Recently I was chatting to someone about their yoga practice & I asked them, what style of yoga was it. In his gorgeous Geordie lilt he replied, ‘I don’t know, it’s just yoga.’
This reminded me of my own journey of discovery around the time I did my yoga teacher training that yoga wasn’t just ‘yoga’, there are in fact many different styles.
So to help you work out which style might suit you best, here’s a little run down of the most popular traditions.
Hatha yoga
This is an old system and relatively easy for beginners to access. It explores basic yoga postures (asanas) and breathing exercises (pranayama) to bring peace to the mind and body sometimes used in preparation for meditation. It is generally slow, gentle and relaxed with the poses being held deliberately and for longer than in other styles. You may not work up much of a sweat in this class but you will feel longer, looser and more relaxed.
Vinyasa yoga
This is a flow style class whereby the instructor will lead you through one posture to the next continually, often linking the standing poses through sun salutations. It is a dynamic class synchronizing the breath with the movement. No two classes are generally the same and you will work up a sweat and feel it.
Ashtanga yoga
Ashtanga yoga was bought to the modern world by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois in the 1970’s. There are 6 different series of poses, each of which are always practiced in the same order moving fluidly from pose to pose. It is typically physically challenging and fast-paced and not really aimed at the beginner, unless everyone is starting at the same point together. Like vinyasa every movement is linked to a breath.
Bikram yoga
This style of yoga was introduced around 30 years ago by Bikram Choudhury. Like Ashtanga yoga, Bikram yoga always follows the same sequence of poses. There are 26 poses in Bikram practiced in an artificially hot room around 40 degrees centigrade with high humidity for 90 minutes. It is a physically demanding class where you will sweat like never before. Like marmite, you either love it or you hate it. It was designed to emulate conditions in India where yoga originated and it is claimed to flush out toxins. Choudury himself is a controversial character, living a luxurious lifestyle funded by the success of his ‘Bikram’ brand of yoga and suing anyone who dares to use the name and not present the exact 26 poses in the correct order. Thus, many studios will offer hot yoga where the conditions in the room are hot and humid but the sequence of poses is different in each studio.
Iyengar yoga
‘Invented’ by B.K.S.Iyengar one of yoga’s original and authentic yogi’s. A typical class involves the poses being held for much longer than in other traditions to intensely explore the subtleties of each asana and pay attention to the foundation and alignment of each pose. Props are often used such as blocks, belts, blankets and chairs to accommodate individual’s limitations, tightness, injuries etc so that the student can move into a posture gradually and with precision. As such this is a great choice if you have a chronic condition or injury.
Anusara yoga
John Friend developed this style relatively recently in 1994. It is a deeply spiritual practice based on the belief that within us we are all filled with intrinsic goodness, we all hold our own Buddha nature. Physical poses are used to open the hearts of students allowing their grace and goodness to shine through. Classes are sequenced utilizing Friend’s Universal principles of Alignment and are a vigorous workout for both the mind and body categorized around the 3A’s: attitude, alignment and action.
Power yoga
This style is not dissimilar to Ashtanga whilst accessing elements of Vinyasa flow yoga too but it is not a determined series of poses, so each teacher will devise their own sequence. It is a more accessible style of yoga to most in the west than Ashtanga which is often seen as a more ‘purist’ style and is popular in many studios. In this class you will work hard and feel it. It is not so spiritual.
Kundalini yoga
Kundalini yoga repeats movements, dynamic breathing techniques, chanting and meditation designed to awaken the energy at the base of the spine allowing it to navigate through each of the seven chakra’s. Introduced to the west by Yogi Bhajan this style of yoga is quite different to the others due to its repetitive focus on breathing techniques and energy flow in the body. Not for the faint-hearted!
Yin yoga
A slower paced style of practice where each pose is held for several minutes, often 2 minutes or more. This passivity in itself can be quiet challenging especially if you are not used to holding poses for such times. It was founded in the late 1970’s by Pauline Zink, a martial arts expert and I think the interesting thing is the link between martial arts and yoga, the mental discipline and flexibility necessary for both.
Restorative yoga
This is a gentle, passive, relaxing style of yoga. Students relax and release into a pose or a stretch with the support of blankets, bolsters and blocks in order to completely let go. Poses are typically held for 2 minutes at least. Despite the seemingly inactive approach, this style of yoga is actually fairly advanced and demanding. It can feel emotional to engage in one pose for an extended period. These classes are great if you are slightly injured and don’t want to put your body through a more dynamic class as well as being a fabulous way to relax and soothe yourself after a stressful week. A restorative class can be as rejuvenating as, if not more so, than a nap.
So now you are equipped with the right knowledge to go forth and practice, whether it be exploring a new genre or just feeling confident when perusing the studio or gym timetable, now you know vaguely what to expect.
