Sun salutations, standing poses, seated poses, inversions and backbends before relaxation… Yoga is full of moves that will make your body more flexible, increase strength, stamina, realign the spine, and bring your body into a state of relaxation.

Yoga looks completely different for each person. For one person it’s time in the morning to stretch and find a state of relaxation and peace before a hectic day, or other’s it’s for flexibility and balance, while for others it’s sweating in a 100 degree room for several hours changing positions.

From hatha yoga to bikram yoga and ashtanga yoga, these workouts are challenging yet sopeaceful and refreshing… leading to a state of internal bliss.

But can yoga replace one’s cardio workout?

This is a very controversial question.

With so many different types of yoga, each one is going to be a different answer. One hour of yoga burns approximately 200 calories. Of course with any type of exercise, the intensity of that workout is going to effect the amount of calories burned. Below is a list of yoga classes and how it compares to one hour of cardio.

* Hatha Yoga burns 175 calories, similar to a slow walk

* Ashtanga Yoga burns 300 calories, similar to a brisk walk

* Power Yoga burns 300 calories, similar to a brisk walk

* Vinyasa Yoga burns 445 calories, similar to moderate bike riding

* Bikram / Hot Yoga burns 630 calories, similar to one hour of jogging

Yoga is a great alternative workout to mix up your daily routine, but cardio is not all about calories. While you are going to burn the calories to lose weight, you won’t get the same benefits in other areas of a cardio workout. If you are wanting to lose weight, I would suggest not replacing cardio workouts all together, but incorporating yoga into your weekly workouts.

What is your your favorite Yoga Pose?