With pollution and smog making outdoor workouts less appealing, indoor yoga offers a safe and effective way to stay fit. Beyond flexibility and mindfulness, certain yoga poses can torch calories and boost metabolism. Here’s a guide to 8 powerful indoor yoga poses that help you burn calories faster than you might expect.
1. sun Salutations (Surya Namaskar)
- Calories burned: ~13–15 per round
- This full-body sequence stretches, strengthens, and warms up your muscles, combining cardio with flexibility.
- Repeating 5–10 rounds can give you a solid calorie burn and energize your day.
2. Plank Pose (Phalakasana)
- Calories burned: ~2–5 per minute
- Plank strengthens core, arms, and shoulders.
- Add side planks or dynamic plank variations to increase intensity and calorie burn.
3. Warrior II Pose (Virabhadrasana II)
- Calories burned: ~4–6 per minute
- Builds leg strength, endurance, and balance, engaging large muscle groups.
- Holding the pose while breathing deeply maximizes energy expenditure.
4. Chair Pose (Utkatasana)
- Calories burned: ~5–7 per minute
- Mimics a squat position, targeting thighs, glutes, and core.
- It’s deceptively simple but highly effective for lower body toning and calorie burn.
5. Boat Pose (Navasana)
- Calories burned: ~4–6 per minute
- Strengthens core muscles and improves posture.
- Dynamic variations, like twisting side-to-side, increase the intensity and metabolic boost.
6. Downward Dog to Plank Flow
- Calories burned: ~6–8 per minute
- Alternating between Downward Dog and Plank provides a cardio-yoga combo.
- Works arms, shoulders, core, and legs simultaneously.
7. High Lunge with Twist (Parivrtta Anjaneyasana)
- Calories burned: ~5–7 per minute
- Deep lunges with a torso twist target legs, glutes, and obliques.
- Improves balance, mobility, and torches calories with sustained engagement.
8. Crow Pose (Bakasana)
- Calories burned: ~3–5 per minute
- An arm-balancing pose that strengthens shoulders, arms, and core.
- Requires concentration and stability, turning yoga into a mini calorie-torching workout.
Tip: For maximum calorie burn, flow through poses dynamically, focus on core engagement, and maintain controlled breathing. Even 30 minutes of such indoor yoga can match the calorie burn of moderate cardio exercises.
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