Yoga Calorie Calculator

How many calories does yoga burn?

A 155 lb person burns about 162 calories in an hour of hatha yoga, 190 in an hour of vinyasa flow, and 281 in an hour of power yoga. Thirty minutes of hatha burns about 81. Those figures use the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities, which rates hatha at 2.3 MET, vinyasa at 2.7, hot yoga at 3.0, sun salutations at 3.5, and power yoga at 4.0. A fast, continuous high-intensity hatha practice reaches 8.0 MET, but few classes hold that pace for long.

[1]

Yoga calories by style and body weight

Each value is a 60-minute total. Halve it for a 30-minute practice, and multiply by 1.5 for a 90-minute class.

[1]

What lab studies measured

A 2016 review of 17 studies found yoga sessions averaged 3.3 MET, or 2.9 MET once one sun salutation study was set aside. Individual poses averaged 2.2 MET and breathing exercises 1.3. Most yoga is light intensity, and sun salutations were the one practice that reached moderate to vigorous levels.

That sun salutation study had 6 trained young adults do 4 rounds of Surya Namaskar. Heart rate averaged about 80% of maximum and reached 90% in the last round, and the authors estimated a 60 kg person would burn about 230 kcal in 30 minutes at that pace. The Compendium value of 3.5 MET for sun salutations sits well below that pace, so it fits a typical class rather than an all-out one.

Intensity also shifts within a class. In a study of 40 adults doing a 60-minute vinyasa sequence, intensity differed between the integration, sun salutation, lunge, balancing, standing, back-bending, and restorative sections. Heart rate was lowest in the opening and restorative parts.

[2][4][3]

Does hot yoga burn more?

Studios sometimes claim a hot yoga class burns up to 1,000 calories.

A lab study of 24 people in a standard 90-minute Bikram class measured an average of 286 kcal, with a range of 179 to 478. Novices burned 3.7 kcal per kg and experienced practitioners 4.7, which works out to about 260 and 330 kcal for a 155 lb person.

The heat itself adds little. Sixteen experienced practitioners did the same 1-hour sequence at 40°C and at 23.3°C. Calories, oxygen use, and heart rate did not differ. The hot session burned a larger share of fat and produced a bigger gain in hip range of motion, 6.6 degrees against 2.3.

[5][6]

How the calculator works

Calories = MET × body weight in kg × hours. A MET is the energy cost of an activity as a multiple of resting burn, which is about 1 kcal per kg per hour. Net calories subtract that resting burn to show what the class added. Worked example: a 140 lb person (63.5 kg) takes a 60-minute vinyasa class. Calories = 2.7 × 63.5 × 1 = about 171 kcal, and net calories are about 108 kcal.

[1]

How to use this calculator

Pick the style that matches most of the class. A slow class with long holds fits hatha. A class that links poses with breath and repeats sun salutations fits vinyasa, and one built around strength holds and fast transitions fits power yoga.

Choose sun salutations only when you repeat them back to back for the whole time entered.

Enter the full class, final relaxation included. The Compendium values describe a typical session with its pauses.

Does yoga count toward the weekly target?

Adults should get 150 minutes a week of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity. Moderate starts at 3 MET, so hatha and vinyasa at the Compendium values count as light activity. Hot yoga, sun salutations, and power yoga reach the moderate range.

The authors of the 2016 review suggested that yoga bouts above 3 MET lasting 10 minutes or more can count toward the weekly minutes. A class of mostly holds and floor poses does not, however long it runs.

[10][2]

What yoga does for weight, blood pressure, and back pain

A 2016 meta-analysis of 30 trials with 2,173 people found no overall effect of yoga on weight, BMI, body fat, or waist size. BMI fell in people with overweight or obesity compared with usual care, but that result did not hold up after the authors accounted for selection bias.

For blood pressure, a 2025 meta-analysis of 30 trials with 2,283 people with prehypertension or hypertension found yoga lowered systolic pressure by about 8 mm Hg and diastolic by about 5 mm Hg compared with a waitlist. The authors rated the evidence as very low quality.

