A higher-effort yoga flow
The version people search for as "yoga for weight loss" — honestly labelled as what it is: a longer, continuous practice that costs more energy than a held one.
Let us be straight about the arithmetic, because almost nobody publishing this is. A continuous flowing practice sits around 3.3 to 4.0 METs in the Compendium of Physical Activities — roughly 120 to 150 kcal in half an hour for a 70 kg adult. That is real, and it is comparable to a brisk walk. It is not comparable to running, and no sequence of poses changes body composition on its own; total food and total activity across a week do that. What a flow like this genuinely offers is forty minutes of continuous movement you might actually keep doing, plus leg and trunk strength that a walk does not build.
The sequence
Every pose name links to its full page — steps, muscles worked, common mistakes and who should skip it.
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1
Prayer Pose Prārthanāsana
1 minute
Stand, settle, and set a pace you can hold for forty minutes.
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2
Raised Arms Pose Hasta Uttānāsana
5 rounds
Begin Surya Namaskar A — five rounds, one breath per movement.
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3
Chair Pose Utkaṭāsana
3–5 rounds
Move into Surya Namaskar B — three to five rounds.
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4
Warrior II Vīrabhadrāsana II
45 seconds each side
Warrior II, held long enough for the thigh to complain.
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5
Extended Side Angle Pose Utthita Pārśvakoṇāsana
45 seconds each side
Side angle straight from Warrior II without standing up.
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6
Warrior III Vīrabhadrāsana III
30 seconds each side
Warrior III — the balance keeps the heart rate honest.
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7
Plank Pose Phalakāsana
45 seconds
Plank between rounds rather than resting between them.
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8
Boat Pose Nāvāsana
30 seconds x3
Boat, three times, with ten seconds between.
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9
Bridge Pose Setu Bandha Sarvāṅgāsana
10 rounds
Bridge, lifting and lowering slowly.
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10
Supine Spinal Twist Supta Matsyendrāsana
1 minute each side
Twist to unwind.
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11
Corpse Pose Śavāsana
5 minutes
Five minutes. The session is not finished without it.
Before you start this sequence
- Read the cautions on the individual pose pages. Between them, the poses here rule themselves out for pregnancy, high blood pressure, glaucoma, and neck, knee, shoulder and wrist injuries — the details differ pose by pose.
- A sequence is an order, not a prescription. Leave out anything that hurts and the rest still works.
- If you are pregnant, recently post-surgical, or managing a health condition, get your doctor's view before starting, and learn from a qualified teacher in person.
General information only — not medical advice. Some asanas are unsuitable during pregnancy, injury or specific conditions. Learn from a qualified teacher and stop if anything hurts.
Notes on practising it
Body composition follows the whole week, not one session. If that is your goal, this sequence is one useful input alongside food and everything else you do — and the calorie arithmetic behind the numbers on this site is on the method page.
The energy figure above uses the standard ACSM relationship — MET × 3.5 × body mass in kilograms ÷ 200 kcal per minute — with the MET value taken from the nearest published code in the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities. The full working is on the method page, and the wider activity dataset is at BurnLab.
Questions
How long does the Higher-effort flow sequence take?
About 40 minutes for 11 poses at the stay times listed. Suggested volume: 3–5 rounds of the middle block. At 3.3 MET — the nearest published code in the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities — that is roughly 162 kcal for a 70 kg adult.
Do I have to do the poses in this order?
The order is the point. Sequences are arranged so that each pose prepares the next one and answers the one before it — a backbend followed by a forward bend, a long hold followed by something that unloads it. Reordering them is fine once you know why they sit where they do.
Is the Higher-effort flow sequence suitable for beginners?
It is rated intermediate. It assumes you already hold the beginner poses comfortably. If you are new, start with <em>A first practice</em> and come back to this one in a couple of months.
What do I need for it?
A mat, and for several poses a block and a strap — a folded blanket and a belt do the same job. Nothing here needs a studio.
Other sequences
Asana names are traditional. Every step, benefit and caution on this page is written for YogaPath rather than reproduced from any book, studio or other library — see how this site is written. Energy figures derive from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities. General information only — not medical advice. Some asanas are unsuitable during pregnancy, injury or specific conditions. Learn from a qualified teacher and stop if anything hurts.