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You already know that your cardiovascular health is more than a little important. And you’ve probably read over and over again that experts recommend a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity each week. There are lots of effective ways to get your cardio in: hiking, running, dancing, cycling, swimming, interval training at the gym, brisk walking, playing tennis or pickleball, and so on.
The question is: how do you make time for cardio and your yoga practice? As it turns out, you don’t always need to choose.
So Is Yoga a Cardio Workout?
Is yoga cardio? It depends. Although not everyone practices yoga for a “workout” and yoga certainly encompasses more than the physical poses, there’s nothing wrong with relying on it to raise your heart rate and work up a sweat when you want.
You may already experience this in the “flow” portion of studio vinyasa classes or in your home practice. What ultimately determines whether yoga counts as cardio, and which type of cardio exercise it qualifies as, is your hear rate. If you don’t want to interrupt your practice to check your heart rate or wear a heart rate monitor, you can use your breath as a gauge. More on that below.
So is yoga cardio? Yes, it certainly can be. And you get to determine just how much you elevate your heart rate. As with any exercise protocol, consult with your physician before initiating a cardio workout.
Yoga Cardio Exercise for Moderate Intensity
The Mayo Clinic defines moderate activity as 50 to 70 percent of your maximum heart rate. This level of activity, which you may have heard called “zone 2” cardio, is one where you could hold a conversation if you wanted but you wouldn’t have enough breath control to sing.
One way to attain and sustain this on the mat is a continuous flow in which you string a series of poses together and then put that sequence on repeat. You want to strategically choose poses that will vary the muscles taxed so that nothing fatigues to the extent that you need to stop before you want.
After 15 to 30 minutes of this kind of flow, no matter how easy it feels at the beginning, you’ll probably experience a slow burn in your muscles and a moderate elevation in your heart rate.
Try these continuous flow options or make up your own:
Sequence 1: Warrior Dance
1. Start in Mountain Pose. Inhale to lift your arms to Upward Salute.
2. Shift your weight into your right foot, bend your right knee, and as you exhale, step your left foot back and lean your chest forward in a version of High Lunge known as Arrowhead Pose.
3. Inhale to plant your back heel, open your chest to face the long side of the mat, and sweep your front arm overhead for Dancing or Reverse Warrior.
4. Straighten your front leg and exhale as you hinge into your front hip and find a version of Extended Triangle in which your front arm hovers parallel to the mat.
5. Use your next inhalation to sweep back to Reverse Warrior.
6. As you next exhale, turn your chest and hips toward the front of your mat, step your left foot forward and sink into Chair or Fierce Pose with your hands at your chest or alongside your head.
7. Inhale to drive back up to Upward Salute.
8. Repeat the flow by stepping your right foot back into a leaning High Lunge and continue on that side. Then put the sequence on repeat a few times.
Sequence 2: Lunging Warrior Flow
1. Start in Downward-Facing Dog. Inhale to lift your right leg up and back in Three-Legged Dog.
2. Exhale to step your right foot forward into a lunge.
3. Inhale as you lift your chest and arms into High Lunge.
4. Exhale as you pivot your back heel to the mat, turn your chest to face the long side of the mat, and extend your arms in Warrior 2.
5. Inhale to lift your right arm in Reverse Warrior.
6. Exhale to cartwheel your left palm to the mat as you lift your left heel and rotate your chest toward the right in Revolved Lunge.
7. Inhale to plant your right palm and step your right foot back to Plank.
8. Exhale as you lift your hips back to Downward Dog. You’re ready to repeat the flow on your left side. Continue with the sequence as many times as you desire.
Sequence 3: Half Mandala Flow
1. From Mountain Pose, inhale as you lift your arms and lower your hips into Chair or Fierce Pose.
2. As you exhale, shift your weight into your right foot, bend your right knee, and step your left foot back to leaning High Lunge or Arrowhead on your exhalation.
3. Pivot your back heel to the mat, open your chest, and lift your front arm overhead for Reverse Warrior as you inhale.
4. On your next breath out, pivot both feet so your toes point toward the corners of your mat and your heels angle in, swapping the bend in your knees and leaning your torso over your left thigh like a speed skater.
5. Inhale as you lift your right heel and turn to face the back of the mat, plant your right palm, and spin your chest toward your left thigh in Revolved Lunge.
