How many calories you burn during a yoga class depends on a number of factors. The intensity of your workout, your age and weight, and the duration of your session all play into how many calories you can expect to burn during a typical yoga session.
How many calories can yoga burn?
The good news is that yoga has been shown to burn more calories than other forms of exercise, including walking or running. And if you want to know exactly how many calories you burn doing yoga, you only need to know one thing: your body weight.
To figure out how many calories you’ll burn in a yoga class, take your body weight and multiply by 0.19. That’s the number of calories you’ll burn for every pound that you weigh in an hour-long class. So, if you weigh 200 pounds, that means that each time you go to yoga class, you’ll burn around 3800 calories per hour!
The exact number varies depending on what kind of style of yoga you’re practicing—but don’t worry about getting too scientific with this calculation! Just make sure that when it comes time for your next workout session, make sure there’s plenty of water on hand so you can stay hydrated throughout!
Does yoga burn more calories than walking?
In order to get an accurate sense of how many calories are burned during yoga sessions, researchers from Piedmont Technical College studied 10 different types of poses and found that each pose burned anywhere from 24-40% more calories than walking at 3 mph for an hour without any breaks (or rest).
Does yoga burn calories differently than other exercises?
Yes! According to a study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, people who did 30 minutes of vinyasa flow yoga burned about 300 calories. That’s about the same amount that an hour on the treadmill or elliptical will burn—but not quite as much as a high-intensity interval training session or weightlifting routine will yield.
It comes down to how your body uses energy during each activity. When you’re running or biking or lifting weights, your body uses more energy by burning fat and carbohydrates quickly. But when you’re doing yoga, you’re using oxygen more efficiently and shifting into an aerobic state (meaning you’re burning fat more slowly).
As a yoga studio owner or instructor, you can help clients reach their weight and strength goals through efficient calorie burn. My Best Studios yoga studio management software can help you manage the administrative tasks of your business, so you can spend more time on what you do best.