How Many Calories Does Hot Yoga Burn?

Hot Yoga calories by weight & duration

The approximately 492 calories per hour figure is an estimate for a 155 lb person based on a MET value of 7, and your actual number will be higher or lower depending on your body weight, fitness level, and how hard you push through each posture. You can log your hot yoga sessions in the Mariposas app to track your calorie burn over time alongside your other workouts.

Calculated as MET (7) × body weight (kg) × hours. How this works.

What to expect in a hot yoga class

Your first session will likely feel overwhelming in the best possible way. The room hits you the moment you walk in, and the first ten minutes are mostly about acclimating to the heat while moving through standing warm-up postures. From there, classes typically progress through a structured sequence of balance poses, forward folds, backbends, and twists, with each posture held for a breath count before transitioning. The pace is deliberate rather than fast, but the sustained effort of holding postures in that heat means your muscles and cardiovascular system are working continuously throughout.

Tips for your first hot yoga class

• Arrive 10 to 15 minutes early so you can lie on your mat, let your body adjust to the heat, and not feel rushed when class begins.
• Bring at least 20 oz of water and a full-size towel to lay over your mat. The floor becomes slippery fast, and a yoga towel dramatically improves grip once the sweating starts.
• If the heat becomes too much, simply lower to child's pose or sit upright. There is no shame in it, and every regular hot yoga practitioner has done exactly that in their first sessions.
• Eat lightly in the two to three hours before class. A full stomach in that level of heat tends to make nausea more likely, so aim for something small and easily digestible if you need fuel beforehand.

What affects how many calories hot yoga burns

The 492 calorie figure applies to a 155 lb person working at a steady effort through a full hour, and your actual burn shifts in both directions from there. Heavier body weight increases the calorie cost because there is simply more mass to move and thermoregulate, while someone lighter will burn somewhat less. How hard you press into each posture matters too: sinking deeper into a warrior hold or working to stay in a pose instead of resting in child's pose keeps the effort elevated and pushes the number higher.

Three things move your number most: body weight (a heavier body burns more for the same activity, that's why the table runs from 125 to 225 lb), duration (calories scale with time), and intensity. A hot yoga you push hard burns more than an easy one, because effort is what the MET value of 7 represents, an average for this activity. Your fitness level and how much you rest between efforts shift it too, so treat these as a solid estimate rather than an exact count.

How we calculate hot yoga calories

Every number here uses the standard energy-expenditure formula: calories ≈ MET × body weight (kg) × time (hours). The MET value of 7 for hot yoga comes from the published Compendium of Physical Activities, the same reference researchers and fitness trackers use. We convert your weight to kilograms and multiply through, no fudge factors. See our methodology for the full formula and sources.