Is yoga a good alternative for cardiovascular exercise if your goal is to burn calories and shed fat?

Absolutely! Although, be aware there are various types of yoga, from slow, graceful meditative yoga to vigorous, fast paced yoga, and even yoga performed in desert like temperatures. So which form is the best for a person whose aim is to shed some kilos or increase their cardio fitness and keep their heart and lungs functioning optimally? Read on.

Quote: “I attend a yoga class once a week and when I check online, it gives me 181 calories burned for an hour of yoga. However, it also tells me for an hour of "light" standing without moving, I burn 167 calories.”

It’s easy to find misleading websites for the amount of calories burned whilst performing a particular type of exercise. But do keep in mind that no two people share the same metabolic rate.  Some people find walking to the bus stop a challenge, while others go for a leisurely run for stress relief, fresh air and to feel good, so it makes sense that every person burns calories at a different rate, some fast, some slow.

These websites often list certain activities and the amount of calories they burn in an hour, but this is far too generalised as it does not take into consideration a person who has a fast metabolism in comparison to someone with a slow metabolism, nor do they stipulate the different calorie burning rates between male and females.  And in this case, when predicting yoga calories burned, which type of yoga? As there are many and they are as different as a slow walk and interval sprints so it is impossible to say that yoga burns a set amount of calories, it must be broken down into types of yoga to start with. So bear this in mind.

Doing yoga regularly will help your body become stronger, increase your flexibility, tone your muscles, reduce stress, and improve your mental and physical well-being. But in order to burn enough calories to lose weight the style of yoga you choose to practise and how frequently you practice it is key.

In order to lose weight, you must eat healthily and burn calories by doing exercise that raises your heart rate on a regular basis. The ‘Iyengar’ style of yoga, in which yoga poses are held for several minutes with a resting period between each pose, will build muscles and improve your posture, but will not give you the cardiovascular workout you need to lose weight.

Should you choose yoga as your primary form of exercise, you must do a vigorous 90-minute yoga class at least three times a week. It’s a good idea to combine yoga with running, swimming, power walking, cycling or other aerobic exercise in order to reach their weight loss goals. To give you a very simple and general idea of calories burned from yoga, see below. And remember, learning how to intensify your practice and challenging yourself personally during class can really add to the total calories burned. Ask your teacher about this.

HATHA is a gentle form of Yoga, the most common form that focuses on basic postures that flow in and out with emphasis on breathing techniques. Hatha Yoga is practiced for mental and physical health.
Calories burned in Hatha Yoga:  approximately175 per hour
Same as: a slow walk.

ASHTANGA. Meaning, eight limbs and refers specifically to the eight spiritual practices outlined by the Yoga Sutra, the original Yoga text which is just as relevant today as when first composed. 'It is usually combined or referred to as Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga (see below).
Calories burned in Ashtanga Yoga: Approximately 300 per hour
Same as: a brisk walk.

POWER YOGA is a version of Ashtanga Vinyasa that intensifies poses by moving more rapidly between one pose to the other.  This is often a 45 minute class as opposed to the standard 60 or 90 minute class but the benefits are seemingly the same due to its quickened pace.
Calories burned in Power Yoga: Approximately 300 per hour
Same as: a brisk walk.

VINYASA yoga is a dynamic form that connects postures and creates a flow between traditional yoga postures. The 'Vinyasa flow' is used especially during the Sun Salutation series.
Calories burned in Vinyasa Yoga:  
Calories burned in Vinyasa yoga: Approximately 445 per hour
Same as: moderate bike riding for one hour.

BIKRAM and HOT YOGA is ideally practiced in a room heated to 105°F (40.5°C) with a humidity of 40%. Classes include 26 postures, guided by specific dialogue and breathing techniques.
Calories burned in Bikram or Hot Yoga: Approximately 630 per hour
Same as: jogging for one hour.

Hot or Bikram yoga which is Vinyasa yoga done in a hot room ups the ante by guaranteeing you’ll sweat buckets. This will help burn a high number of calories due to the fact that it is the Vinyasa style, although don’t be too taken by how much you sweat. Many people equate sweating to burning a lot of calories, but just because you sweat a lot while performing your yoga in an extremely hot room, does not mean you're burning a lot of calories.  Just as you wouldn’t assume you were burning that many calories sun bathing on the beach. And bear in mind that the hotter the room is, the stuffier it is, the more people sweat and there is always the potential of one unfortunate gracing the room with their BO! Not nice, trust me.

To burn a sufficient amount of calories for weight loss you need to do ‘vinyasa’ or ‘flow’ yoga. As mentioned above this style of yoga is based on the performance of a series of poses called sun salutations. Vinyasa yoga incorporates many popular styles such as:
Ashtanga. This style of Vinyasa yoga is a very vigorous style. An advantage of this style is that once you learn the poses, Ashtanga Yoga is ideal for home practitioners.
Power Yoga is a very vigorous cardiovascular workout in itself so quite popular for those with weight loss in mind.

So choose your style, mix them up or simply add some yoga to your regular fitness regime. Try not to think solely of yoga as a calories burning tool though, if you do you’ll miss out on it’s wondering healing properties for the mind and body. Yoga is a medicine as much as a fitness option. Be kind to yourself and treat yourself to yoga at least once a week to help recover from and cope with life. Esteem Personal Trainer in London Michelle Glacken can incorporate yoga in your one to one train,  Michelle cover Central London  and the City of London including Holborn, Chancery lane, Fleet St,  Whitechapel, Covent Garden, Liverpool St, Shoreditch, Fenchurch, Blackfriars, Bishopsgate, Farringdon, Southwark, Waterloo, Bank, London Bridge, Moorgate, Clerkenwell, Barnsbury, Strand, Piccadilly, Green Park