10 Types of Yoga: Which One Is Right for You?
There are various kinds of yoga no matter you want an easy, relaxing, meditative class or a more physically demanding class. You will discover variations with each style a little distinct from the others depending on the teacher. Offering teachers a try and a few styles before getting on your favorite will improve your overall experience and challenge of yoga to break out of your comfort zone.
Table of Contents
Learn 10 Popular types of Yoga Practice:
In case if you are looking for a traditional style, this article will assist you to perceive the basics before attending a class.
Vinyasa Yoga
Vinyasa Yoga is a common term that explains various different styles of yoga like other yogas. It is a strenuous style based on a fast flow through sun salutations and it necessarily means movement linked with breath. You might also view a vinyasa yoga class referred to as a flow class. It refers to the uninterrupted flow from one posture of the yoga to the next.
Hatha Yoga
Hatha is a common category that comprises most styles of yoga. It is an ancient system that constitutes the practice of pranayama (breathing exercises) and asanas (yoga postures), which assists bring peace to the body and mind. It further prepares the whole body for deeper spiritual practices like meditation. The term Hatha is utilized today in such a wide way that it is complicated to know what a particular hatha yoga class will be like. It will be relatively slow, gentle, and best for beginners or students in most cases.
Ashtanga Yoga
Ashtanga is a yoga system that was brought by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois to the modern world. Each series of this yoga is a set sequence of asanas that is always in the same order. It is typically strenuous, fast-paced, and physically challenging. In total, there are six series in this Ashtanga yoga. It becomes difficult as you move from the first series on. Most Ashtanga studios provide Mysore-style classes even though a typical class moves quite quickly. Therefore, it enables students to operate at their own pace and to be supervised by senior instructors.
Bikram Yoga
When you attend a Bikram yoga class, you can be sure of the consistency of yoga. Apart from the class instructor, a Bikram yoga class is the same no matter where you attend the class. This yoga consists of two breathing techniques and copyrighted twenty-six postures, in the same order for 90 minutes in a room with a humidity of 40%. The class will definitely challenge you both mentally and physically. The room is hot and you will sweat for sure. Discovered by Bikram Choudhury, this type of hot yoga is made to manage weight, flush toxins, and enable students to move more deeply into poses.
Power Yoga
Power Yoga is utilized to describe physically demanding, a vigorous, vinyasa-style yoga. It was a try to make ashtanga more accessible to Western students as it originally closely resembled ashtanga. However, it differs a bit as it is not a set series of yoga poses rather lets the instructor free to teach what they want. There are two American yogis called Bryan Kest and Beryl Bender Birch are most often offered with inventing power yoga. The popularity of power yoga has spread all over the world and the classes are there in most studios. It is suggested that you consult with the individual instructor or the studio before attending a class as the style may vary.
Kundalini Yoga
Kundalini Yoga has repeated exercises or movements, chanting, dynamic breathing techniques, mantras, and meditation. Each particular kundalini exercise referred to as a kriya which means it is a movement that is often synchronized and repeated with the breath. The practice is made to form the energy at the base of the spine in order to pull it upside through each of the seven chakras. This kind of yoga is brought to the West by Yogi Bhajan and it looks and feels quite unique than any other. The reason is it has the movement of energy through the body and has its focus on repetitive, enhanced breathing.
Jivamukti Yoga
Sharon Gannon and David Life formed Jivamukti yoga in 1984. They have studied with various teaches comprising Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and Swami Nirmalananda since then. Their classes bear a resemblance to ashtanga in the vinyasa-style flow through asanas. Every class starts with a standardized sequence of warm-up that is exceptional to Jivamukti. In this yoga, teachers often will incorporate chanting, weekly themes, readings, meditation, and affirmations.
Anusara Yoga
The Anusara style of yoga is a fresh system of Hatha that teaches a set of Universal Alignment Principles that underlie every yoga posture. Also, it encourages following your heart and flowing with grace. This practice of Anusara is discovered by John Friend and widely categorized into three sections known as the Three A’s. They constitute alignment, action, and attitude.
Iyengar Yoga
The Iyengar trademark is a deep focus on the subtleties of every posture. From home in Pune, India, B.K.S. Iyengar teaches his classes and has become one of the most popular and effective gurus of that time. When it comes to a typical Iyengar yoga class, poses are held much longer than in other schools of yoga. It is done to make an effort to pay deeper attention to the clear musculoskeletal alignment within each asana. Another trademark of Iyengar yoga style is the use of properties like chairs, bolsters, belts, blocks, and blankets. These props are utilized to accommodate structural imbalances, tightness, or injuries, as well as to teach the student how to properly move into a posture.
Sivananda Yoga
Sivananda Yoga is a type of Hatha discovered by Swami Sivananda and brought to the west by Swami Vishnu-devananda. Typically, a class starts with kapalabhati, anuloma viloma, and Savasana (relaxation pose), followed by a few rounds of Surya namaskar. This yoga includes 12 asanas which are made to boost flexibility and strength of the spine. Meditation and chanting can also be a section of the full-length class. Later, Vishnu-devananda discovered the International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Hubs that summarizes the system of Sivananda into five prime principles including positive thinking (Vedanta), proper exercise (asanas), meditation (dhyana), proper relaxation (savasana), proper diet (vegetarian), and proper breathing (pranayama).