6. Exhale as you roll onto the little toe edge of your right foot and sweep your left foot back in front of or on top of your right in Side Plank. Steady yourself here.
7. Use your next inhalation to step your left foot forward as you roll onto the ball of your right foot and propel yourself into a High Lunge facing the back of your mat.
8. Exhale to step your right foot forward to Mountain at the new front of your mat. Repeat the semi-circular flow, known as a half mandala, on your other side. Continue repeating the sequence in a dance around the mat.
Yoga Cardio Exercises for a Vigorous Workout
The standard for vigorous activity, according to the Mayo Clinic, is 70 to 85 percent of your maximum heart rate. This corresponds with “zone 4 cardio,” in which you are breathing heavily enough to make conversation difficult.
Obviously this kind of intensity is something most of us can’t maintain for long. So rather than looking for balanced and sustainable movement patterns, we choose shorter, simpler flows that utilize larger muscle groups to drive your heart rate up quickly. Then you repeat the flow a set number of times on each side interspersed with quick breaks for recovery, creating a yoga version of interval training.
And there’s no need to think about perfect alignment. Borrow from other movement modalities and have fun focusing on faster full-body movement instead. Some suggestions follow.
Sequence 1: Speed Sun Salutations
Yes, the point of yoga is fixing your focus and that frequently means slowing down. But you can still maintain a yogic approach even when quickening your pace in the traditional Sun Salutation A.
1. From Mountain Pose, inhale to Upward Salute.
2. Exhale as you fold forward, then plant your palms and step or float back to Plank and lower to Chaturanga Dandasana.
3. Inhale through your backbend of choice, whether Locust Pose, Cobra, or Upward-Facing Dog. (I prefer Locust for its extra back-strengthening benefits.)
4. Exhale as you press up and back to Downward-Facing Dog.
5. Then bend your knees and step or hop to the front of the mat in a forward fold and inhale to sweep back up to Upward Salute to restart.
Sequence 2: Stamina-Building Warrior Flow
1. From Downward Dog, inhale as you reach your right leg up and back in Three-Legged Dog.
2. Exhale as you step your right foot at the front of your mat.
3. Inhale as you lift your chest and hands and float your left leg straight behind you in Warrior 3.
4. Exhale as you fold forward, planting your palms back on your mat or blocks.
5. Inhale as you sweep your right leg back and up again in Three-Legged Dog.
6. Exhale as you step forward and repeat the flow as many times as you like before repeating on your left side.
Sequence 3: Make Any Yoga Pose Active
Simpler approaches also work. Try focusing on a single pose and making it active, such as:
Plank Jacks (Plank Pose, jumping your feet apart, then back together)
Mountain Climbers (starting from Plank)
Lizard Jumps (starting from Lizard and then jumping to switch sides)
Handstand Hops (jumping into a bent-knee Handstand)
Sequence 4: Running Warrior Flow
1. From Downward Dog, inhale to reach your right leg up and back in Three-Legged Dog.
2. Exhale as you step your right foot at the front of your mat.
3. Inhale as you lift your chest and draw your left knee toward your chest like a sprinter leaving the starting blocks, holding onto your shin with your hands. (If you feel like adding a heart rate boost, hop a couple times on your right foot.)
4. Exhale as you fold forward, plant your palms on the mat, and step your left foot to the back of the mat.
5. Inhale to lift your right leg high in Three-Legged Dog. Repeat as many times as you choose before swapping to your left side.
Sequence 5: Standing Kick Twists
1. From Downward Dog, step your right forward. Inhale as you lift your chest and arms into High Lunge.
2. As you exhale, shift your weight into your right foot, lift your left foot, and extend your left leg straight in front of you as you turn your chest to the left and reach your arms straight out to the sides in a balancing twist.
3. Inhale to step back to High Lunge, and repeat as many times as you dare on your right side before returning to Downward Dog and changing sides.
Yoga Cardio Exercises for Tired Days
There are probably plenty of times when you show up to the mat looking for something a lot more mellow than any of the above. If that’s also you, there’s still good news. Even the most laid-back asana practice can bring potential benefits for cardiovascular health.
A 2020 study suggested that regular stretching for at least 15 minutes several times a week had the potential to reduce arterial stiffness, lower resting heart rate, and decrease blood pressure in adults over the age of 40. Simply making a point to routinely include side stretches or forward bends into your work day or taking time for bed stretches at night counts as a form of yoga cardio exercise.
