Yoga is an ancient art of exercise that is good for the mind, body and soul.
For people of all fitness levels, yoga creates strength, awareness and harmony both physically and mentally. The advantages of yoga are hard to ignore. Yoga results in an overall sense of well-being; however, research has found that there are specific benefits that come from practicing this exercise regularly.
Physically, yoga can lessen chronic pain, lower blood pressure and reduce insomnia. Additionally, those who practice yoga lose weight, are more flexible, have better balance, improve their muscle strength and tone and experience increased energy.
Along with the physical benefits, there are multiple mental benefits, as well.
Yoga has been proven to help in stress reduction — a benefit that has positive effects on a person’s mind and body. Stress, of course, can be hard on a person’s mental well-being, which in turn, can be manifested in physical symptoms, such as neck and back pain, headaches and lack of focus. Practicing yoga can alleviate these stress symptoms by helping people to develop coping skills and to have a more positive outlook on life. Yoga incorporates meditation and breathing can create calmness and clarity, and allows a person to reduce destructive stress patterns, in addition to relaxing the mind, centering attention and sharpening concentration.
There are many different kinds of yoga exercises, which makes it possible for anyone to start yoga at any stage of life. From couch potatoes to casual fitness buffs to professional athletes and all points in between, all people of all sizes and fitness levels can practice yoga, since there are modifications for every yoga pose and beginner classes for every style. Those who practice yoga regularly are typically not in search of a perfect body or to achieve a perfect pose; instead, they are using this art to explore their limits and to get in tune with their bodies and inner selves.
There are more than 100 different types or schools of yoga. But no matter the type, there are common elements to each style. The core components of yoga include breathing exercises, meditation and assuming postures (known as “asanas”) that stretch and flex various muscle groups.
While these essential characteristics exist to varying degrees in all types of yoga, it can be difficult for different individuals to choose the right style to best meet their needs. The experience of one style of the exercise can be dramatically different from another, so it is important for people new to the world of yoga to have a general understanding of the different styles.
Some of the more popular forms of yoga are:
■ Hatha
This is a general category that includes most yoga styles. A more classic form, it includes the practice of postures and breathing exercises to help bring peace to the mind and body. The purpose of this style is to prepare the body for deeper spiritual practices, such as meditation.
Since Hatha encompasses many yoga styles, it is difficult to specifically describe what these yoga sessions look like. Generally speaking, Hatha is relatively gentle, slow and great for beginners or students who prefer a more relaxed style where they hold poses longer, however it can vary a lot from class to class.
■ Vinyasa
Vinyasa, like hatha, is a general term that describes many different styles of yoga. Vinyasa essentially means movement synchronized with breathing, but is a more vigorous style based on a rapid flow through sun salutations.
Vinyasa yoga can also be referred to as a “flow” class, which means a continuous flow from one posture to the next.
■ Ashtanga
Students of this yoga style are led nonstop through one or more of the ashtanga series, while being encouraged to breathed as they move from pose to pose. Each series is a set sequence of postures or poses, always in the same order.
This style is typically fast paced, vigorous and physically challenging. There are six series of poses in total, increasing in difficulty as it progresses. Many students of Ashtanga can opt for the Mysore-style classes, allowing students to work at their own pace, and can be assessed by an instructor before moving on to the next series.
■ Power yoga
Power yoga is used to describe a vigorous, vinyasa-style yoga. It is different from Ashtanga, as it does not include a series of poses, but allows the instructor the freedom to teach a variety of poses in no set order. Power yoga’s popularity has spread around the world and is now taught in most studios. However, power yoga can vary from class to class.
■ Bikram
Consistency is the cornerstone of Bikram yoga. No matter where a student goes to attend a bikram class, it will basically be the same from studio to studio.
Bikram consists of the same 26 postures and two breathing techniques, in the same order for 90 minutes. Bikram yoga is always held in a room heated to 105 degrees Fahrenheit, with a humidity of 40 percent, and is also referred to as hot yoga.
In addition to the hot room, the class challenges students both physically and mentally and is meant to flush toxins, manage weight and allows students to move more deeply into poses.
■ Jivamukti
This style of yoga resembles ashtanga in the vinyasa-style flow through poses. Each class begins with a standardized warm-up sequence unique to jivamukti and often teachers will incorporate weekly themes, chanting, meditation, readings and affirmations.
■ Iyengar
Ivengar’s yoga style is characterized by an intense focus on the subtleties of each pose. In this style of yoga, poses are held much longer than in other styles in an effort to pay closer attention to the precise alignment of the body. This style also uses props, such as blocks, belts, bolsters, chairs and blankets, to assist students in mastering the correct posture.
