There are lots of styles and types of yoga classes available, ranging from challenging lessons, such as Ashtanga Yoga to gentle flowing restorative types for example, Anusrara Yoga.

Here, we glance at three popular styles - Sivananda, Iygenar and Yoga.

Exactly what does Yoga Mean?

The term 'yoga' originates from the Sanskrit word "yuj" meaning to yoke, union, join together. Traditionally "yoga" was seen as an method to achieve balance -physical and spiritual in your lifetime.

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What's Yoga?

A typical class includes various exercises and techniques which encourages you to definitely release tension and stress out of your body and promotes a sense of inner calm and wholeness to your spirit. Most classes consists of a series of yoga exercises known as "asanas", breathing exercises, known as pranayama, relaxation techniques as well as in some classes, meditation and chanting.

What Are The Various kinds of Yoga?

Traditionally, there's just one "type" of yoga which is hatha yoga. Hatha yoga is the generic term, however within this broad term there exists variations of styles and schools of yoga. "Hatha", a Sanskrit word, means the joining from the moon and sun. "Ha" represents the sun's rays or active masculine principle and "tha" refers back to the moon or receptive female principle. This union, development of balance between the inner and outer, strenuous and restorative aspects of the body underpins all types of yoga

hatha yoga

Three Popular Types of Yoga

As earlier mentioned, in the following paragraphs we look at three popular types of yoga, Sivananda, Iygenar and Bikram Yoga.

1. Sivananda Yoga

Sivananda Yoga is recognized as one of the more traditional types of yoga and it is generally regarded as a light to moderate practice with emphasis on the more spiritual side of yoga.

Founded by Swami Sivananda (1887-1963), Sivananda Yoga consists of the sun's rays Salutation, breathing exercises, chanting and twelve core yoga poses. The teachings are based on five key precepts which Swami Sivananda believe improves your physical health and emotional wellbeing. These five key teachings are proper exercise (yoga) proper breathing, proper relaxation, proper diet (vegetarianism) and positive thinking and meditation.

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2. Iygenar Yoga

Iygenar Yoga was founded by Sri B.K.S. Iygenar (b.1918) and it is the most popular style practiced in the western world. In Iygenar Yoga emphasis is placed around the anatomy and postural/structural alignment from the body within the poses. Props (for example sandbags, straps, blocks and chair) are also used to give you support within the pose. Sri Iygenar wrote the classical book "Light in Yoga".

3. Yoga

Bikram Yoga has to be probably the most well-known kind of yoga practiced today. Founded by Bikram Choudhury (b. 1946), Bikram Yoga is practiced inside a room heated to 105 degrees Fahrenheit. Courses are 90 minutes long and contain a series of 26 poses, beginning with Standing poses, Backbends, Forward Bends and Twists and 2 breathing exercises.