We often engage in exercises to gain a better physique. A lot of us trying to lose weight because of the need to look better and be healthier. But in reality, weight loss is not as easy as it sounds. Gaining weight is a lot less challenging than losing it which is why we often turn to various physical activities that can help us shed those pounds.

One of the types of workouts that are believed to be a contributor to weight loss is yoga. Yoga is a meditative exercise that increases our muscle strength and enhances our flexibility. It may be hard to believe that a relaxing exercise such as this would be able to help lose weight. When it comes to burning calories, we often rely on more energetic and powerful exercises such as jogging, aerobics, CrossFit, and others. People often forget about joining a hot yoga studio in Singapore.

But can yoga really help with weight loss? How many calories does yoga burn?

Yoga and weight loss

Yoga is known for being a relaxing form of workout. In a typical yoga session, you execute different kinds of poses that make use of your muscle groups. This exercise provides so many health benefits such as an increase in muscle strength, better flexibility, as well as an improved state of mind. To simply put it, yoga is a very healthy physical activity that will prevent you from having diseases or stress and anxiety.

How many calories does yoga burn? Even if it does burn a remarkable amount, does engaging in a yoga class help with weight loss?

It is no surprise that yoga is not commonly referred to as a highly-energetic form of exercise. When it comes to burning calories, we often turn to more powerful types of workouts that get our body moving around and sweating like crazy. However, don’t close the curtains just yet. Some experts say that yoga can actually contribute to losing weight. Despite the slow and precise movements, yoga may help you lose weight in the sense of toning your muscles and improving your metabolism. Yoga also helps you sleep better, which leads to burning more calories than when you’re lacking sleep.

Basically, there are many different ways to lose weight but yoga is a great one. It’s a physical activity that is suitable for people of all ages and sizes. Practicing it daily will bring you tons of benefits beyond your expectations.

How Many Calories Does Yoga Burn?

It is said that in yoga, the calories you burn can get up to 200 to 600 calories per hour. If you desire to get rid of fat and lose more pounds, practicing yoga is a good way to do so. However, there is a popping question of what are the types of yoga that burn more calories. Is hot yoga really better at burning many calories than those not falling under that category?

Hot Yoga VS Non-Hot Yoga: Which Burns Calories More?

Which helps people burn more calories: heated or unheated yoga?

Yes, yoga is a proven tool in losing weight. But is doing yoga in a heated studio really more effective? This is not exactly backed up by research. Most people presume this due to the reason that engaging in a hot yoga class causes you to sweat a lot, which is considered to be a sign of burning calories. Furthermore, there was an official indication that the number of calories burned is increased when you are exposed to heat. The high temperature causes your body to double its efforts in cooling itself off. Also, practicing heated yoga enables your body to extend itself even better.

Wanna know which type of yoga can help you burn many calories the most? Let’s find out.

Hot yoga classes

Bikram Yoga, Hot Yoga Class

Bikram yoga is just one type of hot yoga class. Here you’re required to do a series of 26 poses in a room that’s heated up to 105 degrees celsius in 90 minutes. The intensely high temperature will cause you to sweat profusely, thus, allowing your body to detoxify. Not only that, your body is more prone to being more flexible when it’s exposed to a warm environment. This means you can stretch your body much better. Practicing hot yoga or Bikram yoga can help you burn more than 400 calories within 60 minutes alone.

If you want to start burning calories, it’s time to join bikram hot yoga.

Non-hot yoga classes

Vinyasa Yoga

This type of yoga involves doing poses in smooth transitions accompanied by proper breathing techniques. This is considered to be an ideal cardiovascular workout due to the gradual progression of movements. Although this is not being done in a heated room, the continuous string of movements causes the body to sweat a lot.

Vinyasa is actually one of the best types of yoga to burn calories. It can burn an average of 400 to 500 per hour.

Hatha Yoga

Hatha is a more gentle type of yoga practice wherein you execute slow-paced and precise poses. There is a rest every after pose that you do. Unlike other types of yoga, here you focus on holding positions while breathing. A person is said to burn calories of 107 in a 30-minute hatha yoga class.

Power Yoga

Power yoga is a Vinyasa-style of yoga that deals with energetic and vigorous movements. It is focused on helping you build your strength, endurance, and stamina. If you are looking to improve your cardio and strength, then this is a good workout for you. An hour of power yoga burns about 360 calories.

Based on what was stated above, it shows that hot yoga classes or Bikram yoga tend to burn more calories than non-hot yoga ones. It is possible that the high temperature and sweating might have something to do with it, although not yet accurately proven by scientific data. Probably the body performs better and burns calories more while heating up. However, continuous movements and cardio should also be considered, given the number of calories being burned in a Vinyasa yoga class.

You can check the table below to the calories being burned in each class:

Fun fact: Did you know that you can calculate the calories you can burn per minute in any type of yoga? All you have to do is follow this formula:

= (MET (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) value of the yoga * body weight in kilograms * 3.5) ÷ 200

How Long Should You Practice Yoga To Burn More Calories?

Are 30 minutes or less than an hour of yoga a day good enough to lose weight?

It is good to practice yoga as much as you can in order to burn many calories. It is advisable to engage in power yoga, which is a more intense practice, at least three to five times per week for a minimum of one hour. However, for you not to over-exhaust yourself, make sure to balance it out with more relaxing and gentle types of yoga such as restorative yoga. Doing more calm and relaxed poses will guarantee fewer calories burned but at least it keeps your body from being worn out.

Yoga is not just about people becoming thinner or slimmer. It is about knowing how to take care of your body properly and maintaining a better physique. If you keep practicing yoga—whether it’s Hatha, Vinyasa, or Bikram—it will definitely improve your health and contribute to the increased number of calories burned. However, remember to not feel pressured into trying a type of yoga that is popular for burning calories, but rather explore which one helps you become more physically active.

In general, yoga is not just about bodily exercise and movements, it’s also about teaching you to become mindful of yourself. If you get into it you will not only be losing some pounds in no time, you will also adopt a healthy lifestyle. We all know it’s important to keep our health well and thriving so we can continue to live a long, carefree life. If you try to do yoga at least 2 to 3 times a week for an hour each session or even daily (which is better), you will surely experience the benefits in no time!

If you have any questions about yoga and getting rid of fat, you can consult an instructor or yoga specialist. It would be best to seek the thoughts of a professional especially since there are many different types of yoga to choose from. You can also refer to a trusted hot yoga studio in Singapore like Sweatbox Yoga!