Vinyasa yoga flows quickly, but it is less structured. There are no required poses in a Vinyasa class, so the content will vary based on the teacher you have.
Iyengar Yoga Developed by B.K.S. Iyengar, this style of yoga is heavily focused on proper alignment and uses lots of props to achieve the best expression of the poses. It is an excellent way to perfect and build your basic foundation of good yoga habits. It is also beneficial for the seasoned yogi to deepen their practice and to analyze even their basic core poses.
Hot Yoga Hot yoga is performed in a room heated between 95 to 105 degrees Fahrenheit. It is said that practicing yoga in high heat is good to loosen tight muscles and to detoxify the body through sweating. This is not a good choice for pregnant women or anyone with blood pressure or heat sensitivities.
Restorative Yoga Also known as yin yoga, restorative classes use bolsters, blankets, and blocks to prop students into passive poses so the body can experience the benefits of a pose without having to exert any effort. It is also called Taoist yoga, and focuses on lengthening the connective tissues within the body by letting gravity do the work.
Kundalini Yoga Kundalini incorporates repeated movements, dynamic breathing techniques, chanting, and meditation. 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. Other paths of yogic practice that cultivate the mind but don’t necessarily include yoga postures are:
Karma Yoga
Mantra Yoga
Karma yoga is the yoga of action and service. It is the act of giving your time, your kindness, or any selfless action without expectations of reciprocation, personal gain, confirmation, or approval. This yoga helps us humble our ego and revolves around doing things for the greater good of our communities.
Mantra yoga involves chanting a word or phrase with concentration until our awareness of the outer world and its stimuli dissolves, allowing us to experience a feeling of union and harmony with our higher consciousness. Think of Buddhist monks chanting together for hours on end.
Jnana Yoga
Tantra Yoga
Jnana Yoga is the yoga of knowledge and wisdom. Buddhism reminds us to have a beginner’s mind; to know that we don’t know. Humility opens the door to learning and revelation. This is the yoga of self-inquiry, asking the question, “Who am I?” without the interference of any previous conditioning. In Jnana yoga our attention is turned towards the “self” and through the practice of meditation and mindfulness we work toward recognizing and separating the ego from the true “self”.
The main purpose of Tantra yoga is to bring the duality of feminine (Shakti) and masculine (Shiva) energies within us together into a state of non-duality, thus achieving perfect union with no separation between the material world and the spiritual realm. Although our senses perceive duality all around us as all pairs of opposites, they are actually contained in the same universal consciousness. It is often misunderstood and taken out of context which has led many to equate Tantra with a ritual sexual practice. Deeper study of the ancient tradition reveals a path for self realization and spiritual awakening.
Bhakti Yoga Bhakti yoga has been described as the practice of "love for love's sake" and "union through love and devotion.” It is the practice of entering each day and attending each moment with a sense of holiness and to see every relationship and experience we have as sacred and divine. This practice invites us to experience oneness and unity with all things.
For most of us, yoga postures can simply offer a way to stay in shape and manage stress, either through the classical styles or non-traditional fads, such as headstands with goats or sipping your favorite beer in between lunges. For others, yogic philosophy is a means of deep spiritual exploration and insight. The beauty of yoga is that it can enrich your life in the way that suits you best. In this way, yoga is for everybody.
Raja Yoga Raja translates to “king” in Sanskrit and is the most integrated path of yoga. It focuses on the intellectual, emotional, and intuitive parts of the personality. Its purpose is to awaken hidden potential through true understanding. It includes the practice of contemplation and meditation and is practiced after Hatha yoga, which prepares the physical body for deep meditation.
Natasha Kubis is a licensed acupuncturist and certified yoga teacher. For more information, visit essential-well.com January 2020 | thesofiamagazine.com
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