Have you ever looked at a schedule from your yoga studio and wondered: What is all this supposed to be?
I have spent the past months in several studios trying out different classes to be able to explain the following most popular ones to you, what they are and hopefully helping find you out which one is the most suitable for you.
1. HATHA YOGA
This is definitely one of the most popular styles of yoga. It most often starts with a short meditation and/or breathing exercise and then different postures are practiced in a gentle and slow way, holding each of them for a little while before moving to the next. The purpose of Hatha Yoga is to prepare the body for stillness and meditation. It is supposed to clear the mind and the body through movement and breath, and it is very good for building strength and improving flexibility. In general, this is not the most exhausting type of yoga from a physical perspective, but the longer holds of poses can still definitely give you a little sweat! If you are new to yoga, Hatha is a great place to start.
2. JIVAMUTKI YOGA
Jivamukti Yoga was founded in the early 80s in New York by Sharon Gannon and David Life and is today one of the most popular yoga styles worldwide. Jivamutki appeals to yoga practitioners of all levels (including yoga beginners). It is taught as a flowing Vinyasa sequence and always includes the so-called "14 points", a series of key asanas, meditation and spiritual teachings. Versatile, inspiring music from different styles carries you through the lesson. The class is also supported by the chanting of mantra or kirtan. The students get guided through a well-dosed mixture of powerful movement, stretching, relaxation and mindfulness. It helps body and mind to reach exactly the fine looseness.
3. VINYASA YOGA
This one is my personal favorite, it is sometimes also called Flow Yoga or Vinyasa Flow and is derived from nyasa, meaning "to place" and vi, meaning "in a special way". Therefore, Vinyasa Yoga suggests “to place with purpose“. Just as the name says it is all very „flowy“ and not as static as Hatha Yoga. It is less definable than other approaches because it embodies the continous, dynamic, conscious evolution of the practice. It is focused on linking your breath to your movement, which makes it kind of like a moving meditation. Connecting your breath to your movement is amongst others what contributes so strongly to the relaxing effect of practicing yoga. Therefore, Vinyasa Flow is also very energetic and can definitely be physically exhausting, because it can get quite fast and high-paced. In Genereal I would say it is a much more modern approach to traditional yoga. It is definitely also the most athletic kind of yoga, and therefore especially suited for people who like it physically challenging and fast-paced with a focus on strength.
4. BIKRAM YOGA
A very famous style of yoga that is also practiced in the heat is Bikram yoga.However, it is not the same as Hot Yoga. In traditional Bikram classes, you are most often not allowed to drink anything during class, which in my opinion can become quite dangerous, because it is just so hot and you might get very dizzy. Bikram Yoga is a set sequence of 26 postures that are practiced always in that same order, repeating each one twice. I also have to say, personally, I’m not a fan of Bikram Yoga at all, which is mainly due to its founder who is called Bikram. There is a Netflix documentary about him where it gets clear that he is not living the yogic mentality at all. He made millions by inventing that form of yoga, living quite an excessive lifestyle. But there are still a lot of people who love Bikram yoga, so if you are into heat and into a very strict approach of practicing, and especially practicing the exact same thing over and over, then you should definitely give it a try.
5. ASHTANGA YOGA
Similar to Bikram is Ashtanga Yoga, because it is also a set sequence of postures, however, it is not practiced in a hot room, and the poses and sequences are different. The class has usually 3 phases, 1. the standing sequence, 2. the unique sequence of each of the six series and 3. the finishing sequence.
It is physically kind of demanding, including a lot of advanced postures like headstand and deep stretches, as well as a looot of Chaturangas (low planks). It has a very strict and traditional approach and is practiced a lot in India where people come together, and everyone just practices it at their own pace.
Though, if you are genereally more an A-type personality and you love routines and strict approaches, Ashtanga is made for you!
6. RESTORATIVE YOGA
Very different to Ashtanga is Restorative Yoga, also called Yin Yoga. It is a broad term used for veeery slow paced, more relaxing classes with a therapeutic, spiritual or emotional element. Poses can be held up for up to 10 minutes (usually from about 4 to 8 minutes). A lot of props are being might be used, e.g. blocks, blankets or bolsters, to make all the postures as comfortable and endurable as possible as they are being held for such a long time. Restorative yoga aim is to "restore" mental and physical balance. It is very much about getting deeply and fully into the poses and releasing any tension by turning inwards. It focuses on accessing the deeper tissues such as the connective tissue and fascia. Thus, it has a strong meditative approach and triggers a deep relaxation. Therefore, it is often used in programs that deal with mental disorders, pregnancy, anxiety, and deep pain or trauma. But not only if you are suffering stress, anxiety or pain, this yoga style fits to you, also if you are working out a lot in general or/ and want to creating more flexibiliy and mobility through your whole body, restorative yoga should be part of your yoga practice.
7. KUNDALINI YOGA
Definitely one of the most spiritual types of yoga is Kundalini Yoga. I’ve been to one class and I actually really liked it. It suprised me and I didn't really know what to expect from that class. And yes - it is a little bit crazy 😅. Its purpose is to awaken the kundalini energy that is in every individual of us sitting in the base of the spine. This awakening is done by a lot of breathing and chanting and moving every cell of your body. That's also exactly what we did in that class: We all had our eyes closed and started slowly to move around by sitting and closing our eyes. The movements got bigger and we moved into dancing and shaking our body. You were concentrated on yourself and what movements your body and mind needed right now in that moment. The teacher turned up the music super loud and we were all throwing our arms around. In the end we ended up with opening the eyes slowly and some were also grabbing each other and dancing together. The class was really was super nice somehow and it was just a very unique experience. I would always do it again once in a while. It gives so much happiness and fulfilness!
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