What is the difference between yoga styles

Best for: People who gravitate toward a set routine. Those who are newer to yoga might like Bikram because of its predictable sequence. Best for: Hardcore sweat lovers. If you love a tough workout that will leave you drenched, sign up for a beginner-friendly heated class. This physically and mentally challenging practice looks very different from your typical yoga class. The goal? To break through your internal barriers, releasing the untapped energy residing within you and bringing you a higher level of self-awareness.

Best for: People looking for a spiritual practice. Those who are seeking something more than a workout may enjoy Kundalini due to its emphasis on the internal aspects of yoga, including breath work , meditation and spiritual energy.

The opposite of a faster moving practice like Ashtanga, Yin yoga poses are held for several minutes at a time. This meditative practice is designed to target your deeper connective tissues and fascia , restoring length and elasticity. Like meditation, it may make you feel antsy at first, but stick with it for a few classes and its restorative powers might have you hooked. Paul Grilley explains that there are two principles that differentiate yin practice from more yang approaches to yoga: holding poses for at least several minutes and stretching the connective tissue around a joint.

To do the latter, the overlying muscles must be relaxed. You can demonstrate this by gently pulling on your right middle finger, first with your right hand tensed and then with the hand relaxed. When the hand is relaxed, you will feel a stretch in the joint where the finger joins the palm; the connective tissue that knits the bones together is stretching. When the hand is tensed, there will be little or no movement across this joint, but you will feel the muscles straining against the pull.

We must remember that connective tissue is different from muscle and needs to be exercised differently. Instead of the rhythmiccontraction and release that best stretches muscle, connective tissue responds best to a slow, steady load. If you gently stretch connective tissue by holding a yin pose for a long time, the body will respond by making them a little longer and stronger—which is exactly what you want.

Try Yin Yoga to explore new ways of caring for your body and to complement your more active, yang practice. Calling all prop and relaxation enthusiasts! Pioneered by Judith Hanson Lasater , restorative yoga is a restful practice that holds yoga poses for several minutes.

This approach supports the body by using props such as yoga blocks, blankets, and bolsters. Restorative yoga aims to make the body comfortable so that practitioners can focus on the meditative qualities of yoga.

This approach sets the stage for the body and mind to release tension. Restorative yoga practice should never feel like work.

Set up your props so that you feel supported, notice your breath, and cultivate gentle awareness of any thoughts or sensations that arise during your session. In , his disciple Swami Vishnu-devananda introduced these teachings to an American audience.

There are more than 80 centers worldwide, as well as ashrams and teacher-training programs, all of which follow a hatha yoga practice emphasizing 12 basic postures to increase strength and flexibility of the spine. Chanting, pranayama, and meditation are also included, helping students to release stress and blocked energy. For more information, visit sivananda.

In addition to a gentle asana practice, classes also incorporate guided relaxation, breathing practices, sound vibration repetition of mantra or chant , and silent meditation. For more information, visit integralyogaofnewyork. For those who aspire to loftier goals than simply building a hard body, Ananda Yoga provides a tool for spiritual growth while releasing unwanted tensions. During the s, Swami Kriyananda developed Ananda as a particular style of yoga after returning to California following a period of intense yoga training under Guru Paramhansa Yogananda author of Autobiography of a Yogi.

McCord explains that the affirmations are intended to help deepen and enhance the subtle benefits of each asana, providing a technique for aligning body, energy, and mind. In a typical class, instructors guide their students through a series of gentle hatha postures designed to move energy upward to the brain, preparing the body for meditation. Classes also focus on proper alignment, easeful posture transitions, and controlled breathing exercises pranayama to facilitate an exploration into the inner dimensions of yoga and self-awareness.

For more information, visit expandinglight. Kundalini Yoga, stemming from the tantra yoga path, at one time remained a closely guarded secret practiced only by a select few. In , however, Yogi Bhajan decided to change this tradition by bringing Kundalini to the West. Practitioners concentrate on awakening the energy at the base of the spine and drawing it upward through each of the seven chakras.

For more information, visit 3HO. A typical ISHTA class mixes flowing Ashtanga-style asanas with the precise method of Iyengar, while including pranayama and meditation exercises as well. Instructors begin classes with warm-up poses, then gradually build to a more challenging practice.

For more information, visit beyoga. Located in the Berkshire region of Western Massachusetts, the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health has helped guide thousands of people along their path of self-discovery by teaching a system of yoga developed over a year period by yogi Amrit Desai and the Kripalu staff. Most types of yoga are rooted in the same basic poses or asanas; however, different elements of each style make for unique experiences that ultimately differentiate each different kind.

Learning the distinctions between the different types of yoga will not only broaden your mental horizons, but it will also allow you to pick the style that feels right for you. Although the following list is far from exhaustive, allow this exploration of eight popular yoga styles to enhance your understanding of this beautiful union of breath and movement we call yoga. While a Hatha class is usually an ideal starting point for those who are newer to the practice or looking for a less intense experience, it is important to note that Hatha in and of itself is a general term that can refer to many different variations of practice.

The word "Hatha" itself translates to "force". The common feature of Hatha yoga in all its iterations is the unification of asanas yoga postures with pranayama breathing exercises to bring peace to the body and mind.

Vinyasa yoga is another style of yoga that can vary widely in execution, but compared to hatha yoga, it is generally understood as a more rigorous form of movement. Vinyasa yoga is largely based on a high-intensity flow through a series of sun salutations. In vinyasa yoga, movements are seamlessly strung together, using the breath as a guiding force.

No two vinyasa yoga classes are the same, but practicing vinyasa yoga virtually guarantees that you will be getting your sweat on. For this reason, vinyasa yoga is often recommended to seasoned yogis looking to see rapid physical transformation through their practice, or practitioners looking to complement other forms of physical fitness— many runners use vinyasa yoga as a way to bring balance to their already rigorous movement practices.

Hot yoga is sure to get you fired up. What sets Hot yoga apart from other high-power styles is the setting: this yoga occurs in a heated room that is typically set between 80 and degrees Fahrenheit. The heat is a great way to detoxify and assist flexibility. The movement itself comes in the form of varying sequences and breathing exercises that are usually done twice.