The answer to the question that, do we burn calories while doing Yoga is rhetorical. How many calories do we lose while performing Yoga? How to shed weight with Yoga? We will answers these questions in this feature.
How many calories do we burn in one hour of Yoga?
We burn some amount of calories in all sorts of exercise, the amount varies by the intensity of the exercise. Well, you probably must have heard that Yoga is much more than exercise. It affects the physical and mental aspects of us. Many people perform Yoga for physical wellness, many for a calmer mind and some for both.
If you are targeting weight loss through Yoga, it will help you burn calories along with affecting your mind positively. Independent studies have shown that an individual loses 2.3 to 3.2 calories per minute by taking a Yoga class for beginners. So, that will be 138 to 192 calories in one hour.
In more advanced form of yoga, you will burn more calories in an hour. Like, for example, if an average person performs the Surya Namaskara or the Sun Salutation, he would burn 13.90 calories in one round. The Sun Salutation has two rounds in one set, which implies you would burn 278 calories in 10 sets.
Some Yoga practitioners perform 15 sets of the Surya Namaskar in half an hour, assuming that they do it properly, they burn 417 calories in just half an hour!
Asanas that can help you burn calories
- Sarvangasana
Sarvangasana also known as the shoulder-pose, will require practice for perfection. Lie down on your mat or blanket, keep your hands near your body and feet joined. With one easy movement, lift your feet up from the ground so that they become perpendicular to your body. Now lift your lower back so that your body weight comes on your shoulder, give support to your lower back with your hands, keeping elbows on the ground near your body.
Make sure that you do not exert pressure on your neck. Hold the position for 30 seconds initially, you can increase the hold time gradually for about 5 to 10 minutes. Now come back slowly, lower your knees and touch them on your forehead, and then lower your back slowly on the ground. Rest a while keeping your feet apart, palms facing the sky and hands away from the body.
You will burn 2.73 calories per minute while doing this asana. In this inverted position, more blood will reach your brain and nourish it. The asana has profound effects on your thyroid and parathyroid glands.
Pavan Muktasana
This is one of the simple poses of Yoga, you may be able to do it properly from day one. Spread your Yoga mat or a blanket on the floor. Lie down on the mat, keep your legs joined and hands beside your body. Lift both your legs together so that they touch your chest.
Clasp your hands around the legs and lift your head and upper back so that you touch your nose on the knees. Hold this position for about one minute, then let your back and head return on the mat, followed by legs. Repeat the pose for 3 to 5 times.
The Pavan Muktasana will massage the muscles of your intestine, improve blood circulation and aid digestion. An average person will burn 2.62 calories in a minute while performing this asana.
We have already talked about the Surya Namaskar, and the power it has in burning calories. The advantage of Yoga is that you lose calories and gain good health along with a calmer mind. This means increased productivity and happiness.
