Yoga for Weight Loss: What the Research Shows

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Yoga for weight loss works modestly at best, and the evidence is thin. A 2016 review of 30 randomized trials found no overall effect on weight or BMI, a 2022 review of 22 studies in people with overweight or obesity found reductions in weight, and a typical class burns less than a brisk walk.

I’m Judy, a woman over 40 who started GLP-1 injections at 47 in May 2024. I’m not a yoga teacher, a trainer or a medical professional, and this is my reading of the research, not medical advice. Here’s what the studies found and who they studied, what each style burns, a 20-minute routine and the safety basics.

Table of Contents

Does Yoga Help You Lose Weight?

A little, in some groups, and the results are mixed. In that 2016 review (30 trials, 2,173 participants), yoga had no effect on weight, BMI, body fat percentage or waist circumference overall. In trials limited to people with overweight or obesity, BMI came out reduced compared with usual care, but the authors said the result was not robust against selection bias and publication bias could not be ruled out.

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (part of NIH) points to a 2022 review of 22 studies with 1,178 participants who had overweight or obesity, which found reductions in body weight, BMI, body fat and waist size. It also describes a 2013 review of 17 yoga-based weight programs, where most led to gradual, moderate weight loss. The best programs had sessions of 75 to 90 minutes at least 3 times a week, ran 3 months or longer and included a dietary component, so yoga alone isn’t what they tested.

Closer to my readers, a 2024 meta-analysis of 24 randomized trials in 2,028 women with menopause found reduced BMI, better sleep quality and reduced blood pressure compared with control groups. The authors called for larger, better-designed studies. A cohort of 15,550 adults aged 53 to 57 linked 4 or more years of yoga to less weight gain, but weight was self-reported and the authors said causal inference isn’t possible.

Yoga isn’t special here. An American Heart Association scientific statement says that as a single treatment, activity is unlikely to produce clinically meaningful weight loss (at least 5% of starting weight) unless the aerobic level is exceptionally high. Added to eating changes or obesity treatment, it can add to weight loss. My exercise for weight loss guide for women covers the bigger picture.

How Many Calories Does Yoga Burn?

Less than most people hope. In a lab study of 20 experienced practitioners (average age 31), a 56-minute beginner hatha session averaged 3.2 calories a minute, similar to treadmill walking at 3.2 km/h (2 mph), and the authors said it did not meet the recommended level of activity for fitness. Those volunteers were younger and fitter than most of us, so your number will differ.

The 2024 adult Compendium of Physical Activities rates each style by energy cost (METs), shown here next to brisk walking at 3.5 to 3.9 mph. The last two columns are my own arithmetic (METs x body weight in kg x 0.5 hours), so read them as rough estimates, not measurements.

Activity	METs	About 30-minute burn at 155 lb	At 200 lb
Hatha yoga	2.3	80	105
Vinyasa yoga	2.7	95	120
Hot yoga	3.0	105	135
Sun salutations (Surya Namaskar)	3.5	125	160
Power yoga	4.0	140	180
Brisk walking	4.8	170	220

Brisk walking burns roughly double what hatha does in the same time. If that’s your goal, my walking for weight loss page is the easier add.

What Are the Best Types of Yoga for Weight Loss?

For burn, the faster styles rate higher: power yoga (4.0 METs) and sun salutation flows (3.5) beat standard hatha (2.3). For weight loss itself, no style has been proven best. The reviews above pool many different programs, so they don’t rank styles, and the NIH summary found that frequency and program length mattered. Pick the style you’ll keep doing.

Vinyasa and Power Yoga

Vinyasa links each pose with your breath in a flowing sequence, and power yoga is the faster version. The lab researchers noted that practice built around sun salutation sequences, kept going for more than 10 minutes at a stretch, may supply some of the more intense activity that unfit or sedentary people need to improve fitness. The limit: faster flows leave less time to set up each pose, so beginners should slow down and skip any pose that hurts.

Hatha Yoga

Hatha is slower, with each pose held longer. It suits beginners who want to learn alignment before speed. The honest limit is a lower burn than the flowing styles, so it works best with walking or strength work around it.

Hot Yoga

Hot yoga is practiced in a heated room. In a standardized 90-minute Bikram class (a heated, set-sequence style), 24 volunteers (19 women, ages 18 to 57) burned an average of 286 calories, with a range of 179 to 478, and the researchers called claims of up to 1,000 calories unfounded. Sweat rates averaged 0.6 kg an hour in novices and 1.1 in experienced students, so a lot of any scale drop right after class is probably fluid, not fat. That is my reading; the study measured sweat, not scale weight. NIH says hot yoga carries special risks of overheating and dehydration, advises older adults and anyone with a condition to check with a clinician first, and says to avoid it in pregnancy.

Pilates comes up a lot as the alternative. A 2021 meta-analysis of 11 trials in 393 adults with overweight or obesity found Pilates lowered body weight by about 2.4 kg overall (10 trials reported weight), with the effect clear in people with obesity but not in the overweight-only group, and the authors called for better-designed trials.

Can Yoga Help With Stress, Sleep and Emotional Eating?

