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About this tool
Estimate calories burned in a yoga session by style and body weight using published MET values and the ACSM formula.
This estimator converts a yoga session into calories using MET values and the standard ACSM relationship: kcal per minute = MET × 3.5 × body weight in kg ÷ 200. Four of the twelve styles use MET values published directly in the Compendium of Physical Activities — Hatha at 2.5, Surya Namaskar at 3.3, Power at 4.0 and breath-led practice at 2.0 — and the rest are positioned against those anchors and labelled as estimates. It also shows the net figure after subtracting resting metabolism, MET-minutes, and whether the style is intense enough to count toward the 150 minutes of weekly moderate activity recommended for adults.
Open Yoga Session Calorie Estimator on AltFTool — it loads instantly in your browser.
Enter the values you already know.
Fine-tune the options to match your scenario.
Read the result and use it in your planning or reporting.
Every style says whether its MET number is published in the Compendium or estimated against it.
The net figure removes the calories you would have burned anyway, which is the honest comparison.
Session frequency turns into weekly minutes, weekly calories and progress toward the 150-minute target.
For a 70 kg adult, an hour of general Hatha yoga at 2.5 METs is about 184 kcal, Surya Namaskar or vinyasa at 3.3 METs about 243 kcal, and power yoga at 4.0 METs about 294 kcal. Subtract roughly 40 percent if you want the figure net of the calories you would have burned resting.
Not by much. The heat raises heart rate, sweat rate and perceived effort far more than it raises the actual energy cost of the postures, and the weight lost during a hot class is mostly water that returns with rehydration. Studies of Bikram classes have put the average intensity at roughly 3 to 4 METs, similar to a moving vinyasa class.
Styles at 3 METs or more count as moderate-intensity activity, so vinyasa, ashtanga, power and continuous sun salutations contribute to the 150 minutes a week recommended for adults. Gentler styles below 3 METs are valuable for mobility, balance and stress but do not count toward that target, and no yoga style replaces the separate recommendation for muscle-strengthening work twice a week.
One MET is the oxygen cost of sitting quietly, about 3.5 mL of oxygen per kilogram per minute. An activity at 4 METs uses roughly four times that. Because MET values are published per activity and scale with body weight, they give a repeatable estimate without needing a heart rate monitor — though they describe an average adult, not you specifically.
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