It is not just your question. Every day, there are many people have sent this question to us, and the article below is the answer.
Yoga is one of the six largest philosophical systems of Indian philosophy. It has existed for thousands of years, and so far, is growing and more popular, especially in Western countries.
So how many calories does yoga burn? What do you need to pay attention to when practicing yoga? The following article will give you more detailed answers and more.
What Is Yoga?
Yoga is a long-standing practice method originating from India about 5,000 years ago. It is often said that yoga is the practice of doing strange bends. But in fact, yoga includes exercises to improve the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of the practitioner.
The word “yoga” is derived from the Sanskrit word “yuj”, meaning “to add”, “to participate”, “to unite” or “to attach”. This subject is based on the idea that mind and body are one. When practicing, you need to combine breathing techniques, yoga poses (also called asanas) and meditate. To accomplish this, you need to have discipline and practice to unify your body, mind, and soul.
Many people believe that this discipline can change the world view, help calm and reduce stress, which in turn will help improve the health.
How Many Calories Does Yoga Burn?
An hour-long yoga class can make you feel energetic and ready to start your day, either comfortably and ready for bed, depending on the type of yoga you practice. For this reason, not every yoga class helps you burn calories at the same level. While every form of yoga provides health benefits, some forms are more ideal to practice if you are eager to lose weight.
- Low And Moderate-Calorie Burn
Although all forms of yoga help you burn calories at a high level, some types offer a low or moderate calorie burn. On average, a 145-pound person will burn 183 calories in 60 minutes of Hatha yoga class. Yoga forms that moderate calorie burning includes electric yoga and Ashtanga yoga. In a 60 minute class of one of the two forms above, a 145-pound person will burn 339 calories.
- High-Calorie Burn
If you’ve decided to choose yoga with the intention of burning calories quickly to develop a suitable body, Bikram and Vinyasa yoga are your top choices. According to many reports, a 145-pound person will burn 461 calories in an hourly Bikram yoga class; Yoga forms also follow the name “hot yoga”. The same person will burn 574 calories in 60 minutes if practicing Vinyasa yoga.
Q&A
- How Many Types Of Yoga Are There?
There are many types of yoga, such as Ashtanga, Iyengar, and Sivananda. Some types of yoga have a stronger style, more flexible posture or require more control of your breath. Each category focuses on a different aspect and has different levels of difficulty. However, all aim towards the same goal of helping you improve your physical and mental health.
- Hatha Yoga
When it comes to yoga, most people often think of Hatha Yoga. This type of yoga combines the two most basic things of yoga: breathing and posture (asana) that helps stretch all the muscles in the body. You can do this pose when standing, lying, or even sitting in the office. Controlling your breath will help you relax your muscles, maintain a good posture, and focus your thoughts.
- Ashtanga Yoga
This type requires you to perform a series of yoga poses (asana) continuously. It is also a type that focuses on breathing techniques that help focus the mind as well as controlling the body’s breathing regulation.
- Iyengar Yoga
This type of yoga is quite slow and detailed. This is a good choice for beginners to yoga. You can combine belts, body parts, and hugging pillows to correct the posture most accurately. Other similar yoga styles include Anusara yoga and Viniyoga.
- Sivananda Yoga
Sivananda Yoga is designed by Swami Vishnu-devananda based on 5 core principles including proper exercise, proper breathing practice, proper relaxation, proper diet, positive thinking, and meditation.
- Bikram Yoga
This discipline is also called “hot yoga”. When practicing Bikram yoga, you will sit in a very hot room, up to 40°C. Therefore, you should consider some of your own medical problems if you want to practice this type of yoga, such as hypertension or diabetes, and consult your doctor before practicing.
- Kundalini Yoga
Kundalini is a type of mental training. It focuses on meditation, breathing and chanting. The main doctrine of Kundalini yoga is the law of life, supposedly concentrated in the spine. This discipline helps practitioners use their breath and posture to release energy in life.
- Power Yoga
This is the most difficult type of exercise, combining yoga and aerobics. Practitioners will perform a series of poses while coordinating those movements with each breath. Power yoga is one of the most demanding genres. Depending on the coach’s guidance and your workout positions, this discipline can help you strengthen your body as well as flexibility and balance.
- How To Burn More Calories When Practicing Yoga?
- Choose A More Rigorous Yoga Style
Choose yoga like hot instead of restorative yoga to burn more calories in a short time. You can choose Ashtanga or Vinyasa yoga.
Because vinyasa yoga, also known as flow yoga, is a flexible and dynamic yoga style, it possesses all the physical and mental benefits of traditional yoga. The continuous transition between positions makes you consume a lot of energy like dancing.
- Hold Your Posture Longer
Traditionally, every yoga posture you only need to hold 5-6 breaths. But if you want to lose more weight, try to last longer. When you try to keep your posture, the muscles still have to work, increasing the calories burned.
- Try Hard Posture
If you do the same posture all the time, you will get used to it. So try hard positions to challenge and get used to muscles. Try the sirshasana or Headstand action. You will burn more calories in the process.
- Performing Three-Legged Dog Yoga Movements
Instead of making a bowed dog gesture, you can challenge yourself with a 3-legged dog posture. This position requires more body balance, so you also lose more energy when performing.
- Do Not Rest Between Movements
Instead of resting, you should perform gentle yoga movements like vinyasa yoga between poses to take advantage of calorie burning. You can also do yoga kakasana (crow) gestures while resting.
- Extend Practice Time
If you only do yoga for about 20-25 minutes/day, you should last at least 1 hour if you want to burn more calories. A 1-hour workout can help you burn up to 400 calories.
- What Do You Need To Prepare For Yoga?
Yoga
is suitable for people of all ages and is a form of exercise that you can practice from childhood to adulthood. Most yogis said they wanted to start training earlier. Here is a summary of the most basic things you need:
- Practice Place
You should find a yoga center in the area near your home that offers a variety of yoga classes. This will give you more options, and you can also change the class to find out which type is best for you. You should choose places with yoga coaches and dedicated tools to help you practice the postures correctly.
- Comfortable And Breathable Clothes
Remember that there are many stretching movements in yoga, so you need to wear a comfortable and breathable outfit.
When doing some exercises that require accurate poses, such as Iyengar, you must wear visible physical clothing (such as leggings or tight-fitting suits like ballet dancers). This helps coaches can easily adjust your posture. Choose clothes that fit your body because you probably won’t want to be distracted when practicing just because your sleeve or waist is too tight.
- Water Bottle
It is one of the most important things to bring when participating in any exercise, including yoga. Dehydration from sweating can make your mind reel. You will even feel dizzy while balancing on one leg and controlling your breath at the same time. Providing water for your body will help you focus, even if you join any kind of yoga.
- Yoga Carpet
Owning a yoga carpet depends on everyone because many yoga rooms provide training for their students. But owning a private carpet is also very convenient in sanitation. It will be very frustrating when you have to lie on the carpet used by many others. In addition, if you want to practice some movements at home, you should have your own yoga carpet.
- Towel
A towel is essential if you practice more complex yoga or hot yoga. You need to wipe off the sweat to avoid perspiration causing slippery mats to be dangerous. Plus, with a towel, you won’t need to worry about perspiration falling into your eyes when you’re trying to focus and balance.
- How To Keep Safe When Doing Yoga?
Experts say that yoga is quite safe. It is very rare for an injury to do yoga, but like any other exercise, accidents can still happen.
Some yoga injuries are caused by excessive stretching or excessive muscle tension or falling due to slippage. Gentle muscle tension and careful preparation of your equipment before practicing yoga can help you prevent injury.
Yoga is completely safe if you are taught properly by a well-trained yoga trainer. You will ensure your own safety when choosing the right coach and choosing the class that fits your condition.
If you are receiving some form of medical treatment, talk to your doctor about your desire to use alternative therapy. Your doctor can help you identify the relevant risks and advice so you can choose an appropriate yoga class.
Now you probably know the benefits of yoga in burning calories as well as other things to know about this type of practice. Yoga is very safe and helpful, so if you are thinking about whether to take a yoga class or not, don’t hesitate. Surely you will get great benefits from practicing yoga. Have a nice day!
