SnapCalorieBurn — free MET-based calorie calculators
30 min of general yoga burns about 68–120 cal (2024 Compendium, 2.3 MET): 130 lb = 68, 155 lb = 81, 230 lb = 120 cal. Power yoga (4.0 MET): 118–208 cal.
Assumption: a general, mixed-pace yoga class at 2.3 MET (2024 Adult Compendium, yoga, general). On that basis a 30-minute session burns about 68–120 calories — 130 lb (59 kg) ~68 cal, 155 lb (70 kg) ~81 cal, 230 lb (104 kg) ~120 cal. Styles differ: power yoga (4.0 MET) gives about 118–208 cal. Choose your yoga style in the yoga calculator for a more appropriate estimate.
A 30-minute yoga session is the most common class length for online and app-based practices. It allows enough time for a proper warm-up, 15–20 minutes of active postures, and a brief cooldown or savasana. At this duration, you can work through a meaningful sequence that builds both strength and flexibility while maintaining enough flow to keep your heart rate moderately elevated.
Compendium values by style: Hatha 2.3, general 2.3, Vinyasa 2.7, hot yoga 3.0 and power yoga 4.0 MET. For comparison, slow walking is about 2.8 MET and moderate walking 3.5 MET, so most yoga styles sit at or below an easy walk in energy cost. Power yoga at 4.0 MET is the highest of these entries.
It pairs excellently with higher-intensity exercise like running or cycling as an active recovery modality.
Direct answer: 30 minutes of yoga burns an estimated 68–120 calories, depending on body weight (180 lb / 82 kg: ~94 kcal). Intensity assumed: General yoga class (MET 2.3). This is an estimate, not a measurement.
| Body weight | Calories burned |
|---|---|
| 130 lb (59 kg) | ~68 cal |
| 155 lb (70 kg) | ~81 cal |
| 180 lb (82 kg) | ~94 cal |
| 205 lb (93 kg) | ~107 cal |
| 230 lb (104 kg) | ~120 cal |
Example: At MET 2.3, a 180 lb (82 kg) person doing 30 minutes of yoga burns approximately 94 calories: 2.3 × 82 × 0.50 h ≈ 94 kcal.
There is no single universal calorie figure for this activity. At 180 lb (82 kg) and the same 30 minutes:
| Style / effort | MET | Estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Hatha / restorative | 2.3 | ~94 cal |
| Vinyasa / flow | 2.7 | ~111 cal |
| Power / Ashtanga yoga | 4 | ~164 cal |
| Hot yoga (incl. Bikram) | 3 | ~123 cal |
An estimated 68–120 calories, depending on body weight. A 180 lb (82 kg) person burns about 94 kcal, calculated as MET 2.3 × 82 kg × 0.50 hours.
About 3.1 kcal per minute for a 180 lb (82 kg) person, or 1.1 kcal per kilogram of body weight across the whole session.
Because the MET formula scales directly with body mass: a 130 lb person burns about 68 kcal here versus 120 kcal for a 230 lb person — a 76% spread for the identical session.
From the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities, the reference database of measured MET intensities for physical activities. Every figure on this page uses that value in the formula Calories = MET × body weight (kg) × duration (hours).
They are estimates from population averages, not measurements. Your real number can be meaningfully higher or lower; actual intensity and pace, body composition and fitness, terrain and technique all shift the real number. The values are gross calories, so they include the energy you would have burned at rest.
Open the yoga calorie calculator to enter your own weight, intensity and duration.