Is Vinyasa yoga an effective way to burn calories? How this workout can help with weight loss

Many people struggle with weight loss. Not to mention the lack of physical activity brought about by the recent pandemic. All of us were advised to stay at home to prevent the spread of infection so jogging outside and going to gyms were temporarily disallowed. Although it was possible to remain physically active within the confinements of our houses, some of us lacked the time and even the motivation to exercise.

If you noticed that you’ve recently gained weight and are looking to shedding some, practicing yoga might be able to help. In this article, we’ll be talking about a particular type of yoga that may help in burning calories—Vinyasa yoga.

What is Vinyasa yoga and how can it help me lose weight?

As we all know, there are many types of yoga that provide various health benefits, with weight loss being one of them. It’s kind of overwhelming to choose which one is the most effective and suits your taste the best.

Vinyasa yoga is the best type of yoga to consider if you are trying to lose weight. It’s a yoga class characterized by the execution of a series of connected poses using proper breath techniques. It’s often interchanged with power yoga, but Vinyasa yoga is more centered on the transition of one pose to another. In fact, the transitions themselves are considered as postures too. The sequence will gradually become more challenging as it goes, which is why it will help you develop better endurance and stamina.

This yoga practice will surely get your heart racing and your body sweating, therefore shedding light on the possibility of burning more calories compared to more gentle types of yoga classes.

What are the kinds of Vinyasa classes?

Just like yoga itself, Vinyasa also has its own types and variations. There are plenty of other types of yoga that can be considered as Vinyasa flow. Check them out below:

Ashtanga yoga

Ashtanga is a form of yoga that also applies the Vinyasa flow. This means that it involves the execution of energetic movements in a progressive sequence supported by deep breathing exercises.

Power yoga

Power yoga with Vinyasa flow is—you guessed it—a combination of powerful movements done in fluid transitions. This workout will definitely get you sweating like crazy because of the vigorous postures and fast pace of the sequence.

Hot yoga

Hot Vinyasa yoga is a style of yoga wherein you practice Vinyasa flow in a heated room. It’s a little more challenging because you will be exerting movements in a room with a high temperature. But if you want to burn many calories, hot yoga or Bikram yoga with Vinyasa flow is an optimal choice.

Benefits of Vinyasa yoga practice in weight loss

How can we be so sure that participating in a yoga class like Vinyasa will help us burn more calories? Here are various benefits proving that practicing Vinyasa is a good way to lose weight:

Increases metabolism

In this yoga class, you have to link your breathing with your movements. This causes your heart rate to go up and therefore helping boost your metabolism. This is why Vinyasa is classified as a great way to burn a huge number of calories.

Reduces body fats

The continuous string of movements was formulated to decrease our body fats. Instead, you will be gaining more muscle mass. Practicing Vinyasa will keep us in shape, looking more fit than ever!

Improves strength and endurance

This yoga class will really challenge you in terms of strength, endurance, and stamina. The sequence is progressive so it will get harder as it goes on, testing your ability to keep up with the pace. By joining this yoga class regularly, you will be able to develop your body’s overall strength and resilience.

How many calories does yoga burn?

Can Vinyasa help you burn more calories compared to other types of yoga?

Is Vinyasa really the best yoga session to lose weight? There are plenty of other yoga classes that can aid in burning many calories. There’s Ashtanga yoga, Hatha yoga, and especially hot or Bikram yoga. With so many choices, it may be quite overwhelming to choose which one’s the most effective.

To make it simple for you, here’s a table detailing the number of calories burned in each type of yoga. We will also be measuring the calories per time span.

As you can see from the table above, it shows that Vinyasa is the type of yoga that burns calories the most. Hot yoga comes a close second, with only fewer calories burned per hour. Nothing seems to match the intensity that there is in each session of Vinyasa.

However, keep in mind that the number of calories being burned still depends on the weight of the person doing the workout. For instance, a female subject with a weight of 150 lbs can already burn nearly 600 calories in an hour by practicing Vinyasa.

How often should I practice Vinyasa yoga to lose weight faster?

If your goal is to lose weight, yoga experts recommend doing yoga for 3 to 4 times per week, one hour in each session. You can opt to start slow at the beginning if it’s your first time. However, the more often you do your yoga workout, the faster results will show.

Just remember not to overindulge in it as well. Too much physical exercise without taking any breaks is not good for your health either.

What are the other types of yoga that can help burn many calories?

Other than Vinyasa, there are many other types of yoga that can help burn calories. You can try engaging in an Ashtanga yoga class, a Hot yoga or Bikram yoga class, and a Power yoga class. All these yoga practices can provide you with benefits that will surely aid you on your journey to weight loss.

If you wanna know more, we have another article about the other types of yoga that help with weight loss including the number of calories burned in each one.

Increase the number of calories you burn with our out-of-these-world Vinyasa classes!

If you are looking for a quality Vinyasa flow yoga class where you can burn more calories per hour, you can join Sweatbox Yoga. Our instructors are highly experienced and skillful in teaching the flow that will help significantly increase the number of calories you burn. Sweat your way to fitness and wellness with us here at Sweatbox.