What types of yoga exist. 6 most popular destinations

Our guide will help you choose the right practice.

Yoga came to us from India and is already firmly rooted in the daily life of many. If you translate the word "yoga" from Sanskrit, you can understand the basic meaning of the practices, because its root means "harmony" and "unity". One of the most important advantages of yoga is the absence of restrictions, which allows almost everyone to practice it, regardless of physical fitness or age.

Yoga allows you to improve control over the body and breathing, removes psychological and physiological clamps. This is not just postures, meditation and performing asanas, but a whole philosophy that changes consciousness and attitude to life. Practices require full dedication, constant work on yourself.

Anastasia Ozhgikhina

Ph.D., International Hatha Yoga Instructor

Many have heard about the benefits of yoga classes, and many even have the motivation to start practicing. But when searching for classes, most are faced with confusing names of various directions that they have never heard of… I guess that familiarity with Sanskrit names can confuse a beginner yogi!

The choice of classes is quite large. There are no "right" and "wrong" options. In each type of yoga, the emphasis is placed on certain aspects: somewhere attention is paid to the study of asanas (poses), somewhere to the power aspects, somewhere the emphasis is on the spiritual side of the practice. There are practices aimed at developing cardio tolerance, and others. It is important to choose the best option for yourself. The criterion for a suitable yoga practice is the feeling of satisfaction from the lessons when the training takes place in one breath.

Hatha Yoga

This direction is one of the most common, it is worth starting your journey from it. On the basis of hatha yoga, many other types have evolved. Its philosophy includes four main stages.

• The pit. Implementation of moral principles. A person must understand himself and his vices and understand what things are pulling him down. Take responsibility for your thoughts and behavior.
• Niyama. At this stage, self-discipline and relaxation are trained. A person embarks on the path of spiritual development.
• Asanas. Learning static poses that need to be performed during a workout to achieve a goal. They help you concentrate and get to know your body.
• Pranayama. These are breathing practices that focus on the concentration and direction of energy in the body.

Hatha yoga helps to improve sleep, get rid of stress, relax the mind and body, as well as increase control and concentration.

Kundalini Yoga

This direction is considered young, it was formed in the second half of the last century. Kundalini yoga includes intensive breathing and motor exercises, it helps to "wake up" the energy in the body, clearing the energy flows. According to numerous stories of people practicing Kundalini yoga, it helps to get rid of addictions.

The system is based on the awakening of Kundalini energy. It is believed that it is dormant in the root chakra and it must be awakened in order to achieve harmony with its internal energy.

Iyengar Yoga

This is a kind of hatha yoga, it was invented by Bellur Iyengar. He practiced yoga to improve his health, Bellur's personal practice was power. But gradually, from strength training, the focus shifted to working out each position. He has rebuilt more than 200 asanas, creating his own system.

The most important thing in yoga classes is not breathing technique, knowledge of asanas or joint flexibility. The most important thing is to spread out the mat and start practicing.
B.K.S. Iyengar.

Iyengar yoga involves building the body in asanas with the help of bricks, belts, rollers and other equipment. Each asana is performed slowly, you need to pay attention to technique and breathing, which develops concentration.

Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga

Sri Pattabhi is the founder of this current. Ashtanga vinyasa is a dynamic practice. Asanas pass from one to another through vinyasa – a repetitive combination of movements.

In this type of yoga, mobility and proper breathing are important when moving from one pose to another. Ashtanga vinyasa yoga allows you to improve your muscular corset and stretching, get rid of excess weight and, of course, relax your mind and body.

Yoga Nidra

If translated from Sanskrit, yoga nidra means "yoga of sleep", it can also be called the art of conscious relaxation. In it, the body is between sleep and wakefulness. This technique was developed by Swami Satyananda Saraswati. He popularized this teaching by distributing his books. This type of yoga is also called psychic sleep, deep relaxation with inner awareness.

The essence of the practice is the immobility of the body with the use of pranayama (breathing exercises) and visualizations. Such yoga leads to getting rid of everything unnecessary – fuss, irritation, bad habits, complexes, and also helps to achieve the desired goals.

Bikram Yoga

The founder of this technique is Bikram Chowdhury. The uniqueness of this direction lies in the venue. This is a room with special climatic conditions – heat of about 37-40 degrees and humidity of 40%.

The practice itself includes performing a dynamic sequence of 26 Hatha yoga asanas and two breathing exercises. In this case, the position is not fixed for a long time, but is performed for no more than a minute.

High temperature and the pace of practice contribute to profuse sweating. This allows you to remove toxins and toxins from the body, lose weight, improves blood circulation and warms up joints, allows the body to move more freely. But in this case there are limitations. Bikram yoga is contraindicated in pregnant women, as well as people with disorders in the cardiovascular and endocrine systems.

It is difficult to find a balance in the rhythm of city noise, but it can be done. Choose the type of yoga that suits you and prepare for complete relaxation.