A 2022 Cochrane review of 21 trials in people with chronic low back pain found yoga gave small improvements in pain and function at 3 months compared with no exercise, too small to count as clinically important. Yoga caused more side effects than no exercise, mostly back pain, and worked about as well as other back exercises.

[7][8][9]

How it works

Calories = MET × body weight (kg) × hours, using 2024 Adult Compendium codes 02150 (hatha, 2.3 MET), 02185 (vinyasa, 2.7), 02155 (hot yoga, 3.0), 02180 (Surya Namaskar, 3.5), 02160 (power, 4.0), and 02153 (high-intensity hatha, 8.0). Net calories remove 1 kcal per kg per hour of resting burn.

Practical tips

• Enter the whole class, final relaxation included.
• Power yoga and repeated sun salutations burn the most per minute.
• A hot room adds sweat, not calories.
• Hatha and vinyasa count as light activity, so add walking or cycling to reach 150 minutes.
• Expect small effects on weight and pain, and practice for the flexibility and calm.

Frequently asked questions

• How many calories does an hour of yoga burn?For a 155 lb (70 kg) person: about 162 kcal for hatha, 190 kcal for vinyasa, 211 kcal for hot yoga, 246 kcal for continuous sun salutations, and 281 kcal for power yoga. At 125 lb the hatha figure is about 130 kcal and at 185 lb about 193 kcal.
• How many calories does 30 minutes of yoga burn?About 81 kcal for a 155 lb person doing hatha, 95 kcal for vinyasa, and 141 kcal for power yoga. Classes with long holds and seated poses sit at the low end.
• Does hot yoga burn 1,000 calories?No. A lab study of 24 people in a 90-minute Bikram class measured an average of 286 kcal, with a range of 179 to 478. Another study had 16 experienced practitioners do the same 1-hour sequence at 40°C and at room temperature, and calories burned did not differ between the two.
• Does yoga count as exercise toward the weekly target?Most yoga does not. A review of 17 studies found yoga sessions averaged light intensity, although sun salutations reached moderate to vigorous levels. The authors suggested that yoga bouts above 3 MET lasting 10 minutes or more can count toward the 150 weekly minutes.
• Can yoga help you lose weight?The evidence is weak. A meta-analysis of 30 trials with 2,173 people found no overall effect on weight, BMI, body fat, or waist size. BMI fell in people with overweight or obesity compared with usual care, but that result did not hold up once the authors accounted for bias.
• Is vinyasa harder than hatha yoga?Usually. The Compendium rates vinyasa at 2.7 MET and general hatha at 2.3. Within one 60-minute vinyasa class, a study of 40 adults found intensity changed from sequence to sequence, with the opening and restorative parts the easiest.

Related calculators

References

1. Herrmann SD, et al. J Sport Health Sci 2024. 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities: A third update of the energy costs of human activities
2. Larson-Meyer DE. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2016. A Systematic Review of the Energy Cost and Metabolic Intensity of Yoga
3. Cheruka CA, et al. Int J Yoga Therap 2023. Oxygen Consumption and Heart Rate Responses in Different Vinyasa Yoga Sequences
4. Mody BS. J Bodyw Mov Ther 2011. Acute effects of Surya Namaskar on the cardiovascular & metabolic system
5. Pate JL, Buono MJ. Altern Ther Health Med 2014. The physiological responses to Bikram yoga in novice and experienced practitioners
6. Lambert BS, et al. Int J Exerc Sci 2020. Acute Physiologic Effects of Performing Yoga in The Heat on Energy Expenditure, Range of Motion, and Inflammatory Biomarkers
7. Lauche R, et al. Prev Med 2016. A systematic review and meta-analysis on the effects of yoga on weight-related outcomes
8. Geiger C, et al. PLoS One 2025. A systematic review and meta-analysis of yoga for arterial hypertension
9. Wieland LS, et al. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2022. Yoga for chronic non-specific low back pain
10. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition