Calories burned in yoga

Yoga calorie calculator by style

Match the entry name to the class, or use code 02175, Yoga, General, when no listed name fits, since it names no style. The Compendium marks code 02160, Yoga, Power, as an estimated value.

Why the general yoga example gives 156

Calories equals MET times body weight in kilograms times hours. The Compendium unit conversions and MET definition, checked October 13, 2026, gives 1 MET as 1 kilocalorie per kilogram per hour.

To put the inputs into those units, divide pounds by 2.2046 and minutes by 60. The example starts with 150 pounds, or 68.04 kilograms, and 60 minutes, or 1 hour. Then 2.3 times 68.04 times 1 is 156.49, which rounds to 156 calories.

The active and total calorie calculation explains how a watch splits a session's calories into active and resting parts.

Eight yoga names and their listed MET values

The table contains every entry whose description begins with Yoga on the Compendium conditioning exercise page, checked October 13, 2026.

Each description starts with Yoga and a comma followed by a style name. Code 02153 also says high intensity. Hatha appears twice, as code 02150 at 2.3 MET and code 02153, high intensity, at 8.0 MET. Hatha code 02150 and General code 02175 share 2.3 MET.

Seven entries lie between 2.0 and 4.0 MET. The remaining entry, code 02153, is 8.0 MET. Only code 02160, Yoga, Power, carries the estimated mark.

The Compendium page defines none of the style names. For word meanings, the abstract of a 2016 review of the energy cost of yoga, PubMed record 27433961, opened October 13, 2026, describes Surya Namaskar as sun salutations and pranayamas as breath exercises. The abstract in PubMed record 24995168, opened October 13, 2026, names Nadisodhana among the practices of a slow pranayama group.

One more entry on the page names yoga within a longer description, code 02140, Video, exercise workouts, TV conditioning programs (e.g., yoga, stretching, seated), light effort, at 2.5 MET. It is not in the calculator.

Yoga calories over 15, 30, 45 and 60 minutes

For the weights across these tables, 125, 150, 175, 200 and 225 pounds are 56.7, 68.0, 79.4, 90.7 and 102.1 kilograms.

At 150 pounds for 60 minutes, the formula gives about 136 calories for code 02170, Nadisodhana, 156 for code 02150, Hatha, and 156 for code 02175, General. It gives 184 for code 02185, Vinyasa, 204 for code 02155, Hot, 238 for code 02180, Surya Namaskar, 272 for code 02160, Power, and 544 for code 02153, Hatha, high intensity.

The 160 calorie cells range from 28 for code 02170 at 125 pounds over 15 minutes to 816 for code 02153 at 225 pounds over 60 minutes. Hatha code 02150 and General code 02175 have identical rows throughout, since both use 2.3 MET.

For any one yoga entry, increasing the minutes or body weight increases the number in step with that input. Rounding happens separately for every cell. That is why code 02150 at 200 pounds gives 104 for 30 minutes and 209 for 60 minutes, rather than an exact doubling of the displayed number.

Calories burned in hot yoga beside the other styles

Code 02155, Yoga, Hot, is listed at 3.0 MET, fifth lowest among the eight yoga entries. Below it are Nadisodhana at 2.0, Hatha and General at 2.3, and Vinyasa at 2.7 MET. Above it are Surya Namaskar at 3.5, Power at an estimated 4.0, and Hatha, high intensity, at 8.0 MET.

For hot yoga at 150 pounds, the formula gives about 102 calories over 30 minutes, 153 over 45 minutes, 204 over 60 minutes, 255 over 75 minutes and 306 over 90 minutes. Comparing an hour at that weight puts Hot at 204 beside General at 156 and Power at 272 calories.

The description has two words, Yoga, Hot, and states no room temperature or class length.

A class name is all the entry describes

None of the eight yoga descriptions states the room temperature, the teacher's pace or the poses in a given class. There are no calculator inputs for those details. Two classes with the same style name use the same MET value here.

Pilates names on the conditioning list

These are all the entries whose description names Pilates on the conditioning exercise page. None of the three is marked as an estimated value, and none is in this calculator.

Pilates, general, code 02105 at 2.8 MET, sits between Yoga, Vinyasa at 2.7 and Yoga, Hot at 3.0. Pilates, traditional, mat, code 02103 at 1.8 MET, is below the lowest yoga entry, Nadisodhana at 2.0. Code 02107 combines Pilates with body movements and drumming. Its 8.5 MET is above the highest yoga entry, Hatha, high intensity, at 8.0.

The Compendium's own words on precision

The Compendium corrected METs page, checked October 13, 2026, says the following.

"The Compendium was not developed to determine the precise energy cost of activities within an individual."

"However, the Compendium is frequently used outside of its original scope."

"It does not correct the MET levels for age, body mass, and sex."

Look up a different activity or a daily total

Weight lifting calorie tables, sit-up calories from time and weight and jump rope calories by entry each cover their own activity. There are also elliptical calorie estimates by effort and swimming calorie estimates by stroke.

For a distance calculation, see calories for walking a mile. For a whole day, see the TDEE daily energy calculator.

Food calories and macros in TrueCal

TrueCal is a calorie and macro tracker for food, on iPhone, Android and the web. Logging calories manually is free. A typed description, voice, a photo or a barcode can be used for food logging with Pro, which also includes macros.

Get the app

Questions about yoga styles and calories

How many calories does yoga burn in an hour?

Code 02175, Yoga, General, at 2.3 MET gives about 156 calories for 60 minutes at 150 pounds and 209 at 200 pounds. Across the eight entries, an hour at 150 pounds runs from 136 calories for code 02170 to 544 for code 02153.

How many calories does hot yoga burn?

The hot yoga entry is code 02155, Yoga, Hot, at 3.0 MET. Its hour totals are about 204 calories at 150 pounds and 272 at 200 pounds. Extending the calculation to 90 minutes at 150 pounds gives about 306 calories.

Which yoga style has the highest MET value?

The highest listed value belongs to code 02153, Yoga, Hatha, high intensity, at 8.0 MET. The lowest belongs to code 02170, Yoga, Nadisodhana, at 2.0 MET. The other six entries fall between 2.3 and 4.0 MET.

Does the calculator use room temperature, pace or poses?

Room temperature, the teacher's pace and the poses in a given class appear in none of the eight descriptions. The calculator includes no input for any of them.

Is the power yoga number an estimate?

Yes. The Compendium marks code 02160, Yoga, Power, at 4.0 MET as an estimated MET value. The other seven yoga entries do not carry that mark.

Yoga entries, definitions and source notes

• 2024 Compendium conditioning exercise entries, checked October 13, 2026.
• Compendium unit conversions, checked October 13, 2026.
• Compendium corrected METs, checked October 13, 2026.
• PubMed record 27433961, a review of the energy cost of yoga in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 2016, opened October 13, 2026. Its abstract supplies the word meanings for Surya Namaskar and pranayamas.
• PubMed record 24995168, opened October 13, 2026. Its abstract names Nadisodhana among slow pranayama practices.