Which Yoga style to choose?
What are the different styles of Yoga you see on Yoga studio schedules about?
There are a lot of labels in the Yoga world and not all of them are quite so straightforward.
Let’s look at some of them to understand how they came to be and what they represent.
What You See on Yoga Studio Schedules:
All Yoga styles consist of Yoga poses. What differs are the length of the time the poses are held for and how the poses are put together: this is, generally put, what makes a Yoga ‘style’.
Hatha versus Vinyasa
The labels many Yoga classes carry - Hatha and Vinyasa - can be confusing. While in a ‘Vinyasa’ class you generally flow through poses mostly on inhales and exhales, and in a ‘Hatha’ class you often hold a pose for 5 or more breaths, this is just a very general description and both terms also have, quite confusingly, other meanings, such as ‘vinyasa’ translating as sequence of poses, no matter how long they are held.
In both Hatha and Vinyasa classes, you will most likely find the elements of the other. For example, a Hatha class might have a Vinyasa-style warm up and a Vinyasa class might have Hatha style held poses.
To add to the confusion, different teachers interpret these labels differently, so you won’t really know until you’re in the class what the teacher’s rhythm is.
‘Named’ versus ‘Unnamed’ Yoga Styles
All Yoga classes fall somewhere within the above mentioned Hatha-Vinyasa range, but let’s leave that aside for now and look at another way Yoga styles can be categorized.
Let’s call them ‘Named’ and ‘Unnamed’ Yoga styles for ease, where named is where a Yoga style was given a name by a famous teacher and where unnamed represents all the other Yoga styles.
‘Unnamed’ Yoga Styles
In the ‘Unnamed’ realm, the Yoga class might simply be labeled as ‘Hatha’ or ‘Vinyasa’, and each teacher adds their own unique background and training to it. It could be said that each teacher therefore creates their own unique ‘style’ of Yoga. How they sequence their classes depends on whether they prefer to follow the more traditional training and schools of Yoga they’ve been through, or the more ‘modern’ principles, such as vinyasa sequencing, etc.
‘Named’ Yoga Styles
The ‘Named’ Yoga classes (which can also be Hatha or Vinyasa) on the other hand, are given their name by the Yoga teacher who created and patented a particular Yoga sequence and thus launched a Yoga ‘style’.
These styles sometimes carry the names of their founders - such as Bikram Yoga, named after Bikram Choudhury, while other founders select a name for their style- for example, Patthabi Joys named his style ‘Ashtanga’ Yoga.
Are the ‘named’ Yoga styles ‘traditional’?
Answering this question requires a dive into the history of Yoga and even then, opinions vary teacher to teacher.
In brief, most of the ’Named’ Yoga styles were founded by the students of the Indian Yoga teacher Krishnamacharya who died in 1989, therefore, though his students who went on to found these styles say they draw from traditional heritage, they are really generally only a couple of decades old, such as styles 1, 2 and 3 below.
7 Common Yoga Styles
1. Ashtanga, Rocket and Power Yoga
Patthabi Joys adopted the name Ashtanga in 1948 (- not to be confused with Patanjali’s Eight Limbs of Yoga from 2-5th centuries bce-) to represent his patented Yoga sequence. It is a rigorous practice, done 6 times a week, with a set sequence of Yoga poses.
It was originally intended for students to practice only a handful of poses and progress to the next ones in their own time, but what you get in an Ashtanga Yoga class is most of the set practice as outlined by Joys.
You will also see ‘Mysore’ on Yoga schedules - this is where Ashtanga students come and practice the sequence by themselves while the teacher circulates between them and offers help.
One of the fundamentals of Ashtanga is that poses should not be adapted to the body, rather that the body should be pushed until it fits the pose. It is therefore wise to consider the strain that creates on the body before attempting this style of practice.
The students of the founder of Ashtanga went on to launch Power Yoga and Rocket Yoga.
2. Iyengar Yoga
Iyengar Yoga, named after B.K.S Iyengar (1918-2014), is in some ways the opposite of Ashtanga - with the use of Yoga props, the teacher helps the student find the ideal pose for their body and to avoid strain and injury.
Unlike in Ashtanga, Iyengar teachers (ideally) put together different sequences for different needs.
3. Bikram ‘Hot Yoga’
Bikram Yoga, named after Bikram Choudhury (1944), is a set of 26 poses practiced in a heated Yoga room.
Before embarking on a hot Yoga class adventure, it is wise to familiarize oneself with what happens to the body when exercising in hot conditions and also to look at the sequence through the lens of safe Yoga pose sequencing.
4. Kundalini Yoga
Kundalini Yoga works with the energetic and subtle body via physical movement, chanting, singing and breathing.
Rather than flowing through poses or long sequences, there is a usually a sequence of elements which in Kundalini Yoga are called Kriyas.
5. Restorative and Yin Yoga
Restorative and Yin Yoga styles offer slow paced, relaxing and releasing practices.
Students with hypermobile bodies might want to approach Yin Yoga with increased body awareness.
6. Specialized Yoga
You can find a Yoga style for any season of life - pre and post natal, as well as children’s, senior and many other Yoga specializations.
7. Yoga Therapy
While all Yoga is therapeutic, Yoga Therapy is a branch of Yoga taught by teachers trained in Yoga Therapy specifically.
It can help you address particular issues of the body and the mind.
So, how to choose a Yoga style?
This brief and non-exhaustive overview of Yoga styles does not cover many important and interesting aspects of each style.
A little more research into what you are interested in will better prepare you for trying a new Yoga style and for practicing it safely.
Whichever Yoga style you practice or want to try, it is always a good idea to have at least a basic awareness of correct alignment of poses for your own body - even the best Yoga teacher cannot see what’s going on underneath.
So listen to your body, explore and don’t hesitate to ask questions. You will be rewarded for your exploration by getting a lead on the practice that is right for you and your goals.
Still got questions?
Ask in our next webinar!
As well as answering your questions, we discuss :
✓ Finding the right Yoga practice
✓ Making Yoga practice regular
✓ How to learn and advance