Selecting a style of yoga is like selecting the style of exercise bike that you like.
A friend of mine is getting over knee surgery. His doctor told him to start using an “elliptical” bike to help his knee to heal.
He had never been to a health club or gym before. When he got to the gym he noticed that there were three different types of ellipticals and he wasn’t sure where to start. So he asked the guy behind the desk, “Which machine is the most effective?”
His simple reply? “Whichever one you’ll stay on the longest.” He then explained, it’s not really about slight differences in efficiency; it’s about finding a machine that you prefer and are therefore more likely to commit to over the long term.
Yoga is the same way. There are many styles of yoga to pick from. The right style for you will depend on which style best suits your needs and desires.
There are three broad categories of yoga
- Vigorous
- Gentle
- Middle of the road
1 – Vigorous
There are many vigorous styles of yoga available and they all have a lot in common and they have some differences as well.
They will all get your heart pumping. You will be getting a cardiovascular workout no matter which one you pick.
The vigorous styles all feature a flowing style or Vinyasa movements between poses that keeps the body hot and the heart pumping.
They usually have a set sequence of postures that you follow. Following this set sequence allows you to move rapidly from one pose to the next with minimal instruction.
A 90 minute vigorous yoga class will be about the same as a 60 minute run.
If you are interested in a vigorous style you can pick from Ashtanga, Bikram, Moksha or Hot yoga. Some of these heat the room up but not all. But they all work on getting the body hot and your heart beating hard.
If you are a physically active person outside of yoga, doing different sports, running or swimming you may be interested in the vigorous styles of yoga or maybe you are looking for a break from your active lifestyle and you are looking to slow down.
2 – Gentle
The gentler styles of yoga go at a slower pace compared to the vigorous styles. This does not mean that they are any easier to do. It just means that you are less likely to be sweating and your heart rate is likely to be much lower.
In these styles of yoga you hold the poses for a longer time. There is typically no Vinyasa or connecting movements between poses.
There are usually pauses between poses as the teacher reviews the pose that you have just finished and introduces the next pose that you will be working on.
Most of the time There is no set sequence of postures and the teacher is free to put together a series of postures that focus on a particular goal.
If the gentler style of yoga interests you there are many that you can pick from. Kripalu, Yin, Hatha and Chair yoga are among some of the more popular gentle styles available.
A 90 minute gentle class is equivalent to a brisk 60 minute walk.
If you tend to be a sedentary person and sports and other vigorous activities are not your thing then the gentle style of yoga may be right for you.
Maybe you are interested in starting a yoga practice to get out of your sedentary lifestyle and start to improve the health of your body, but the thought of starting a vigorous style of yoga like Ashtanga scares you. There has to be something that is more challenging than the gentle styles like Kripalu but less demanding than Ashtanga.
3 – Middle of the road
There are many styles that are in the middle of the pack when you compare them based on how hard you are working your body. In these middle of the road styles you will be working and your heart will be pumping but you will not be going all out.
Some of these middle of road styles are Power Yoga and Vinyasa Yoga. They take some features from both the vigorous styles and the gentle styles and merge them together.
There are three broad categories of yoga styles and they all have so many different names and descriptions. It can be quite difficult to figure out which one is right for you.
How to decide which style is right for you?
There are several things for you to consider when you are picking a style of yoga to adopt.
What is your goal for your yoga?
Do you want to increase your cardiovascular capacity? Then a vigorous style maybe right for you. If you want to increase flexibility without sweating then a gentle style of yoga is the path for you.
How quickly do you want to get there?
If you want to get more flexible in a hurry then the vigorous styles will usually get you there sooner.
How hard do you want to work at it?
If you are interested in a physically challenging yoga practice once again you would be looking at one of the vigorous styles of yoga. If you are interested in taking it easy then have a look at the gentler styles.
Are you physically active now?
Do you want to continue this level of activity into your yoga practice? If you do not then you want to look at the gentler styles of yoga.
Just Do It
Once you get through all of these questions and talk to the teachers about the many styles and which one would be best for you, you have to take that next step and check out the various styles by going to a class.
Like my friend and which style of elliptical bike should he use the answer is which ever one suits you the best. To find out which one suited him the best he had to get on each one and try it out.
To find out which style of yoga is best for you, you need to take a class. You can start with one style and then check out the other styles.
You may find that you start with a gentle style of yoga and then later as your ability, desires and interests change you move to a more vigorous style.
Summary
To paraphrase my friend’s gym instructor “The best style of yoga for you is the one that you will continue to do the longest and most often.”
Next Steps
Check out the different styles available at your studio and in your area. You will find the one that resonates the most with you. When that happens stick with it.
