Energy balance
A typical hatha yoga session (averaging 2.5 METs and 49.4% max heart rate) does not meet the intensity recommendations for improving or maintaining cardiovascular fitness.
If your goal is to improve cardiovascular fitness or meet standard health activity guidelines, a standard hatha yoga class is likely not intense enough on its own. While yoga offers many health benefits, you should pair it with other activities that elevate your heart rate to at least 50-60% of your maximum (moderate intensity) to ensure you are getting the cardiovascular benefits recommended by health organizations.
Metabolic costs of yoga averaged across the entire session represent low levels of physical activity, are similar to walking on a treadmill at 3.2 kph, and do not meet recommendations for levels of physical activity for improving or maintaining health or cardiovascular fitness.
Why this rating
Observational study with a small sample size (n=20) and specific population (intermediate-to-advanced practitioners), but uses high-fidelity measurement (respiratory chamber).
Source
Does practicing hatha yoga satisfy recommendations for intensity of physical activity which improves and maintains health and cardiovascular fitness?
Marshall Hagins et al. · BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine · 2007
DOI 10.1186/1472-6882-7-40
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