A Guide for Choosing Which Style of Yoga is for You

By Cynthia Worby, MSW, MPH, Yoga Teacher

 

 

So, now you are ready to try yoga, but how do you know what style of yoga suits your needs? Most yoga taught throughout the United States is a form of Hatha Yoga, which is comprised of physical postures, breathing techniques, relaxation and meditation.  Hatha yoga can be considered the big umbrella under which most of the sub-specialty Yogas are subsumed.  What makes one style of yoga different from the rest is their emphasis and technique. Some emphasize relaxation and meditation while others focus upon the physical postures and breath work.

 

In addition, the type of yoga that fits you depends upon why you want to practice yoga.  For example, someone who is inflexible with tight hamstrings and a tight lower back may want to create more flexibility and space within the body. Then the primary goal is to increase physical comfort and range of motion. Another person may feel extremely stressed out with symptoms such as headaches and lower back tightness and wish to find a yoga class which focuses on relaxation, breathing and meditation techniques as a way to manage stress and tension. An individual may be recovering from illness or surgery and be interested in a class where passive yoga postures are taught. Another person may want be very active, challenged, sweat, build strength and develop a leaner body.

 

The good news is that there is a yoga style for everyone and there is some overlap between styles.  As we go through life and its many transitions we may find a need to change the style of yoga to suit where we are at that time.  What was appropriate at twenty-five may not be appropriate at forty-five.

 

The best way to determine which yoga style is right for you is to sample several different classes. The teacher is a most important factor in your decision. The match between student and teacher is crucial.  After attending a class ask yourself: did I feel comfortable and at ease, were the teacher’s instructions clear enough that I could follow and learn from them? Did I receive attentive guidance from the teacher or did I have to look around the class and “monkey” the other students? Do I feel a little sore from using my body differently or did I get injured in class? Class size is also a consideration. Smaller classes allow for more individualized attention, while larger classes do not.

 

Below is a brief description of some of the Hatha Yoga styles currently practiced in the United States.

 

 

Iyengar yoga is named for Mr. Iyengar, an Indian yoga master who is one of the world’s most influential yogis. Iyengar yoga focuses on precise alignment, posture, and attention to subtle detail. Poses are held for longer periods of time and repeated several times. Iyengar yoga uses props such as belts, blocks, blankets, bolsters, and chairs to assist students and to help balance the body while in the pose.  The use of props helps students achieve the best pose possible while minimizing the risk of injury. The props provide support, allowing the student to find the balance between ease and effort in a pose, breathe more freely and go deeper into the pose.

 

Ashtanga Yoga is a dynamic, fast-paced, challenging series of sequential poses linked together by ujjayi breath (a specific breathing technique that sounds like Darth Vader) and a flow of postures called vinyasa. K. Pattabhi Jois is the Indian master whose students have brought the practice to the U.S. and all over the world. The system is based on six series, each increasing in difficulty. Most Ashtanga Yoga taught in the U.S. is based on the primary and secondary series.  It is a heat producing, flowing practice that creates strength, flexibility and increases stamina.

 

An Americanized hybrid of Ashtanga Yoga is “Power Yoga”, a term originating from Ashtanga Yoga teacher and writer of the book Power Yoga Beryl Bender Birch. Most power yoga is a vigorous, flowing series of postures based upon the Ashtanga Yoga system. Many health clubs have embraced power yoga as a bridge between aerobics and yoga.

 

Bikram Yoga is another aggressive yoga style developed by Bikram Choudhury.  The practice consists of a proscribed sequence of 26 Yoga postures designed to enhance the  efficient functioning of every body system. Each posture is usually performed twice and held for a certain length of time. Bikram yoga is a sweaty practice. Each studio is heated close to 100 degrees to cleanse and detoxify the body.

 

Viniyoga is a gentle flowing, therapeutic yoga practice created by T.K.V. Desikachar of India. One of his students is Gary Kraftsow, who recently wrote a wonderful book on Viniyoga, called Yoga for Wellness. Viniyoga is a method for developing an integrated practice for each person as they grow and change through their life.  The method emphasizes flowing modified yoga postures to enhance healing, flexibility, stability of joints, create strength and feelings of well being.

 

Kripalu Yoga was developed by Amrit Desai, a disciple of Kripaluvenanda. His legacy is the Kripalu Center in Lenox, Massachusets.  The three stages of Kripalu yoga include willful practice with conscious focus on alignment and breath; will and surrender through holding of postures to the edge and beyond, deepening awareness of  the inner world of emotions and thought patterns; meditation in motion, and a complete trust in the body’s wisdom to hold the posture and release unnecessary blocks and tension while in a meditative state.

 

Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy is a blend of psychotherapeutic techniques and Kripalu Yoga created by Michael Lee. The Yoga therapist works one-on-one with a client and assists and holds the clients in postures, facilitating emotional and physical release.  It is truly a body-mind therapy.

 

Sivananda Yoga is based on the teachings of Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh, India. The main focus is on asana (yoga postures), breathing (pranayama), relaxation (savasana or corpse pose), diet (vegetarian), positive thinking (Vedanta), and meditation (dhyana). There are more than eighty centers around the world. Sivanananda Yoga consists of twelve basic yoga postures to increase strength and flexibility, chanting, breath work, and meditation.

 

 Integral Yoga was originated by Reverend Sri Swami Satchidananda in 1966. Integral yoga classes are gentle Hatha Yoga classes focusing on a proscribed sequence of postures, breathing techniques, chanting, relaxation and meditation. It is similar to Sivananda yoga.

 

 

ISHTA (Integrated Science of Hatha Tantra, and Ayurveda) is the type of yoga taught at the popular Yoga Zones in New York and California, and created by Alan Finger (and his father). ISHTA yoga classes combine Ashtanga Yoga with the precision of Iyengar yoga, breathing practices and meditation.

 

Anusara Yoga is based upon Hatha Yoga and bio-mechanical principles. It is physically grounding and focuses upon inner and outer alignment while keeping the heart open and flowing with grace through the postures. John Friend, the founder, says that  Anusara Yoga differs from other Hatha Yoga because of its three main principles: Attitude, an opening to grace with and to one’s own true nature; Alignment, each pose is done with an integrated awareness of all different parts of the body; and Action, each pose is performed with a heart centered focus  with balance between muscular stability and expansive inner freedom.

 

Kundalini is a Tantric Yoga discipline based upon the arousal of the Kundalini (serpent power) energy housed in the base of the spine. Powerful breathing techniques combined with specific Yoga postures are designed to awaken the Kundalini from the base of the spine where it will travel through the major energy centers of the subtle body, resulting in spiritual transformation and unity consciousness.

 

Yoga is a very rich and varied tradition that is alive and constantly evolving to meet the needs of individuals.  It rewards those who devote themselves to the practice with vibrant health and well being. The Yogas described above are not an exhaustive list of the many types taught in the United States today. However, it is a useful guide to the person seeking the yoga that fits their lifestyle. (Please see the “Resources” section at the end of the book for a listing of different Yoga organizations)

 

Cynthia Worby is the director of The Center for Yoga and Movement in Bedford, New York.