Types Of yoga

Ashtanga Yoga

The Primary Series is known as “Yoga Chikitsa” which means “yoga therapy”. The aim of this sequence is to remove any obvious physical issues that may prevent you from having a healthy body. For most of use, that means opening up the hips and lengthening the hamstrings! The Primary Series is very effective at doing this.

It is also said to work on an emotional and psychological level and is certainly reported to have many benefits for your mental well-being

Practice in Brief:

Dynamic – you will feel like you’ve worked hard and it’s not unusual to sweat alot!

Strength-building – many chaturangas and vinyasa, not to mention the daily repetition make it a very good way to build strength.

Challenging – most Westerners are not used to doing many of the postures from the Primary Series, so in the beginning you might think “I’ll NEVER be able to do that”. But it comes in time!

Tiring – the Primary Series takes roughly 90 minutes to complete and so it can be really tiring to build up the endurance for this level of practice. But by gradually adding on the postures one by one, you’ll be able to do this sustainably.

Meditative – once you learn even a relatively short yoga sequence off-by-heart, you can get into “the zone” when you practice. You don’t need to listen to the cues from a teacher, you just flow in a rhythm with your breath. Structured – the sequences can be adapted to individual needs, but roughly speaking everyone will practise the same set of postures everyday until they have mastered it. You won’t get to decide which poses you learn – this has already been set for you in Ashtanga Yoga!

5 sun salutation A and 3-5 sun salutation B A set of standing postures – including forward folds, twists and balances A set of seated postures – including a lot of forward folding, hip opening and twisting. And many of the signature Ashtanga “vinyasas” – jumping back and forward through a flow to keep the heart rate up and to build strength! Finishing sequence – including a deep backbend, shoulderstands and headstand

Hata Yoga

Iyengar Yoga’s attention to alignment and use of props to help students ‘into’ the poses means that it is ideal for beginners to gain optimal alignment and can be very therapeutic for people with postural issues.

improve physical and psychological health alleviate postural/structural problems release emotional tension increase focus and concentration increase your energy reconnect with your body and breath bring intelligence and clarity to all parts of the body and mind.

Iyengar Yoga focuses on three aspects: alignment, sequencing and timing. Alignment means maintaining the intended pose while respecting the body’s boundaries. Iyengar yoga encourages the use of props to assist students within an asana without putting them at risk of injury. Effective alignment can then help to achieve balance between body, mind and breath. Sequencing refers to the order that the postures are practiced to enable a safe and structured progression of the poses, along with the ‘opening’ and balance of the physical and emotional body. Timing: unlike Vinyasa Yoga, Iyengar yoga poses are held for longer periods of time. When stability has been achieved in a pose, it’s then possible to safely intensify the depth of the posture. This helps to help develop strength and flexibility, along with sensitivity and awareness between the body and mind

Vinyasa Yoga

Vinyasa or commonly known by the name ‘flow yoga’ is a style which involves stringing several postures together. It includes moving from one pose to the other, seamlessly, using breathing as the power source. The poses for each session vary with instructor and the class. No two sessions of Vinyasa yoga will ever be the same. Although Ashtanga yoga is a popularly practiced style of yoga, every session features the same postures and sequence which is why Vinyasa yoga has gained popularity over the years.

Vinyasa yoga includes moving from one pose to the next specifically through inhaling and exhaling. This fast-paced coordination of postures through breathing makes Vinyasa physically challenging.

The movements and flow from one posture to another is smooth and continuous, making a session of Vinayasa yoga indeed engaging and involving. There is no space for the mind to wander.

The order of postures is up to the yoga instructor’s discretion. This style of yoga doesn’t have any rules that need to be followed which makes it less redundant.

Strength, flexibility and balance are the key elements that are given due priority in Vinyasa yoga. This style incorporates all the elements from every school of yoga. Thus, allowing a broad spectrum of learning and knowledge of postures without having to slump into the same postures every day.

Vinyasa yoga gives a good cardio workout. The continuous sequence of Vinyasa Yoga gets the heart going, even when the pace is relatively slow. Although, there will be pauses for one to catch a breath perhaps while resting in a Downward Dog pose, the sequence then would lead right into another posture, giving a full body workout.