Yoga Styles
Submitted by divine_sysop on November 25, 2009 - 00:32
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Yoga is an ancient Indian holistic system of physical and meditative exercises practiced by millions of people around the world. It has continued to evolve through the last five millennia to meet the needs of every individual. Today there are various styles of yoga and numerous yoga poses practiced by people all across the globe. If you are keen to know more about styles of yoga and yoga posture then read on…
At its most basic, yoga is a set of spiritual practices originating in ancient India and yoga positions help a person achieve harmony between the physical and spiritual. Many people are attracted toward various styles of yoga because of its health and fitness benefits and yoga posture is fast becoming popular across the globe. It has recently become a fashion among yoga studios all over the world to trademark their teachings as new styles of yoga that seem to be appearing almost every month! However, as a matter of fact basic yoga postures remain the same for most styles of yoga.
Nearly all styles of yoga are rooted in Hatha Yoga, yogas physical discipline that focuses on developing control of the body through yoga positions or yoga postures. In Sanskrit ha represents sun and tha represents moon. Hatha represents the duality in life - yin and yang, masculine and feminine, darkness and light. It leads the way to balancing these opposing forces. It is the yoga of physical well-being. The differences between these Hatha-inspired styles often lies in how they combine (or dont combine) elements of asana movement, alignment, intensity, breathing, pranayama (breath control), meditation, relaxation, chanting and lifestyle.
Brief descriptions of the most common styles of yoga are as follows:
Ananda Yoga: This gentle yoga combines breath awareness, affirmations and yoga postures to move consciousness from body awareness through energy awareness and, finally, to silent, inner awareness. The use of affirmations while in the asanas is a distinct feature of Ananda Yoga and the various yoga positions that are a part of it. This yoga style was developed by an American named Donald J. Walters, also known as Swami Kriyananda. He devoted 45 years of his life studying the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda.
Anusara Yoga: Founded by John Friend in 1997, Anusara Yoga integrates the power of the heart, universal principles of alignment, and balanced energetic action in the performance of asanas and other yoga positions. Anusara (pronounced ah-new-SAR-ah) means "following your heart." In this school of yoga, which is well known among various styles of yoga , each practitioners abilities and limitations are deeply respected and honored.
Ashtanga Yoga: For those who want a serious workout, Ashtanga Yoga offers a fast-paced series of sequential yoga poses beginning with sun salutations. Practitioners move from one posture to another in a continual flow and link their movements with breath. This physically demanding yoga was developed by K. Pattabhi Jois to build strength, flexibility, and stamina. Power Yoga, made popular by Beryl Bender Birch, is based on Ashtanga Yoga and its various yoga positions are based on that philosophy.
Bikram Yoga: Bikram Choudhury, known as the yoga teacher to the stars, developed this yoga practice and this is among the most popular of many styles of yoga. Be prepared to sweat in this one. The Bikram class turns up the room temperature to anywhere from 85oF to 105oF. In this hot and steamy environment, practitioners perform 26 yoga poses, always in the same order, designed to cleanse the body from inside out. This is a vigorous workout.
Integral Yoga: This school of yoga is associated with two prominent figures: developer Swami Satchidananda, the man who taught the crowds at Woodstock to chant "om" for peace, and his student, Dr. Dean Ornish, who uses integral yoga as part of his treatment of heart patients. Integral yoga places almost as much emphasis on pranayama (control of breath) and meditation as it does on yoga postures.
Iyengar Yoga: B.K.S. Iyengar developed this yoga style, which stresses on understanding the body and how it works. Practitioners focus on symmetry and alignment, using props-straps, blankets, wooden blocks and chairs-to achieve yoga postures. Each yoga pose is held for a longer period of time than in most other yoga styles. Teachers of this discipline must go through an intense, long and rigorous training program.
Kali Ray Triyoga: Kali Ray Triyoga was founded by Kali Ray. This yoga style brings yoga posture, breath and focus together to create dynamic and intuitive flows. The Triyoga exercises combine flowing and sustained postures following a spinal wavelike movement, economy of motion, and synchronized breath and mudras. The flows are arranged in ascending levels and can be as gentle or as challenging as desired. Practitioners may progress from basic to advanced as they increase their flexibility, strength, endurance and knowledge of the flows.
Kripalu Yoga: Kripalu Yoga emphasizes on proper breath and alignment, coordinating breath and movement, and "honoring the wisdom of the body". Developed by Yogi Amrit Desai, Kripalu takes the practitioner through three stages beginning with the steady practice of yoga postures (First stage), holding the postures longer and developing concentration and inner awareness (Second stage) and, finally, surrendering to the bodys own wisdom (Third stage). Ultimately Kripalu leads to the experience of meditation-in-motion-doing postures spontaneously and unconsciously.