This is where the evidence looks more consistent, though it is still mixed. A meta-analysis of 42 randomized trials found that practices including yoga postures were associated with lower evening and waking cortisol than active control, though the studies varied a lot. NIH cites a 2020 review of 12 studies (672 healthy adults) in which every study found less perceived stress, and says yoga has helped sleep in studies of women with sleep problems and older adults.

For emotional eating, an 8-week randomized trial in 52 women aged 25 to 46 at risk for obesity-related illness found heated hatha yoga cut binge eating and eating to cope with negative feelings compared with a waitlist. The authors called it preliminary. These studies measured cortisol, sleep and eating behavior, not pounds lost.

Beginner Yoga for Weight Loss: A 20-Minute Routine

Do this three or four times a week. It’s my own arrangement of common beginner yoga poses, not a routine tested in a trial, and the best programs NIH described used longer sessions, so treat 20 minutes as a starting point. Move slowly, breathe through your nose, keep your yoga practice gentle and skip any pose that hurts.

Cat-cow pose, 1 minute. On hands and knees, alternate arching and rounding your back to warm up your spine.
Downward dog pose, 1 minute. Hips high, heels reaching toward the floor. Bend your knees as much as you need to.
Sun salutation A, 5 rounds. About 5 minutes. This is the part that raises your heart rate.
Chair pose, 3 holds of 30 seconds. Sit back as if into a chair with your arms overhead. It works your thighs and glutes.
Warrior II pose, 45 seconds per side. Front knee over your ankle, arms long.
Plank to low plank, 5 slow reps. Drop to your knees if you need to. This builds core and arm strength.
Boat pose, 3 holds of 20 seconds. Bent knees are fine.
Bridge pose, 3 holds of 30 seconds. Press through your heels to work your glutes and legs.
Seated forward fold, 1 minute.
Legs up the wall or savasana, 2 to 3 minutes. Don’t skip this one.

A free beginner class on YouTube costs nothing, so start there. If you’d rather have guided classes in one place, Shred lists live and on-demand studio classes that include yoga alongside HIIT, dance cardio and strength circuits, plus strength programs where you pick your equipment (dumbbells, barbell, bands or bodyweight). I haven’t used it; that description comes from the maker’s site as read on October 2026. The limit: it’s built around strength training, and yoga is one class type among several, so check current pricing and terms first. My best workout apps for women over 40 page compares more options, and for the mat, see the best leggings for women over 40.

How Often Should You Do Yoga to Lose Weight?

Three or more sessions a week is the pattern in the best-performing programs NIH summarized, and those programs also ran for 3 months or longer.

Yoga alone won’t cover the basics, though. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans say adults need 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week plus muscle-strengthening activity at least 2 days a week, and the lab study above found a typical beginner session was too light to meet the aerobic part. A week that lines up with those guidelines could look like this:

3 yoga sessions, some faster and some gentler
Brisk walking on most other days
2 days of muscle-strengthening work

Is Yoga Safe? Injuries and When to Ask Your Doctor First

Mostly yes, but injuries happen. A systematic review of 9 observational studies (9,129 yoga practitioners) found that 4.6% of practitioners had an adverse event over 12 months, and serious events occurred in 1.9%, most commonly sprains and strains. Most were mild and temporary, and practitioners had a higher risk of meniscus injuries than non-practitioners (odds ratio 1.72).

NIH says yoga is generally safe for healthy people when done properly with a qualified instructor, that knees and lower legs are the most commonly injured areas, and that knee or hip injuries, lumbar spine disease, severe high blood pressure, balance problems and glaucoma may call for modified poses. It also advises against using yoga to postpone seeing a health care provider about a medical problem.

Talk to your clinician before you start. I’m not a doctor or physical therapist, so this page can’t tell you what’s safe for your body. If you have heart disease, high blood pressure, joint or back problems, balance issues, an injury or a pregnancy, or you take any medication, ask your prescriber or clinician first, and stop a pose that causes sharp pain.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you lose weight doing only yoga?

Possibly a small amount, but I wouldn’t count on it. The overall review found no effect on weight, the better programs included a dietary component, and the American Heart Association says exercise alone is unlikely to produce meaningful weight loss.

Is hot yoga good for weight loss?

It burns more than a gentle class, but not the numbers you may have heard. A 90-minute Bikram class averaged 286 calories in one small study, and much of the immediate scale drop is probably sweat. It also carries overheating and dehydration risks, so check with your clinician first if you have a condition.

Is yoga or Pilates better for weight loss?

Neither has been shown to beat the other. The Pilates and yoga reviews studied different groups, the Pilates trials were small, and the Pilates and menopause-yoga authors both called for better-designed studies. Choose the one you’ll do three times a week.

Is yoga or walking better for weight loss?

For calories, walking wins. Brisk walking is rated at 4.8 METs against 2.3 for hatha, roughly double the burn in the same time. Many women do both.

Can yoga help with weight loss during menopause?

It may help a little. A 2024 meta-analysis of 24 trials in women with menopause found reduced BMI, better sleep and reduced blood pressure compared with control groups, though the authors wanted larger and better-designed studies. Talk with your clinician about menopause symptoms.

Sources

Yoga for Weight Loss: What the Research Shows, the Best Styles, and a Beginner Routine