Many people are surprised to find that practicing certain types of yoga burns more calories than running. In appearance, yoga is a calm and relaxed sport, which favors our well-being but does not burn too many calories a priori. However, it has been shown that practicing some types of yoga for an hour can burn more than 600 calories per session, something incredible. Therefore, it is very important to know how many calories each type of yoga burns. Let’s go there!
Bikram yoga: between 300 and 450 calories per hour
Without a doubt, this is the type of yoga that burns the most calories, but you have to take into account the conditions in which it is developed. This type of yoga is practiced in a room at 42ºC and with a humidity close to 40%, conditions that favor sweating and, consequently, the burning of calories. It is also known as “hot yoga”, and consists of 26 asana and two pranayama. In just half an hour we can lose about 180 calories, and in 60 minutes up to 460 calories for men and 330 for women.
Vinyasa yoga: between 445 and 500 calories
It does not reach the level of Bikram yoga, but Vinyasa is another very interesting type of yoga when it comes to losing weight. It is estimated that we can burn between 445 and 500 calories in a session of just one hour, and all this without having to be subjected to the harsh temperature conditions of Bikram yoga. The main characteristic of Vinyasa yoga is the relationship between breath and movement, since we move constantly while exhaling and holding. Continuous movement is what increases calorie burn.
Ashanti yoga: between 300 and 350 calories per hour
Something more relaxed is Ashanti yoga, with which we will burn between 300 and 350 calories per hour. Again we find a flow of movement, since this type of yoga consists of a series of postures whose difficulty increases as we progress in the session. It is very important to follow the indicated order and not to alternate positions to lose weight quickly with this type of yoga, since this way you make sure you follow the correct itinerary, from the easiest to the most complex, so that we increase the burning of calories.
Hatha yoga: about 200 calories
Finally we have Hatha yoga, the gentlest modality. The main objective of this type of yoga, the basis of all modalities, is to strengthen the body rather than burn calories, in addition to providing us with energy and purifying it. It also highlights its link between the mind and body relaxation, which is not an impediment for us to approach 180 calories burned in a session, a figure that is not bad at all.
Which yoga posture burns the most calories?
Just as each type of yoga allows us to burn more or fewer calories, there are postures that favor its consumption. Among the best yoga poses for weight loss are fish, cobra, bow, board, wind, warrior, sun salutation, sail, or plow. They are postures that, in addition to helping to burn calories, allow us to strengthen or tone parts of the body such as the belly, back or legs.
Remember that beyond types of yoga or postures there are various factors that influence the calories we burn practicing yoga, such as the intensity at which we do it or the physical condition of each one. Two people with very different weights will burn a different number of calories doing the same session. And as we have seen in the case of Bikram yoga, the environmental conditions – the temperature and the humidity level – also help to burn more calories as the wind chill rises.
