Yoga is a great low impact option for building muscle and connecting with your body. But trying to pick the right class can be confusing when you don’t know the terms. Here’s a handy guide to help you choose.
Hot Yoga
Originally started by Bikram Choudhury, there are now a variety of different styles of hot yoga offered throughout the world. One of the main benefits of hot yoga is that the heat warms up your muscles so you’re able to get deeper into the poses safely. Some classes are more intense with both the temperature of the room and the type of yoga, and those listed below can be offered as a hot class. Some of the classes below can also be offered as a hot yoga class.
Yin Yoga
This style of yoga is much slower paced and targets the deep connective tissues of the body. This class is mainly on the floor, with the poses being held for longer periods of time and are more passive than powerful. If you have done yoga before, you will recognize a lot of the poses that are done in more active classes (yang yoga). In Yin yoga, poses are typically held anywhere from 2 to 5 minutes in order to let your body accept the pose and to help your mind concentrate on getting deeper into it. This class will focus on a more meditative approach and the moves will focus on areas of the body that include a joint to encourage flexibility.
Hatha Yoga
This classic style is a combination of poses (called asanas) and breathing exercises (pranayama) with the intention of bringing peace to both the mind and body. This is the most generic form of yoga and usually the most basic. You’ll go through common poses and likely won’t work up much of a sweat, but you’ll leave feeling good and relaxed.
Vinyasa Yoga
If you’re looking for a yoga class that is a little more upbeat, this is a good place to start. Vinyasa classes consist of a sequence of poses that are linked with 4 moves from the Sun Salutations called (you guessed it) a vinyasa. These moves keep the body warm and the class flowing seamlessly. The focus will be on linking your breath to your body’s movement. Most classes will play music and no two classes will be the same.
Ashtanga Yoga
Ashtanga is a popular vinyasa style of yoga created by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. This traditional yoga practice aims to create a sweat to purify the body and marries breath and movement for a smooth and intense class. Poses are practiced in a specific order with vinyasas linking the postures to keep the body warm and the class flowing.