Yoga is an ancient practice from India that offers numerous health benefits. It is used for building strength, improving core strength, enhancing mental health, achieving proper alignment of one's body and promoting relaxation.
Today, yoga is commonly practised throughout the world and holds a prominent place in the emerging field of mind/body medicine.
There are different types of yoga, each with its own sequence of poses, form of meditation and breathing exercises. There are fast-paced yoga styles and slower styles that are ideal for beginners. The type of yoga you choose to incorporate into your daily life is completely up to you. Remember, though, that your teacher-student relationship will contribute greatly to your successful yoga practice. So, if you're engaging in yoga for beginners, it would be best to work with a certified yoga teacher in your area in order to reap all the physical, mental and spiritual benefits of yoga.
Now, if you're wondering which physical postures in a yoga session are best for you, there's no better way to find out than to proceed with this guide. It takes you through the most popular types of yoga, their sequence of postures, and how to choose the perfect one for you.
Ananda
The object of Ananda, a style of Hatha Yoga, is to harmonise the body, mind and emotions through energy flows in order to regulate oneself with higher levels of awareness. It is a relatively gentle yoga practice that uses silent affirmations as a means of working more directly and consciously with the subtle energies of inward experience to achieve control. The correct alignment of the spine is also the focus of the poses involved in this style of yoga.
Anusara
Anusara Yoga is best described as heart-oriented and spiritually inspiring yet simultaneously grounded in a deep knowledge of outer and inner body alignment. It can work well for beginners and advanced yogi. Unlike intense styles of yoga like Ashtanga, which requires a lot of strength and balance, Anusara yoga is more laid back so people who find it difficult to stand up straight or don't feel comfortable doing headstands will still feel good after their yoga session.
Ashtanga
Ashtanga Yoga is a physically demanding workout. A series of flows are moved through, jumping from one posture to another to build strength, flexibility and stamina. It is not recommended for beginners or anyone who has been taking a leisurely approach to fitness. An advanced practitioner enjoys this power yoga as it relieves back pain, strengthens the muscles and improves concentration.
Bikram
Conducted in a class heated by a thermostat, Bikram Yoga demands a series of 26 positions designed to warm and stretch muscles, ligaments and tendons, which are performed whilst building heat. Also called hot yoga, this intense yoga practice improves the body's flexibility and strength.
Integral
Integral Yoga classes put a lot of emphasis on meditation as well as postures. This style is well known for its groundbreaking work on reversing heart disease.
Iyengar
Iyengar Yoga is one of the best-known and most popular practices. This style of yoga requires a great amount of attention to detail and the precise alignment of postures, as well as the use of props such as yoga blocks and belts. It focuses on finding stillness within movement and holding your body with mindful awareness while focusing on breath.
Kali Ray TriYoga
This yoga practice brings posture, breath and focus together to create dynamic and intuitive flows. Flowing and sustaining of postures are combined to increase flexibility, strength, endurance and knowledge of the flows.
Kripalu
Referred to as the Yoga of consciousness, Kripalu Yoga puts great emphasis on proper breath, alignment, coordinating breath and movement, and "honouring the wisdom of the body". Students learn to focus on the physical and psychological reactions caused by various postures to develop their awareness of mind, body, emotion and spirit. You work according to the limits of your individual flexibility and strength.
Kundalini
Kundalini Yoga focuses on the controlled release of energy involving basic poses, breathing techniques and chanting mantras. This spiritual practice focuses on the coordination of breath, movement and meditation.
Sivananda
Sivananda Yoga follows a set structure that includes breath control (pranayama), classic yoga postures (asana) and relaxation. Practising this method is a great introduction to yoga.
Svaroopa Yoga
Svaroopa Yoga teaches significantly different ways of doing familiar poses, emphasising the opening of the spine by beginning at the tailbone and progressing through each spinal area in turn. This is a consciousness-oriented yoga that also promotes healing and transformation.
Viniyoga
This practice of yoga takes into consideration individual conditions and purposes. It is best taught privately. Key characteristics include the careful integration of the flow of breath with movement of the spine, with sequencing, adaptations and intensity dependent upon the overall contexts and goals of the student. Practices may also include breath control (pranayama), meditation, reflection, study and other classic elements.
Vinayasa
In a Vinyasa flow class, otherwise known as flow-style yoga, the yoga practitioners synchronise their movement with their breath. It is the most popular type of yoga in the Western world thanks to the seamless transition of movements guided by breath. It is believed to help with weight loss, so many people choose to engage in this style of yoga.
Not everyone will like every type but trying them out at least once gives an appreciation of what each one offers physically and mentally. A beginner is not expected to practise all types at once though a combination of two is recommended for overall wellbeing.
Source: HealthCentral
What to Wear in Yoga
It is recommended that you wear loose, comfortable clothing when practising slow-paced yoga styles. If you're doing one that requires a lot of movement, bending and stretching, you may want to slip into form-fitting stretchable attire so that your body can move freely and do what it needs to do.
Yoga is a form of exercise that doesn't require footwear. It is almost always done barefoot to allow people to feel more connected to the ground and to make it easier to balance and relax into poses.
Visit a local yoga studio to begin your yoga practice, or sign up for an online yoga class if you prefer to explore different kinds of yoga from the comfort of your own home.
Originally published on May 08, 2007
