Oxygen consumption during viniyoga practice in adults

Gurjeet S Birdee, Sujata Ghosh Ayala, Regina Tyree, Maciej Buchowski

International Journal of Yoga 2018 11(3):194-200

Context: The purpose of this study was to measure the oxygen consumption (V̇O2) during Viniyoga yoga movements (asanas) and to compare V̇O2walking among adults. Methods: Yoga practitioners (n = 10) were recruited to measure V̇O2while at rest (30 min), practicing yoga (16 movements with different variations), and treadmill walking at 2 mph (10 min) and 3 mph (10 min). V̇O2was measured using a whole-room indirect calorimetry. Each yoga movement was categorized by body orientation as standing, lying, and sitting. The differences in V̇O2between yoga and walking were examined using Pearson's correlations. Differences in V̇O2between poses (standing, sitting, and lying) were examined using linear regression models. V̇O2. Results: Mean yoga-V̇O2for the entire yoga session was 3.7 (standard deviation [SD] 0.43, range: 4.4–8.9) ml/kg/min. Yoga-V̇O2varied by body orientation: standing = 7.5 (SD = 1.5) ml/kg/min, lying = 5.3 (SD = 1.0) ml/kg/min, and sitting = 5.4 (SD = 1.1) ml/kg/min. After adjusting for body mass, frequency of yoga practice, and resting energy expenditure, female gender was negatively associated with mean yoga V̇O2for standing (B = −112.19, P < 0.05), lying (B = −141.87, P < 0.05), and sitting (B = −129.96, P < 0.05). Mean V̇O2for walking 2 mph was comparable with sitting (r = 0.836, P < 0.05) and lying (r = 0.735, P < 0.05) whereas walking at 3 mph was comparable with standing (r = 0.718, P < 0.05) and sitting (r = 0.760, P < 0.05). Conclusion: We conclude that V̇O2during yoga practice is comparable to V̇O2during slow treadmill walking and may vary based on gender and body orientation.