Know More About Different Types Of Yoga

Different types of yoga sometimes make it a confusing task to decide which yoga style will be suitable. Are you baffled over what kind of yoga you should choose? If you learn more about the different schools of yoga that are practiced today, it will be easier for you to decide.

Some of the different yoga styles are given below.

  • Ashtanga Yoga - This yoga style is invented by Patanjali and is based on eight sutras in Sanskrit. It is a fast-paced, intense style of yoga. During its practice, a set series of asanas are performed which can be physically challenging. It requires fast, continuous but fluid movements from one pose to another. If you are a beginner in yoga then it will take some time to achieve perfection in performing the poses in a spontaneous flow.
  • Anusara Yoga - This yoga style was invented by John Friend and the word 'Anusara' means flowing with grace. Anusara yoga believes in the philosophy of intrinsic goodness that is present in all beings. The yoga poses are light-hearted hence even people with different physical abilities can do this yoga. It puts emphasis on right posture, body alignment and proper breathing techniques. Often props are used to practice this yoga. Asanas and meditation help you to connect with your spirituality and increase awareness about your inner being.
  • Hatha Yoga - Hatha can be described as the basic yoga style. It can encompass various styles of yoga that are practiced in the present day. Hatha is a slow paced, gentle yoga practice that introduces you to the basic yoga poses.
  • Iyengar Yoga - This modern yoga style gives utmost importance to proper body alignment. Body alignment means the precise way of body positioning during each pose. To achieve perfection in body alignment, various props like yoga blankets, blocks, straps, etc. are used in Iyengar.
  • Bikram Yoga - Bikram Chowdhuri invented this yoga style. In this yoga, a set of 26 postures are practiced at a high room temperature. It is believed that practicing yoga asanas at a high temperature helps you to warm and stretch muscles, ligaments and tendons. In addition to that, it also cleanses the body through profuse sweating.
  • Kripalu - It is a contemporary yoga practice that believes in keeping a compassionate approach towards everyone and aims at creating a uniform balance of mind, body, and soul. It emphasizes on meditation, physical healing, and spiritual transformation that can be experienced in daily life.
  • Integral - This yoga is based on gentle hatha practice and emphasizes on breathing exercises, chanting, kriyas, and meditation.
  • Sivananda - This style of yoga is based on five basic rules; which are proper exercise or asana, proper breathing or pranayama, proper relaxation or savasana, proper diet or eating vegetarian food and lastly, positive thinking and meditation or dhyana.

You can go to any yoga institute for getting a basic idea about different types of yoga. The yoga experts in the yoga institute will guide you about the best style of yoga for you, considering your physical abilities, body condition, endurance etc.