Yoga is a practice that originated in Indian culture, developing the spiritual, mental, and physical components of a person. The direction has gained massive popularity over the past ten years. Many stars do yoga to keep themselves in shape both externally and internally. These include Charlize Theron, Naomi Campbell, Dita Von Teese, etc. The teaching is rapidly developing, which contributes to the emergence of new styles developed based on the knowledge of a particular school. Each type of yoga has its characteristics, which we will discuss in this article.
Hatha Yoga
A classic variety that is suitable for beginners to master basic skills. Legend has it that God Shiva learned and studied the secrets of yoga, spreading them around the world to rid him of illusions.
Hatha Yoga includes:
- Asanas;
- Purification procedures;
- Breathing exercises (pranayamas);
- Diet;
- Meditation;
- Sign language (mudras).
The purpose of studying the direction is to balance physical and spiritual components. According to statistics, women who practice this style at least 1-2 times a week experience less stress and easily cope with it. You can use additional attributes in the first steps: belts, wooden bricks, and rollers.
Ashtanga Yoga
The practice includes six-day classes held every week. They are on the sequential performance of asanas, accompanied by pranayamas. Smooth transitions from one pose to another allow you to be in the stream of consciousness constantly. Each asana should occur by a concentration of attention.
All classes are in the same way. First, you must spread out the mat and start performing the movements. An instructor in the hall monitors the correctness of each student’s asanas, trying to get extraordinary accuracy from him. Also, the emphasis is on complex poses that are not so easy to perform on your own. As the teacher learns, he adds new positions. Once a week, the entire class demonstrates a series of poses under the supervision of an instructor.
This direction includes six difficulty levels, where each differs in its sequence of asanas. Everyone can master the first and second levels within two years, but the other four are subject only to the most diligent. The style of Ashtanga yoga is universal and does not adapt to everyone individually. That is, the sequence does not change.
Many are afraid of this kind due to its intensity and load. Still, the study is so particular that in the process of cognition, the body independently remembers the next movement, preparing for its transition.
Iyengar
BCS founded the style. Iyengar suffered a lot in his youth due to poor health. Over time, after classes, he created his direction, distinguished by the correct position of the body in space and the work of the vertebral divisions.
The style is unique in that it is accessible to every person: a pensioner, a schoolboy, a student, a pregnant woman, etc. Also, it is perfect for beginners since the emphasis is on working first with one pose until the ideal will allow you to get good basic skills. To make it easier, you can use additional items:
- Bars;
- Mats;
- Chairs;
- Belts;
- Rollers.
They provide reliable support. Allowing you to position the body correctly is how effective development occurs, and preparedness improves. The study of each pose takes place over a long time, slowly and smoothly. For lovers of dynamic movements, the style is unlikely to suit.
Bikram Yoga
The view includes 26 poses and two breathing exercises, which are the main feature of the direction in particular conditions. The emphasis is not on consistency and correctness of execution as on the room or ambient temperature—the classroom to 40 degrees were classes. The creator is sure that the situation should fully correspond to the one in which yoga originated.
Classes contribute to the relaxation of joints and muscle elasticity, getting rid of toxins and excretion. The warmth of the room, combined with quick and dramatic motions (the time spent in one position takes less than a minute), will allow you to eliminate excess weight quickly. At the end of the lesson, all stress and fatigue will disappear, giving freedom and lightness.
The view is not suitable for everyone, as it will be dangerous for some. You must consult a doctor in advance if you have any health problems.
Kundalini
Until the 20th century, it was a secret legacy passed on only to worthy followers. During the spread, America went through hard times when drug and alcohol addiction prevailed. Thanks to this movement, many people could return to their usual way of life.
The purpose of Kundalini yoga is to replenish the energy that should rise from the lowest part of the spine to the highest point of your body. Unique poses and breathing produce the hormone of happiness, which makes classes more enjoyable. The type of yoga will allow you to transform the inner world, overcoming yourself and exerting super-efforts. Asanas, gestures, breathing exercises, and energy locks (bandhas) prevail here.
Jivamukti Yoga
American spouses invented the style. The basis for the direction was Hatha, with the addition of dance. There is a lesson plan here, including:
- Learning poses;
- Leaning forward;
- Tilts back;
- Inverted asanas.
Each described item is given for about a week, while classes are not complete without scriptures, mantras, and meditations.
These are energetic movements that cannot be called bland. In classes, instructors pay attention to each practitioner, who has a great creative approach.
Acroyoga
A variety that differs in that it is a paired direction. It includes asanas, elements of acrobatics, and natural healing. One pair acts as a support, while the second changes movements while being right in the air—all through interaction.
Acroyoga involves not only pair classes but also exercises alone, threesomes, etc. Strength does not matter here because balance plays a leading role. It will allow your partner to hold on, making it easier for you to work. The direction brings particular pleasure when studying with a loved one (husband, child).
Yoga 23
Two digits indicate the number of included techniques in the system. The direction has gradually developed and now has absorbed effective movements taken from fitness, swimming, and freediving systems. All actions were composed considering knowledge about the human body, anatomy, consciousness, philosophy, and yoga. A competent teacher should have this knowledge to understand the work of mechanisms, paying attention to the correctness of execution and safety.
Yoga 23 includes five difficulty levels, the gradation of which is from simple to more complex.
Anti-gravity yoga
The most unusual variety is classes in a suspended state using hammocks and canvases that develop a person internally and stretch the spine, promote coordination, and improve the vestibular apparatus. Climbing into a hammock, you can immediately feel how all the load and tension disappear. There is an incomparable feeling of freedom and flight, and in combination with unusual movements, you will be able to feel vivacity.
A hammock can become your refuge, which expels all negative thoughts. If you are afraid of harming the spine due to inexperience, then the direction has asanas that do not interact with it.
Vinyasa Flow Yoga
A prerequisite for performing asanas is synchronization with the respiratory process. A person practicing the style should make smooth, but at the same time, dynamic transitions from one position to another by using ligaments (pieces of vinyl).
Unlike many other directions, there is no clear structure here. You can perform asanas in random order is a specific interest that allows you to give free rein and freedom to your body and mind, forcing them to work arbitrarily. The main thing is that all movements go continuously along with breathing.
Tension and relaxation should be combined, forcing the body to move in waves. Since the movements are continuous, the mind is aware of each asana without being distracted by the existing life problems and the surrounding fuss. Practicing Vinyasa flow yoga, you notice how the body gets stronger, concentration develops, and it becomes much easier to control yourself.
These are not all directions in yoga because today, there are many more of them:
Vini yoga – promotes the development and healing of each individual since an individual approach for the practitioner.
- Dhyana yoga is a set of meditative practices that allow you to reach a new spiritual level.
- Laughter yoga is a practice aimed at mastering pure and sincere laughter from the body, not from the mind.
- Karma yoga is cognition not for its development but for the service of Dharma (the law of Being).
- Fitness yoga is not supposed to know philosophical implications, physical movements that relax and develop the body.
This article presented a dozen of the most common and popular styles. Their detailed description and specifics will help to understand and make a choice. All these facts prove that yoga is a practice that promotes the development of your spiritual and physical components. Therefore, it is unreasonable to treat it with skepticism and distrust.