■ Anusara
This is a newer form of hatha yoga that teaches a set of Universal Principles of Alignment that underlie all yoga postures, while encouraging flowing with grace.
The practice of anusara has three general categories, known as the “Three A’s”: attitude, alignment and action.
■ Sivananda
Another form of hatha yoga, this style typically includes a relaxation pose at the beginning, followed by kapalabhati and anuloma viloma (breathing exercises), followed by a few rounds of surya namaskara and then moves through sivananda’s 12 postures, which together are designed to increase strength and flexibility of the spine. Chanting and meditation can also be a part of this style.
This system can be boiled down to five main principles: proper exercise, proper breathing, proper relaxation, proper diet (vegetarian) and positive thinking/meditation.
■ Viniyoga
This is an approach to yoga that adapts the various means and methods of practice to the unique condition, needs and interests of the individual. The goal is to give the practitioner the tools to individualize and actualize the process of self-discovery and personal transformation.
■ Kundalini
This style incorporates repeated movements or exercises, dynamic breathing techniques, chanting, meditation and mantras. Each specific exercise is a movement that is often repeated and is synchronized with the breath. The practice is designed to awaken the energy at the base of the spine in order to draw it upward through each of the seven chakras.
This form of yoga looks and feels quite different than any other, due to its focus on repetitive, enhanced breathing and the movement of energy through the body.
■ Yin
Yin yoga is a slow-paced style of yoga in which poses are held for five minutes or longer. Even though it is passive, it can be quite challenging due to the long holds. The purpose is to apply moderate stress to the connective tissue — the tendons, fascia and ligaments — with the aim of increasing circulation in the joints and improving flexibility.
■ Integrative yoga therapy
This brings all of the core elements of yoga into a complete package where they can be utilized for therapy. IYT was an attempt to create a training program with the focus on yoga as a healing art, and has designed programs specifically for medical and mainstream wellness settings, including hospital and rehabilitation centers.
■ Restorative yoga
Restorative yoga is a gentle, relaxing, passive form of yoga that allows students to relax and release the body into a gentle stretch that is held for as long as 10 minutes. This style makes use of a wide range of props, including bolsters, blocks, straps and blankets. The intention is to provide support within each pose, making it easier to completely let go.
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Yoga is an ancient art of exercise that is good for the mind, body and soul.
For people of all fitness levels, yoga creates strength, awareness and harmony both physically and mentally. The advantages of yoga are hard to ignore. Yoga results in an overall sense of well-being; however, research has found that there are specific benefits that come from practicing this exercise regularly.
Physically, yoga can lessen chronic pain, lower blood pressure and reduce insomnia. Additionally, those who practice yoga lose weight, are more flexible, have better balance, improve their muscle strength and tone and experience increased energy.
Along with the physical benefits, there are multiple mental benefits, as well.
Yoga has been proven to help in stress reduction — a benefit that has positive effects on a person’s mind and body. Stress, of course, can be hard on a person’s mental well-being, which in turn, can be manifested in physical symptoms, such as neck and back pain, headaches and lack of focus. Practicing yoga can alleviate these stress symptoms by helping people to develop coping skills and to have a more positive outlook on life. Yoga incorporates meditation and breathing can create calmness and clarity, and allows a person to reduce destructive stress patterns, in addition to relaxing the mind, centering attention and sharpening concentration.
There are many different kinds of yoga exercises, which makes it possible for anyone to start yoga at any stage of life. From couch potatoes to casual fitness buffs to professional athletes and all points in between, all people of all sizes and fitness levels can practice yoga, since there are modifications for every yoga pose and beginner classes for every style. Those who practice yoga regularly are typically not in search of a perfect body or to achieve a perfect pose; instead, they are using this art to explore their limits and to get in tune with their bodies and inner selves.
There are more than 100 different types or schools of yoga. But no matter the type, there are common elements to each style. The core components of yoga include breathing exercises, meditation and assuming postures (known as “asanas”) that stretch and flex various muscle groups.
While these essential characteristics exist to varying degrees in all types of yoga, it can be difficult for different individuals to choose the right style to best meet their needs. The experience of one style of the exercise can be dramatically different from another, so it is important for people new to the world of yoga to have a general understanding of the different styles.
Some of the more popular forms of yoga are:
■ Hatha
This is a general category that includes most yoga styles. A more classic form, it includes the practice of postures and breathing exercises to help bring peace to the mind and body. The purpose of this style is to prepare the body for deeper spiritual practices, such as meditation.
