuus! http://amzn.to/2GelDap

  45. Very useful information. It helped me alot to make myself fit. Keep up blogging and thanks alot.

  46. sanchez says:

    I’m considering yoga like a way to burn my calories. Your post is so informative to help me what kind I need the most, thank you so much!

  47. Love Yoga! It keep me a well sleep.

  48. Joined a yoga class but have never thought about the number of calories burned during exercise‎. Helpful post! Thanks.

  49. Very meaningful and rewarding article. Thank you for sharing

  50. habitat says:

    Great yoga! It helps to relax and have a flexible and vibrant body, and what I am interested in has been answered by a fake, thanks for that.

  51. Sanchez says:

    I am a gymer, but am learning to turn to yoga. Post and comments are really helpful to me

  52. I like Ashtanga Yoga most. Thanks for sharing information.

  53. Never hear about this. Thanks for sharing valuable info!

  54. My purpose of doing yoga is not burning calories, but it’s interesting to know more information about its benefits. Thanks so much.

  55. grill beef says:

    Oh, that’s useful information. I do yoga to reduce stress, and also as a workout. Thanks for the post.

  56. Yoga is a great way to improve your health, well-being and life overall. Weight loss is one of the many benefits of regular yoga practice.

  57. These potatoes sound amazing!

  58. Williams says:

    Yoga is a great exercise, it helps us have a good health and mental clarity. Thanks for your great sharing, useful information

  59. Thomas says:

    Useful information! My wife just started yoga and she was very happy with your information. Thanks for sharing

  60. io games says:

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  61. I enjoy reading great posts such as this one. You did a good job.

  62. phx cooks says:

    Wondeful. I like this article so much. It is so useful. I have learned a lot more from it. Hope you will have more good articles. Good job! Thanks.

  63. wonderful article, I have learned a lot more from it. Hope you will have more good articles. How many calories are burned in 60 min of power yoga?

  64. FAUG Game says:

    Nice Post Thanks for Sh…. tretching, flexibility, and an overall sense of calmnes

  65. bistro sk says:

    Thank you for sharing. I like this post very much.

  66. Very Good Post and website. thanks for sharing

  67. Its very heartly post. Thanks to Admin For sharing An Amazing Post

  68. Paramjit says:

    This is really a very informative article about different type yoga types and good for those people who want to learn about calories burn during their yoga routine. Thanks for sharing

  69. Very informative and well-written articles. As health and fitness experts, these days very few people share good knowledge on the internet. Thanks for sharing

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  72. My stress level dropped dramatically, and my ovarian cyst shrank! It blew my mind. Despite the fact that I have lost muscular definition owing to my lack of weight-lifting and HIIT, I will definitely integrate this into my new training regimen when I return.

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