So just how many calories do we burn in Yoga? Can Yoga really burn enough calories to supplement my cardio workout? I am sure that you have wondered about this many times, and honestly it all depends on what type of yoga you are practicing and how you are practicing. It’s just like anything else; you get out of it what you put into it!
In my personal opinion, how many calories are burned should not be our deciding factor as to if a workout is worthwhile or right for us. There are many other things to consider, like; will it improve your balance, focus and concentration? Does it build strength and flexibility? Has it improved your energy levels, lowered your blood pressure or cholesterol? Will it change the tone, definition and shape of your body? Has it increased your breathing capacity?
Because Yoga has changed my life in so many wonderful ways, it really doesn’t matter to me how many calories I burn. But, I have to admit that when I first started practicing it did cross my mind. I am just so grateful that I stuck with it long enough to see, feel and experience the changes in my body, mind and life. This is what keeps me stepping back on my Yoga mat time after time, day after day. But, if knowing how many calories can be burned during a Yoga class helps any of you decide to try Yoga and stick with it long enough to see for yourself what I am talking about, then let’s take a look.
As I said before, it really depends on the type of Yoga you are practicing, the intensity in which you practice, the length of time the particular class you are participating in is, your weight, etc. There was a study done recently that looked at the most common types of Yoga and how many calories were burned. The results were based on a one hour long class and the calories burned were an average for a 150 pound person. Here’s what they found:
HATHA Hatha is a style of yoga that focuses on basic postures that flow in and out with emphasis on breathing techniques. Hatha Yoga is what most people in the West associate with Yoga. Hatha Yoga is more of a style of Yoga than a type of Yoga. Hatha is a Sanskrit word that means “physical” or “force”, so any type of Yoga that involves the holding or flowing of poses is Hatha Yoga. Hatha Yoga is practiced for mental and physical health. Calories burned in Hatha Yoga: 189 per hour
ASHTANGA Ashtanga Yoga is what Yogi’s and Yogini’s refer to as the eight limbed Yoga. Ashtanga Yoga refers specifically to the eight spiritual practices outlined by the Yoga Sutra, which is the original Yoga text which provides us with guidelines for living a mindful life, with those around us in the world and with ourselves, how to treat every living thing with kindness while doing no harm to ourselves or others. The physical practice of Ashtanga Yoga can be composed of 6 set series, each increasing with more difficulty. Calories burned in Ashtanga Yoga: 351 per hour
POWER YOGA An Americanized version of Ashtanga Yoga, which could be called Ashtanga Vinyasa. Power Yoga intensifies poses by moving more rapidly between one pose to the other. Power Yoga is commonly seen in health clubs because it is usually shortened to a 45 minute class format versus a 60 or 90 minute class, but the calories burned are seemingly the same because the pace of class is quickened. Calories burned in Power Yoga: 360 per hour
BIKRAM and HOT YOGA Bikram Yoga is ideally practiced in a room heated to 105°F (40.5°C) with a humidity of 40%. Classes include 26 postures, usually practiced in the same order guided by specific dialogue and breathing techniques with very few modifications offered. Calories burned in Bikram or Hot Yoga: 477 per hour
VINYASA A dynamic form of yoga that connects postures with the breath and creates a flow between traditional yoga postures. The Vinyasa flow is especially evident during the Sun Salutation series, but is present throughout the class. Vinyasa is a Sanskrit word that means “flowing with the breath” and “to place in a special way” Basically, if we are moving we are doing so on a flowing “inhale/exhale” with one breath for each movement. Generally the inhale is used to open or extend the body and the exhale is used to close of flex the body, creating a well rounded and muscularly balanced class. Calories burned in Vinyasa Yoga: 594 per hour
That’s right; Vinyasa Yoga burned over 100 calories more per hour than Bikram or Hot Yoga. Surprised? Not me, this just goes to prove that our workouts should not be gauged purely by how much sweat we produce. Yes, it can be an indicator, but who doesn’t sweat when it’s 105 degrees?
Burn more calories during Yoga by “Growing” in your practice and focusing on Core Stability!One way to burn even more calories during your Yoga practice is to constantly “grow” during each pose or stretch. Retract the shoulders away from the ear lobes, draw the scapulas down towards our back pockets and create space between each vertebra in the spine. Imagine each part of our bodies being pulled in different directions. Instead of just lifting the arms overhead, continue reaching for the sun. Instead of holding a pose for the sake of holding it; find yourself lengthening and growing with each and every breath. Practice “growing” in every pose, not just the holding poses, but even in the flowing of poses; stretching and elongating the body, truly grounding through whatever body part is in contact with the mat, stacking and/or aligning the bones and joint and then creating as much space between those joints as possible so that we are not sagging into the vulnerable joints. This is the dynamic tension that you hear so much about in our Yoga classes.
What Type of Classes does Body Benefits Practice? Body Benefits incorporates many different types of Yoga into our classes making it a sort of hybrid flow. Inygar Yoga can be seen in the alignment principals that we will not compromise for safety, yet we offer an aspect of Vin Yoga in the modification of intensity and level of poses according to the individual limitations. We also include aspects of Kundalini Yoga with our breathing exercise and balancing flows for the chakras, but Body Benefits Yoga is part of the Hatha Yoga tradition and is taught in a Vinyasa Yoga.
We invite you to come flow with us and experience for yourself the positive benefits for your whole body!
Written by: Barbara Nobles; Owner of Body Benefits
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