What This Calculator Does
This tool estimates how many calories you burn during a yoga session. It uses the metabolic equivalent (MET) method, the same approach used in exercise physiology to compare the energy cost of different activities. Yoga typically falls between MET 2.5 (gentle Hatha) and MET 4.0 (vigorous Power or Ashtanga flows).
How to Use It
Pick the yoga style that best matches your practice, enter your body weight in kilograms, and the length of your session in minutes. The calculator returns total calories burned plus a calories-per-minute breakdown so you can compare intensities at a glance.
The Formula Explained
The core equation is $$\text{kcal} = \frac{\text{MET} \times 3.5 \times \text{kg}}{200} \times \text{minutes}$$. The constant \(3.5\) represents resting oxygen uptake (3.5 ml of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute), and dividing by \(200\) converts oxygen consumption into kilocalories. Heavier bodies and longer or more intense sessions all increase the result proportionally.
Worked Example
A 70 kg person doing 45 minutes of Vinyasa flow (MET 3.0) burns: $$3.0 \times 3.5 \times 70 \div 200 \times 45 = 165.375 \text{ kcal},$$ or about 3.7 kcal per minute.
FAQ
Is this exact? No — MET values are population averages. Your real burn depends on fitness, effort, and how much you hold versus flow.
Which MET should I pick? Use 2.5 for slow, restorative or gentle Hatha, 3.0 for steady flowing classes, and 4.0 for fast, strength-focused Power yoga.
Should I use pounds? Convert pounds to kilograms first by dividing by 2.205, since this formula uses metric weight.
