Anxiety, tensions, stress… It is no accident that, more and more, we see people looking for more tranquility or balance between body, mind and soul. – and it is clear that Yoga has become an excellent alternative in this scenario. What happens is that the yoga it is an umbrella that houses several practices, a little different from each other, but that start from the same point. That’s why we’re going to talk in this text of 8 types of yoga.
Photo: Anggoro Sakti at StockSnap
Some are more agitated, others a little more light. Some give more focus on posture and others consider mantras and introspection. None is better or worse than another, they are just different, and the ideal is for you to choose the one that suits you best. For that the way is to know at least a little bit about each one and test testar
HATHA, THE CLASSIC
The best known of all types of yoga and which has become more popular here is the hatha yoga. The practice is more focused on the physical, strengthening the muscles and seeking flexibility. All this without needing to be considered a difficult practice, that is, it is indicated and practiced by all ages and levels of experience.
Photo: Svetlana in Reshot
During the classes the postures do not connect with each other mandatorily or has a specific order. The focus is much more on the time dedicated to each of them. And yes, it is one of the types of yoga with a very corporal practice, but it is still yoga, therefore it also deals with the balance of the body, mind and spirit.
ASHTANGA, 6 SERIES
From the previous Ashtanga, which is a yoga practice that consists of establishing 6 sets of postures. The practitioner must start in series 1 and repeat until he can progress to the next and so on.
Photo: Elly Fairytale at Pexels
The focus is the same as that of hatha, in search of body awareness, strengthening and flexibility. However, here it is a little more tugged as the “phases” increase. Also, it is one of the types of yoga that talks a lot about challenges and growth ?
POWER YOGA, TO SWEAT!
From this same perspective, there is also the yoga power, a very contemporary version of the types of yoga. This type does not exactly follow the ashtanga sequences, but promotes challenges with the body and more demanding postures.
Photo: Roman Laschov in Unsplash
Power yoga is more hectic and dynamic, to sweat the shirt, you know? Physical effort is more required, although with the same practices, postures and breathing exercises.
VINYASA, FLOW STYLE
Almost like a dance, the Vinyasa yoga is also a strand of the very modern types of yoga and has the characteristic of doing the postures in a more flow style, connected and making continuous movements.
Photo: Luna Active Fitness in Unsplash
AN breathing and concentration are important points and worked a lot here. The benefits are related to body awareness, however, the reduction of stress, the discovery of new possibilities of the body and the search for balance are very present.
BIKRAM, WITH HEAT
Still in practice Vinyasa, also has the same practice done in an environment with controlled temperature, which must be 43º. Practitioners believe that the warmer environment stimulates metabolism and, in addition to the physical body, they promote detoxification and purification of the body.
Photo: Jade Stephens in Unsplash
IYENGAR, ALIGNMENT
The Iyengar it is the yoga more focused on the “perfection” of the postures, that is, with a lot of focus for aligning the body lines and introspection of the practitioner to remain in the image for longer.
Photo: Huha Inc. at Unsplash
However, practitioners do not seek only the image, on the contrary, it is believed that this type of yoga has the power to align feelings, conscience, work emotions and increase concentration. The use of accessories, which are called props (rubber blocks, chairs, etc.) are often used to assist and make practice more accessible for beginners ?
KUNDALINI, THE ENERGIES
When we quote yoga from Ayurvedic medicine it is the kundalini that we’re talking about. The main focus of this practice is to find the balance of the chakras, connection and very spiritual and energetic work.
Practices are very much based on breathing and postures related to it, as well as others. The difference is that body parts are worked out to meet the energy balance.
RAJA, INTROSPECTIVE
Similar to the previous one, the raja it is also geared towards more introspective work and with the objective of working on the spiritual side. Here, little is said about the chakras, but about states of consciousness, meditation and work of the mind.
Photo: madison lavern at Unsplash
It is also called real yoga, since it is turned towards the interior of the being and, incredible as it may seem, the so-called “real” is the one with the most simple postures and very similar to meditation.
***
Did you like this post about types of yoga? Then you will also like one about meditation, click here.