If you are considering adding yoga to your routine, but don’t know where to
start, this is for you. There are many different styles of yoga, various poses,
and breathing techniques which can seem overwhelming to a novice. The
great thing about yoga though, is that you can pick and choose what works
best for you based on your goals and lifestyle, and you don’t have to be a
Yogi to do it.
The following is a list of the 8 most common yoga styles to help you get
started:
1. Ashtanga is a rigorous flow style that links breath to poses. Like Vinyasa
(#8), it is physically demanding, and considered to be a more advanced
practice that should be worked up to.
2. Bikram is the original (and trademarked) Hot Yoga. It includes over 2
dozen poses practiced in a very specific sequence in a heated studio. It is
also one of the most popular types of yoga.
3. Hatha yoga is a generic term that focuses on teaching basic poses, proper
postures, and breath work. Hatha is not physically demanding and one
should feel relaxed and loose after a class.
4. Hot yoga is virtually the same as Bikram and is practiced in a heated
studio, but it deviates from the trademarked Bikram sequence. Fun fact: To
avoid getting sued, yoga studios call it Hot Yoga instead.
5. Iyengar yoga is gentle, meticulous, and focuses on the proper alignment of
each pose utilizing props as needed. It is very beneficial for those with
chronic pain or someone recovering from an injury because is not physically
demanding.
6. Kundalini yoga focuses more on energy, meditation, and balancing the
chakras through movement, intense breathing or ‘breath of fire’, and
chanting.
7. Restorative yoga, or Yin, is focused on, you guessed it, restoration of the
body and mind by using passive poses. It is slow paced, meditative, doesn’t
require physical exertion, and should be as refreshing as a good nap.
8. Vinyasa, also called Power Yoga, is a flow of intense, fast paced, fluid
poses for advanced practitioners. It is a physically demanding cardio
workout, so expect to sweat a lot and don’t forget to bring water!
Stay tuned for more in depth information about each of these popular styles.