Yoga Calories Burned Calculator

How many calories does yoga burn?

A typical yoga session burns anywhere from about 120 to over 400 calories per hour, depending on intensity and your body weight. Gentle, restorative styles sit at the low end, while dynamic, flowing or heated styles burn considerably more. Heavier people burn more calories doing the same activity because it takes more energy to move a larger body.

Yoga calories by session length and body weight

Calorie burn scales almost linearly with both how long you practise and how much you weigh, so a single 30-minute figure only fits one person. The table below covers Vinyasa, the most commonly practised flowing style, at the MET value of 3.0 used above.

For Hatha, which is slower and holds poses longer, multiply these figures by about 0.83. For Power or hot yoga, multiply by about 1.33. The calculator above does this for you and lets you enter your own weight and duration.

How this calculator works

The calculator uses the MET (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) method, the standard way exercise calorie burn is estimated. Each yoga style has an established MET value, and the formula combines it with your weight and session length.

The formula is: calories = MET × 3.5 × body weight (kg) ÷ 200 × minutes. Worked example: vinyasa yoga (MET 3.0) for a 70 kg person over 30 minutes = 3.0 × 3.5 × 70 ÷ 200 × 30 ≈ 110 calories.

Calories burned by yoga style

The table below shows typical MET values and the approximate calories a 70 kg person burns in 30 minutes of each style. Scale up or down for your own weight using the calculator.

What affects how many calories you burn?

Your body weight is the biggest factor, followed by the intensity of the style and how long you practise. Heat (as in hot yoga) raises your heart rate and perceived effort, though much of the extra 'burn' people feel is fluid loss from sweating rather than fat. Holding challenging poses, flowing continuously and engaging large muscle groups all increase energy expenditure.

Yoga for weight loss

While yoga generally burns fewer calories than running or cycling, it builds strength, mobility and body awareness, and reduces stress - which can support weight management by curbing stress-driven eating. For fat loss, combine regular yoga with a sensible calorie deficit and some higher-intensity exercise. The calorie figure here is an estimate; actual burn varies with effort and fitness.

How yoga compares to other workouts

Yoga generally burns fewer calories per minute than running, cycling or rowing, but it offers benefits those activities don't - improved flexibility, balance, core strength and stress reduction. The table below shows roughly how 30 minutes of vinyasa yoga stacks up against common cardio for a 70 kg person.