Kundalini Yoga: Once a guarded secret in India, Kundalini Yoga arrived in the West in 1969, when Sikh Yogi Bhajan challenged the secretive tradition and began to teach it publicly. This practice, which is well known among various styles of yoga, is designed to awaken kundalini energy, which is stored at the base of the spine, often depicted as a coiled snake. Kundalini Yoga mixes chanting, breathing practices and yoga exercises. The emphasis is not on asana, rather on chanting and breathing. Kundalini should always be taught by a teacher who practices and understands this powerful yoga and knows about the yoga postures.
Sivananda Yoga: Sivananda Yoga offers a gentler approach, which takes the practitioner through the twelve sun salutation yoga postures and incorporates chanting, meditation and deep relaxation in each session. Teachers encourage practitioners to embrace a healthy lifestyle that includes vegetarian diet and positive thinking, with meditation apart from performing the numerous yoga postures. This well known yoga style among various styles of yoga was founded by Swami Vishnu-devananda, who published one of the classics of yogic literature, The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga, in 1960.
Swaroopa Yoga: This yoga style was developed by Rama Berch. Swaroopa Yoga teaches significantly different ways of doing familiar poses, emphasizing on the opening of the spine by beginning at the tailbone and progressing through each spinal area in turn. Each yoga pose incorporates principles of asana, anatomy and yoga philosophy. It also emphasizes on the development of transcendental inner experience, which is called swaroopa by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutra. This is a consciousness-oriented yoga that also promotes healing and transformation. Swaroopa Yoga is not an athletic endeavor, but a practice aimed at developing the consciousness using the body as a tool.
Viniyoga: This gentle form of flow yoga places great emphasis on the breath and on coordinating breath with movement. Viniyogas flowing movement or vinyasa is similar to Ashtanga Yogas dynamic series of yoga positions, but is performed at a greatly reduced pace and stress level. Poses and flows are chosen to suit the practitioners abilities and the yoga posture depends on that. It teaches the yoga practitioner how to apply the tools of yoga-asanas, chanting, pranayama (control of breath) and meditation-in individual practice. Developed by T.K.V. Desikachar, the son of Krishnamacharya (teacher to some of the great yoga instructors including Iyengar and Pattabhi Jois), Viniyoga, which is among the most well known of all styles of yoga, places less stress on joints and knees since postures are done with slightly bent knees. Viniyoga is considered excellent for beginners, and is increasingly being used in therapeutic environments.
Jivamukti Yoga: Jivamukti Yoga styles of yoga was created by David Life and Sharon Gannon in 1984. It is a vigorously physical and intellectually stimulating practice leading to spiritual awareness. This school of yoga postures promotes the educational aspect of the practice and gives students access to the source of these ideas. Each class focuses on a theme, which is supported by chanting of Sanskrit verses, readings, references to scriptural texts, music (from the Beatles to Moby), spoken word, asana sequencing and yogic breathing practices. The average Jivamukti student is more educated about the philosophy of yoga than most yoga teachers.
Satyananda/Bihar Yoga: Satyananda Yoga is a rich mixture of Gyana, Raja, Bhakti, Karma, Hatha, Nidra, Mantra and Tantra Yoga and is taught through the Bihar School of Yoga (BYS), founded by Swami Satyananda Saraswati. The Bihar School of Yoga is also the worlds first yoga university. Many of Swami Satyanadas teachings are based on those of his guru Swami Sivananda Saraswati. These teachings continue to be taught through Swami Satyanadas many disciples, one of which is Swami Niranjananda Saraswati. Swami Niranjananda has since founded the Bihar Yoga Bharati (BYB) school of yoga. In Satyananda Yoga, students are taught in a traditional manner. There is a strong emphasis on the importance of Sanyas (work and service for others). Asanas are also practiced with the eyes closed to draw focus inwards.
With so many different styles of yoga, and people seeking many different things from their yoga practice, it can be difficult to know where to begin. For beginners it becomes a daunting task to select the style suitable to them and for that they need to know about various styles of yoga. It is quite likely that they get confused looking at a host of yogic texts enumerating several methods of yogic practices. They wonder which one to choose, which will suit them and so on. For this purpose one has to understand the basic unity among different styles of yoga.
There is unity in all these methods and styles of yoga since,
- All these paths lead independently to the same goal and
- There is some structural transformation that takes place in the mind through yoga.
Before starting on an individual yoga quest, it is helpful to begin with a list that clearly prioritizes what one needs to fulfill. Are you looking to sweat your way into a lean form, or does a gentle, more meditative approach sound more appealing to you? Among all the various styles of yoga no style is better than the other; it is simply a matter of personal preference. You should find a teacher that you can relate to and a style that furthers your personal growth. The best approach is that you should explore different styles of yoga and find one that seems to resonate with you and illuminates your path at different stages of your life.
