Yoga is a workout method that is believed to have started in India thousands of years ago with a primary focus on breath control and meditation. After a while, it became an important physical practice as well, and evolved over the years with new approaches, adding variety and excitement to the workout.
Today, there are many styles of yoga out there, from the ones that are extremely demanding to others that are more relaxing and meditative. Each of these styles require dedicated practice and can challenge you to go out of your comfort zone, but they all have multiple benefits for your health, improving your strength, balance and flexibility and increasing mindfulness while helping you loosen up.
However, if you’re a beginner you might feel confused and lost among all these different types and not know what yoga style might work best for you. The important thing is to know what you’re hoping to get out of your yoga practice and from here we’ll help you choose a style that suits your preferences and needs.
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So, are you looking to improve your health, to release stress or relieve pain?
Do you want to stretch, meditate or sweat? Or you hope to connect your mind, body and soul, generating balance among them?
Read on to explore these popular 8 styles of yoga together with their benefits, and discover the one that might work the best for you!
Hatha Yoga
Hatha Yoga is perfect for beginners and it refers to different types of yoga that are grounded in a preponderant physical practice. They have a slower pace than other styles of yoga and a classic approach to exercises and breathing. As a matter of fact, “hatha” in Sanskrit is a general term for all physical postures of yoga.
Yin yoga
Another slow-paced style of yoga with seated postures (that are held from 45 seconds to two minutes) but meditative as well, Yin is great for those who are looking for a good stretch or who need to relax and find their inner peace. Since most of the classes are easy and relaxed, Yin Yoga is a great class for beginners and has a lot of mental and spiritual benefits.
Restorative yoga
A classic style of yoga, restorative yoga focuses on body relaxation and helps you unwind and cleanse your mind. Most of the poses you’ll practice require several props such as blankets, eye pillows, straps and bolsters that will help you bring your body into a state of total relaxation, releasing tension gently. If you want to sink deep into a handful of relaxing poses, after a stressful week, then restorative yoga might be right for you.
Vinyasa yoga
One of the most popular yoga styles at most of gyms, Vinyasa usually targets the stiffness in your body, aiming to help you increase your flexibility and strength. In a Vinyasa yoga class, expect to learn how to move fluidly, using your breath to connect each posture with the next, just like in a dance. So, if you feel that your body is tight and stiff after all those hours of sitting at the office, Vinyasa yoga can help you enjoy deep stretches, sensual movements in a flowing sequence on music that will restore your mobility.
Iyengar yoga
Named after a famous yogi in India, Iyengar yoga focuses on alignment and breath control. Usually, the instructor will challenge you to achieve the perfect postures and sometimes will give you some props to help you get deeper into those poses and to bring your body into the correct alignment. This style of yoga has a slower pace and is usually taught without music. So, if you really want to have a perfect skeletal alignment, you might enjoy this class.
Bikram or hot yoga
Bikram yoga consists in twenty-six yoga postures and several breathing exercises. The class usually lasts 90 minutes and it warms the body quickly because the room temperature is set at 105° F with 40% humidity. This way, the body is be able to deepen its postures, being less rigid and achieving easier proper posture and alignment.
Kundalini yoga
A more spiritual type of yoga, kundalini style is about releasing the “kundalini energy” that is trapped in your body. The classes are intense and can really work your core, invigorating your posture in the same time through physical and breathing exercises, meditation, chanting and mantra. So, if you look for something more spiritual but with physical aspects as well, kundalini yoga might work for you.
Prenatal yoga
Perfect for expectant moms, prenatal yoga can help you learn valuable breathing exercises, preparing you for labor and delivery. The instructor will teach you all the poses that are safe during pregnancy, with a focus on the pelvic floor work and show you how to bond with the growing baby inside you.
Even if you might consider one of these styles better for your physical and mental health, all of the above yoga types can do wonder for your overall well-being.
They will help you:
- Sleep better
Just like any other physical activity, yoga can and will improve your sleeping patterns. There are certain poses and meditation practices that you can try before going to bed that will help you relax your body and mind.
- Get stronger
Some of the poses can have a profound effect on your general body strength, increasing muscular endurance and maximising your gym performance with minimum pain and no injuries.
- Lose weight
If your goal is to lose weight, yoga can help you improve your metabolism and shed some extra pounds while toning your muscles. Yoga is effective in fighting against abdominal fat as well.
- Decrease stress levels
The breathing techniques you’re learning in your yoga classes can help you cope better with stress. By focusing on every breath, you can clear your mind and calm those nerves.
- Reduce injury
Yoga classes can help you increase your mobility but also eliminate those aches that settle in your body after you run, swim or perform those repetitive movements at the gym.
- Balance the body
Aside the fact that you become more flexible after all those stretches you’ve learned in your yoga class, some of the poses can help you improve your balance by focusing your attention on alignment and coordination.
- Improve posture
By increasing your core strength, your balance and your alignment, you can learn to correct bad posture in your yoga classes.
- Boost your immune system
It is well known that stress can harm your immunity and increase inflammation in your body. Through exercises, relaxation techniques and meditation, yoga can reduce those stress hormones, fighting against inflammation and improving all of your bodily functions.
