10 Different Types of Yoga: A Guide to Find the Right Style

Are you looking to join a yoga class? As our lifestyle is changing rapidly these days, it has become more important to keep an intact balance between our professional and personal life. Prolonged yoga practice can help you to become excellent at your work and handle life problems in a better way. You may find joy in what you do and gain control over your habits like overthinking, stressed eating, insomnia, etc. In short, yoga is a single-handed solution for every problem since the rise of the problem is inside your body not outside. In this situation, it becomes more important to choose the correct yoga practice under proper guidance. Our blog on types of yoga will enhance your spiritually empowering journey in yoga practices.

1. Kundalini yoga

Kundalini yoga is one of the most prominent types of yoga as it helps to reduce anxiety levels and imbibe spiritual energy within us. While practicing this yoga, you start gaining awareness about yourself so that you can focus on reducing your stress level. There is a term known as “Kundalini Awareness” which means spiritual enlightenment. It sheds light on the increasing energy level within us.

Things to expect in Kundalini  Yoga:

1. Chanting
2. Breathing exercises
3. Sequences of postures
4. Mudras and meditations

2. Hatha Yoga

If you are looking to improve your postures, then Hatha Yoga is one of the best types of yoga. It is the basic foundation of other types of yoga for example Iyengar, ashtanga, or Bikram as Hatha Yoga involves asana (poses), pranayama (breathing exercises), and meditation. If you are a beginner in practicing yoga then you can start your journey from it and stay fit by performing it daily.

Things to expect in Hatha Yoga:

1. Centering or meditation exercise
2. Series of twisting movements, bending, or folding
3. Breathing work or meditation
4. Sun salutations

3. Ashtanga Yoga

Ashtanga means ‘Eight Limbs Path’ as it focuses on purifying your mind and body from every aspect. It is a challenging exercise as you have to be quick in your moves while performing Ashtanga Yoga. With consistent efforts, you can be more accurate and precise in it and also gain confidence in controlling your breathing framework Ashtanga starts with sun salutations and then continues into standing and floor postures.

Things to expect in Ashtanga Yoga:

1. Repetitive postures
2. Dynamic Vinyasa Flow
3. Sweating
4. Faster Pace

4. Yin Yoga

Yin Yoga is a slower type of yoga in which you have to hold the position for around five minutes and focus on the breath. It can be a meditative yoga practice as it helps to gain control over emotions and find inner peace. This slow-paced yoga practice is helpful if you are looking to drain out the toxic energy outside and remove blockages in the cells of the body.

Things to expect in Yin Yoga:

1. Hold postures for long durations
2. Focus on holding poses and turning inward to accomplish stillness in breathing and in the mind
3. Focused/deep breathing

5. Bikram Yoga

Bikram Yoga is also synonymous with ‘hot yoga’, however, hot yoga can be any type of yoga that can be performed in a hot room. Performing yoga in a hot environment can boost the detoxification process and improve blood circulation. In 90 minutes of Bikram Yoga class, it involves 26 styles. Such an intense set of practices can make students sweat more in a lesser amount of time. 

Things to expect in Bikram Yoga:

1. Repetitive poses
2. Advanced – possible inversions
3. Difficult breathing exercises
4. Enhances metabolism

6. Power Yoga

Power Yoga is one of the most preferable types of yoga for youths as you can perform a full body workout along with less spiritual content in it. It won’t disappoint you if you are looking for a heart-pumping exercise and get sweaty in less time. This kind of yoga starts by moving your body in a cardio format as its core objective is to make sure that the health of your heart is better than before.

Things to expect in Power Yoga:

1. Designed for athletes – lots of movement
2. Modified Ashtanga Yoga practice
3. High-level of energy
4. Heated rooms

7. Karma Yoga

Karma is a Sanskrit word, which means ‘action or doing’ in English. It could be an excellent form of yoga to excel in spirituality and become more content in your actions. Practising Karma Yoga relieves the stress in the body by alleviating your mind and leading a more fulfilled life ahead in the future. Eventually, you start building a deeper connection with yourself due to Karma Yoga.

Things to expect from Karma Yoga:

1. Positive thinking by building an optimistic mindset
2. Learning how to increase acceptance of the situation
3. Embrace discipline in life
4. Control over overthinking

8. Aerial Yoga

Yoga, which is a beautiful combination of aerobics and gymnastics, is popular by the name Aerial Yoga. To carry out various components involved in it, students have to use yoga swings that can help to achieve perfect yoga postures. It is observed that many of its postures are inspired by dance steps and pilates exercises. However, such poses are challenging on a yoga mat so Aerial yoga is not suggested for beginners.

Things to expect in Aerial Yoga:

1. Inverted yoga poses and asanas
2. Non-traditional yoga practices
3. Improving flexibility of the body
4. Improve postures and increase core strength

9. Iyengar Yoga

Iyengar Yoga focuses on body alignment, postures, and opening of the body. Moreover, it helps to cure musculoskeletal disorders, back pains, and neck pains more effectively. Iyengar Yoga improves strength, mobility, and stability in an appropriate manner that can prevent you from facing spinal disorders. The study shows its postures have cured gynecological and gastroenterological diseases.

Things to expect in Iyengar Yoga:

1. Toned muscles and a calmer mind
2. Strengthen muscles and improve heartbeats
3. Pain relief

 10. Vinyasa Yoga

You can address Vinyasa Yoga as ‘Flow Yoga’, in which Vi means variation and Nyasa means within prescribed limits. It incorporates movement and breathing technique frameworks for the betterment of body postures. Vinyasa Yoga is the most athletic yoga style that involves plank pose, downward facing dog pose, etc.

Things to expect from Vinyasa Yoga:

1. Sun salutations
2. Steady flow with synchronized breathing
3. High-intensity exercises
4. Moving meditation

Each type of yoga involves a variety of experiences and unique benefits that can help not just in curing physical disabilities but also in strengthening muscles. Yoga enables you to make sure that you listen to your body very carefully and understand how it functions daily. Prolonged yoga practices empower you to grab control over your thoughts and extreme emotions. We hope you enjoyed reading our blog regarding types of yoga that helped you to find which of them could be beneficial for you.

Trupti Munde

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