Yoga is a
holistic practice for all ages, with so many different variations and styles.
Some of you are new to yoga, and some of you have been practicing for years,
yet now there are more styles in yoga than you recall when you first started.
For all the newcomers who are not familiar with the wide variety of yoga, selecting
a type of yoga which best suits your personality can be an unsettling process.
Yoga may intend to as a way to relax your mind and release stress, but it is
also a great way to stretch and strengthen the muscles.
If you find
yourself hanging between different styles of yoga, read on to uncover the most
popular styles that are best for you.
8 Most
Popular Yoga Styles
- Hatha Yoga – This Yoga style is best for beginners since this yoga type has a slower pace than other yoga styles and has become one of the most popular types of yoga. The Sanskrit word “Hatha” describes all the physical yoga practices. Even though the movements are slow, but they are a great way to work out and relieve stress. This yoga includes meditation, breathing, and basic postures and also increases external awareness by developing an understanding of harmony and peace. It is a physical practice, which helps the beginners to learn asanas the correct way.
- Ashtanga Yoga – Ashtanga Yoga is a dynamic style
of yoga made of six different sequences which require intense dedication to
progress through the pages. The translation in Sanskrit is described as
“eight limbed path” that focuses on different parts of the body. The
mixture of breathing techniques and poses is designed to center the mind while
intensifying strength and flexibility. This type of yoga requires a daily
practice, which can be meticulous and physically demanding. If you are seeking
for perfection in your practice, this may be the ideal style of yoga for you.
- Kundalini Yoga – Kundalini is a very old form of
yoga which deepens your mind, body, and soul spirituality. This style is all
about releasing the kundalini energy of the lower body to move it upward by
directing energy flow. This yoga helps you to relax your mind by practicing
meditation, breathing techniques, and chanting. Kundalini yoga focuses on the
mental and spiritual activity as well on the physical one.
- Iyengar Yoga – Iyengar Yoga puts great emphasis
on the alignments and adjustments of the postures. As to enhance the practice,
the use of props is encouraged to modify the poses by making them accessible to
everyone. It is perfect for beginners as it helps them understand a pose with
proper alignment techniques while controlling the breath. This style helps in
improving the strength, flexibility, stability in the body while increasing the
awareness of the mind. This slow and steady style of yoga is popular for those
who want to know the proper alignments and adjustments to a pose, and it is
also perfect for people with injuries. This yoga can bring balance and depth to
your overall well being.
- Vinyasa Yoga – Vinyasa is the most athletic yoga
style that focuses on exhalation and inhalation with movement. While practicing
this yoga, every breathing movement links with the specific body movements to
create a flow in meditation. This yoga is suitable for both beginners and
advanced level yogis as it is fast-paced and challenging and has no particular
sequence to follow. It helps in relaxing your mind and body muscles while
improving your concentration.
- Yin Yoga – This yoga is a slow-paced
exercise that connects the tissues around the joints that allows for
therapeutic practice. It a series of a long-held poses which mainly focuses on
the lower body parts such as inner thighs, lower spine, hips, pelvis by
releasing the fascia that gets contracted due to excess stress. The yoga
targets the connective tissues rather than the muscles and bones. It is a great
popular yoga style which is also practiced as a meditative yoga, to help find
your inner peace.
- Bikram Yoga – Bikram yoga is a popular form of
style among beginners. It is usually practiced in rooms with a temperature of
105 degrees Fahrenheit and 40 percent humidity. The sequence is challenging,
beginning with the more difficult standing postures and ending with a floor
series. The poses help in building strength while improving balancing and also
increases flexibility. This yoga is for those who are free from injury and
physical limitations.
- Restorative Yoga – This Yoga involves six poses,
each held for 4-5 minutes. It is a relaxing yoga, which uses props to support
the body to hold the pose for a longer time so you can focus on your breath
while relieving the stress. Its soothing movements and slower pace are likely
to refresh your mind and body. The poses involve twisting, forward bends, and
other gentle stretches that you may find very rejuvenating. It also helps to
cleanse and purify your skull.
These above
yoga styles are worth exploring to find out what type of yoga best suits your
needs and personality. So, let’s get started with these popular yoga styles.