Since Hatha encompasses many yoga styles, it is difficult to specifically describe what these yoga sessions look like. Generally speaking, Hatha is relatively gentle, slow and great for beginners or students who prefer a more relaxed style where they hold poses longer, however it can vary a lot from class to class.
■ Vinyasa
Vinyasa, like hatha, is a general term that describes many different styles of yoga. Vinyasa essentially means movement synchronized with breathing, but is a more vigorous style based on a rapid flow through sun salutations.
Vinyasa yoga can also be referred to as a “flow” class, which means a continuous flow from one posture to the next.
■ Ashtanga
Students of this yoga style are led nonstop through one or more of the ashtanga series, while being encouraged to breathed as they move from pose to pose. Each series is a set sequence of postures or poses, always in the same order.
This style is typically fast paced, vigorous and physically challenging. There are six series of poses in total, increasing in difficulty as it progresses. Many students of Ashtanga can opt for the Mysore-style classes, allowing students to work at their own pace, and can be assessed by an instructor before moving on to the next series.
■ Power yoga
Power yoga is used to describe a vigorous, vinyasa-style yoga. It is different from Ashtanga, as it does not include a series of poses, but allows the instructor the freedom to teach a variety of poses in no set order. Power yoga’s popularity has spread around the world and is now taught in most studios. However, power yoga can vary from class to class.
■ Bikram
Consistency is the cornerstone of Bikram yoga. No matter where a student goes to attend a bikram class, it will basically be the same from studio to studio.
Bikram consists of the same 26 postures and two breathing techniques, in the same order for 90 minutes. Bikram yoga is always held in a room heated to 105 degrees Fahrenheit, with a humidity of 40 percent, and is also referred to as hot yoga.
In addition to the hot room, the class challenges students both physically and mentally and is meant to flush toxins, manage weight and allows students to move more deeply into poses.
■ Jivamukti
This style of yoga resembles ashtanga in the vinyasa-style flow through poses. Each class begins with a standardized warm-up sequence unique to jivamukti and often teachers will incorporate weekly themes, chanting, meditation, readings and affirmations.
■ Iyengar
Ivengar’s yoga style is characterized by an intense focus on the subtleties of each pose. In this style of yoga, poses are held much longer than in other styles in an effort to pay closer attention to the precise alignment of the body. This style also uses props, such as blocks, belts, bolsters, chairs and blankets, to assist students in mastering the correct posture.
■ Anusara
This is a newer form of hatha yoga that teaches a set of Universal Principles of Alignment that underlie all yoga postures, while encouraging flowing with grace.
The practice of anusara has three general categories, known as the “Three A’s”: attitude, alignment and action.
■ Sivananda
Another form of hatha yoga, this style typically includes a relaxation pose at the beginning, followed by kapalabhati and anuloma viloma (breathing exercises), followed by a few rounds of surya namaskara and then moves through sivananda’s 12 postures, which together are designed to increase strength and flexibility of the spine. Chanting and meditation can also be a part of this style.
This system can be boiled down to five main principles: proper exercise, proper breathing, proper relaxation, proper diet (vegetarian) and positive thinking/meditation.
■ Viniyoga
This is an approach to yoga that adapts the various means and methods of practice to the unique condition, needs and interests of the individual. The goal is to give the practitioner the tools to individualize and actualize the process of self-discovery and personal transformation.
■ Kundalini
This style incorporates repeated movements or exercises, dynamic breathing techniques, chanting, meditation and mantras. Each specific exercise is a movement that is often repeated and is synchronized with the breath. The practice is designed to awaken the energy at the base of the spine in order to draw it upward through each of the seven chakras.
This form of yoga looks and feels quite different than any other, due to its focus on repetitive, enhanced breathing and the movement of energy through the body.
■ Yin
Yin yoga is a slow-paced style of yoga in which poses are held for five minutes or longer. Even though it is passive, it can be quite challenging due to the long holds. The purpose is to apply moderate stress to the connective tissue — the tendons, fascia and ligaments — with the aim of increasing circulation in the joints and improving flexibility.
■ Integrative yoga therapy
This brings all of the core elements of yoga into a complete package where they can be utilized for therapy. IYT was an attempt to create a training program with the focus on yoga as a healing art, and has designed programs specifically for medical and mainstream wellness settings, including hospital and rehabilitation centers.
■ Restorative yoga
Restorative yoga is a gentle, relaxing, passive form of yoga that allows students to relax and release the body into a gentle stretch that is held for as long as 10 minutes. This style makes use of a wide range of props, including bolsters, blocks, straps and blankets. The intention is to provide support within each pose, making it easier to completely let go.
