Does Yoga really burn any calories?

shaycat
shaycat Posts: 980
in Fitness and Exercise
I feel like when I am doing it I am not burning any more calories than I would normally burn just doing everyday things.
Is that right, or does it really burn calories?

Replies

  • tabithajoyy
    tabithajoyy Posts: 680 Member
    Not sure but i feel the exact same way. My heart rate doesnt really get that far up there! Bump!!!
  • musicgirl99
    musicgirl99 Posts: 252 Member
    I've never worn my HRM while doing Yoga but I would think that some poses would increase heart rate. Especially if you're holding them for a long time. I'm curious now. Next time I do yoga I'll wear the HRM and report on what it said.
  • TGKvr
    TGKvr Posts: 123 Member
    I've only recently started yoga, and haven't worn a HRM or anything but in a full session I actually DO work up a sweat - I can't help but think it DOES burn calories. How many, I can't say... and I imagine it has a great deal to do with the type of yoga you practice.
  • lwoods34
    lwoods34 Posts: 302 Member
    It does burn calories but of course its not going to burn as many calories if you were running or doing circuit or interval training. There are different types of yoga practices and depending on which one you are doing you can burn little to no calories or over 100 calories. It all depends. I have done p90x2 yoga for 1 hr and burned over 100 calories. I have also done Bob Harper's Yoga for the Warrior for 70 mins and burned over 115 calories. For 30 minutes of yoga I usually burn around 40-50 calories, depending on the video.

    I think its definitely worth doing because it keeps you flexible and gives you the ability to continue to train hard without potentially getting injured. I try to do yoga atleast 2x a week. It has really helped me with my knees, my back and hips which has made my running alot better.
  • musicgirl99
    musicgirl99 Posts: 252 Member
    I've never worn my HRM while doing Yoga but I would think that some poses would increase heart rate. Especially if you're holding them for a long time. I'm curious now. Next time I do yoga I'll wear the HRM and report on what it said.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    What style? When I do Power Yoga it's one of my most devastating workouts. I'd rather do squats for an hour, I swear. But I've some other forms that are less dynamic (read:boring) and I imagine the burn is much less. But I do yoga for the flexibility more than the calorie burn.
  • mkayy1218
    mkayy1218 Posts: 22
    I do yoga religiously and I can tell you that you are definitely burning my calories doing the poses than if you were just sitting watching TV. I have also noticed a difference in the overall shape of my body. Believe it or not, yoga helps build lean muscle. Just think of how hard it is to hold yourself up upside-down for several minutes
  • elyelyse
    elyelyse Posts: 1,454 Member
    It's probably not the poses themselves that will do the calorie burning, but a real yoga class has a "flow" where you move smoothly in and out of poses, sometimes quickly, while controlling your breathing. Ive been to yoga classes like this where I sweat and my heart rate for sure increases, and at some points I'm out of breath.

    You may want to look for words like "vinyasa" (which means "flow") or "ashtanga" which is a traditional style of yoga that focuses on a fast flow.

    Also, "Jivamukti" is a yoga school in NYC that is known for kicking *kitten*, and many teachers who train there use the name to indicate the style they teach... it's likely a class taught by a Jivamukti trained teacher will get your heart rate up!
  • shaycat
    shaycat Posts: 980
    I am doing P90x so Yoga X when I go to the P90x calories burned web site it says Yoga x burns for me 200 calories for low intensity. I barley burn that much running.
    I have worn my HRM and my HR doesn't go up very much during most of it, so I was just wondering.
    The lack of calories burned doing yoga has kept me from ever really giving it a chance. I really want to get good at it now though. I am not flexible at all.
  • aimeerocksx3
    aimeerocksx3 Posts: 91
    I do DDPYoga here and there. He's all about dynamic stretching and constantly keeping muscles tense, without actually moving them. I burn about 170-190 calories per half hour.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    I am doing P90x so Yoga X when I go to the P90x calories burned web site it says Yoga x burns for me 200 calories for low intensity. I barley burn that much running.
    I have worn my HRM and my HR doesn't go up very much during most of it, so I was just wondering.
    The lack of calories burned doing yoga has kept me from ever really giving it a chance. I really want to get good at it now though. I am not flexible at all.

    The 90 min P90x one is the main one I do also. Maybe it's just my size at 240 now, 270+ when I started, but by vinyasa #48 my mat was covered in sweat and my heart is beating much faster. Also I'm not really built for it. The isometric holds kill me. Need me to pick up your fridge and carry it up the stairs, no problem. But holding your groceries long enough to get down the hallway has me cussing.

    If you need flexibility, keep using it for that. Everything doesn't have to be about calorie burn. Some things will just make us better, and we'll have to learn to settle for that.
  • shaycat
    shaycat Posts: 980


    If you need flexibility, keep using it for that. Everything doesn't have to be about calorie burn. Some things will just make us better, and we'll have to learn to settle for that.

    This is what I keep telling myself. Thank you
  • gxm17
    gxm17 Posts: 374
    This morning I burned 185 calories doing Rodney Yee's 23- minute AM Yoga backbends practice. I did it right after Turbo Fire Low HIIT 20, so maybe there was some residual HIIT in there.
  • neverstray
    neverstray Posts: 3,845 Member
    Weird. I do the P90X Yoga and am dripping sweat so much I have to put a towel down because it gets in the carpet. I think I burn a ton. I don't care what the HRM says. It's a misconception that just because you're heart isn't racing, you aren't burning calories. It's a different kind of burn. It's not as much as some things, but you're defintely burning. I've never seen a over weight yoga instuctor. No that I've said that, there will be 1,000 people saying they've had one, or whatever. Great. Anyone I've known who is into yoga have always been thin and super fit. So, i conclude that it's a kick @$$ way to burn fat, stay loose, and get a good workout.
  • PAZlady
    PAZlady Posts: 59 Member
    I take yoga at my gym. There are two different instructors - 1 teaches a venyasa flow yoga and the other teaches more like power yoga where you hold poses forever. I've worn my HRM to both and can burn anywhere from 180 - 240 per hour of yoga. It's not a high cardio class but it does work on strength and flexibility which is also important.
  • FitnSassy
    FitnSassy Posts: 263 Member
    I do Iyengar Yoga for the relaxation, stretch and flexibility. I don't even *want* to focus on any calorie burn. If I do burn any calories, those will be gravy, just like taking the stairs and other daily routine activities, which I do not log.
  • yoginimary
    yoginimary Posts: 6,788 Member
    I do Iyengar Yoga for the relaxation, stretch and flexibility. I don't even *want* to focus on any calorie burn. If I do burn any calories, those will be gravy, just like taking the stairs and other daily routine activities, which I do not log.

    Hey FitnSassy, who do you study with?

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