Yoga Styles

Yoga is a complex, ancient spiritual practice originating in India. It exists as a part of religion, spirit and exercise. I want to discuss the styles of exercise associated with yoga.

Yoga is a great supplement to your fitness program. It's a thorough stretch that rejuvenates muscles, relaxes the mind and is sometimes a tough, sweaty workout.

Yoga may not help you to put on a lot of muscle mass, or shed a ton of weight but it will make your posture better, which ultimately makes your physique look better. Yoga has the ability to correct posture problems and even the dreaded chronic low back injuries.

When you are starting out, all the options are confusing. Yoga types are named, usually by the yogi (great teacher) that invented it or the school it was developed in. I want to separate the different yoga types and explain each one. That way you can chose the right yoga style for your needs and goals.

Hatha- This is probably the yoga you think of first. Introduced by Yogi Swatmarama, Asanas (postures) held with Pranayama (breathing techniques) are used as a meditative and physical way to lengthen muscles, limber the joints and free the mind. This yoga teaches you concentration, focus and when you finish practicing you feel elated and dreamy.

Ashtanga Vinyasa- This is the most popular yoga style these days. Ashtanga yoga (or yoga flow) introduced by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, doesn't hold positions nearly as long as other types and doesn't go as much in to breathing techniques, aside from inhale and exhale. Postures flow from one to the next with fluidity. The purpose of ashtanga yoga is to create heat in the body, which leads to purification of the body through increased circulation and sweating. This style is also called "power yoga." It's the most physically challenging style and best suited for someone who wants the benefits of yoga but a good workout as well. Let me tell you something, you will be sore!

Iyengar- This type of yoga was introduced by B.K.S. Iyengar. This style stands out because of the use of props (belts, blocks, cushions, benches, sandbags) as an aid to students to allow them to experience asanas earlier than they normally would, without years of practice. Iyengar is a type of Hatha and focuses heavily on structural alignment of the body through the development of asanas to gain stamina, flexibility concentration and balance. Unlike other styles where students are encouraged to "find their way" by copying the yogi's asanas, in iyengar the class is very verbal and precise with misalignments being pointed out and corrected. This style is very well known for being a good match for the ill, tired, depressed, insomniacs and chronic pain sufferers

Bikram- Also known as hot yoga was introduced by Bikram Choudury. Bikram yoga is another branch of Hatha. It is characterized by a room heated to a temperature of 105F (40.5C) with a humidity of 40%. The classes are typically 90 minutes in length and suited for participants of all levels. The class always consists of 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises. If you are going to try hot yoga make sure you bring a change of clothes. The heat plus the exercises won't leave you with a dry spot on your shirt after class!

Kundalini- A physical and meditative discipline, this style of yoga is more focused on the spiritual and breathing aspects of yoga teachings. The purpose is to use breath control in conjunction with asanas (postures) to free energy in the lower body and allow it to move upward. Kundalini uses rapid and repetitive movements rather than poses held for long periods of time and the teacher usually leads the class with chants. This style is great for anyone who wants a mind-body connection.

Mysore- Named after a city in India where Sri K. Pattabhi Jois' Ashtanga school is located this isn't a "style" of yoga but is IS an interesting and unique style of class. A Mysore class looks chaotic at first! Everybody is doing something different and the class is notoriously silent, aside from the occasional whispers from the teacher! The purpose behind a mysore class is for every student to practice asanas given to them individually by the instructor. You practice your posture until the teacher comes around again to teach you a new posture or sequence of asanas. The great thing about this class is that it's for everyone, as the instructor gives out postures based on experience. That and you get to see what the experienced students can do for extra motivation!

Yoga as an exercise has formed interesting modern styles such as naked yoga, chair yoga, laughter yoga and hip hop yoga. Instructors are very creative in inventing new fun styles. I'm positive that there must be a yoga for everyone!