If You Got Mostly Ds:
Youre a fitness fanatic who loves a good challenge and a decent sweat. Working out is a pastime not a chore! You like to practice yoga because its one of the many ways you can switch up your routine, but the spiritual aspect is not appealing to you. You might want to try Power Yoga or Bikram Yoga.
Which Styles Of Yoga Should You Try
Whether youre looking for a way to cross-train and boost athletic performance or just want to reintroduce your fingers to your toes yoga offers something for all. But not every style of yoga is for everyone.
Although most physical forms of yoga practice share similarities, knowing the nuances can help you get started on the right foot, fit your practice to your priorities and physical condition, expand your awareness and make your yoga practice more rewarding.
If You Got Mostly As:
Yoga is likely new to you. You may also be looking for a gentle way to stay active or stretch out as a means for alleviating injury-related issues, balancing mental instabilities, or are looking to ease your way back into it after a life event like childbirth. You might enjoy a basic, peaceful and passive practice, so we recommend you try Yin Yoga, Gentle Hatha or Restorative Yoga.
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The Best Yoga For Flexibility: Yin
Yin yoga has a more passive approach to flexibility, allowing your body to release into poses and postures versus actively powering through them. Constantly stretching muscles in power yoga classes can actually cause strain and inflammation around the joints, says Sadie Nardini, a certified yoga instructor, host of Rock Your Yoga and founder of Core strength vinyasa yoga. “If you hyper-focus on the muscles, you may neglect the all-important connective tissues around muscles and joints.” Lying in restful yin poses, often with the help of bolsters and props, will target healthy opening of your connective tissue system, Nardini says. It feels like floating on a cloud.”
Find it: If your local studios don’t offer yin yoga, try a pre-recorded class streamed online at YogaGlo.com.
Bound Ankle / Cobblers Pose
Sanskrit Name: Baddha Konasana
Level: Beginner
Benefit: The bound angle pose helps improve flexibility in knees, groins, and the inner thigh. It is also beneficial for helping to relieve menstrual cramps and can help ease delivery for pregnant women. It also opens the chest, hips, and lower back.
It is sometimes called the Cobblerâs Pose because this is how cobblers generally sit when they work.
How to do cobblerâs pose
- Step 1: Sit on the floor with your spine straight. Bend your knees and bring your feet
- together with the soles touching, or as close as possible, so your legs form the shape of butterfly wings.
- Step 2: Interlace your fingers around your toes. With your back flat and your chest open, gently pull your torso forward, holding your feet tightly with your hands.
- Step 3: Inhale deeply and press your thighs and knees down into the floor with your elbows. Hold for a count of 10 or up to 30 seconds.
- Step 4: Exhale and release your thighs, rising to an upright position. Repeat until you feel relaxed and comfortable.
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Types Of Yoga: Restorative
What it is: Forget sweating and think relaxation. Restorative yoga is all about healing the mind and body through simple poses often held for as many as 20 minutes, with the help of props like bolsters, pillows and straps. Practicing at home? Make sure you know this insider trick, it will help you stay motivated. Who its for: Incorporating Restorative yoga into your routine nicely complements active practices. Because of the meditative quality of this style, its helpful for those recovering from illness and injury, including emotional trauma like divorce or the death of a loved one.
Types Of Yoga: How To Choose The Right Kind For You
When youre trying to determine which of the different types of yoga is best for you, remember that there is no right or wrong one just one that might not be right for you at this moment.
Like any form of exercise, choose something you want to do, says Stephanie Saunders, executive director of fitness at Beachbody and a certified yoga instructor. Bikram or Iyengar might appeal to you if you are a very detailed person. If you are more of a free spirit, vinyasa or aerial yoga might be fun. Find a class that makes you excited to go.
So which one will get you excited? Our guide to the common types of yoga can help you decide whether youre in more of a restorative yoga or a power yoga kind of mood, or anything in between.
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Different Types Of Yoga: From Vinyasa To Kundalini
You might have a solid strength and cardio program, you might pay attention to your diet and eat clean, but do you take time to work on your mobility or balance?
Mobility training and balance are important aspects of fitness that are often under-appreciated and neglected. As we age, we lose both flexibility and balance.1 Improving your mobility can have significant benefits for your posture, lifting form, and strength, all while reducing injuries.
One of the best ways to improve your mobility, core strength, and balance is Yoga.2 Because there are a number of different types of yoga, it helps to know a little bit about each before deciding what type of yoga 3 works best for you and your training program.
Types Of Yoga: Ashtanga
What it is: A Vinyasa-style practice, Ashtanga yoga uses six pose sequences practiced sequentially, at a rapid pace, synchronized with the breath. And if youre having trouble sleeping, make sure to check out these 6 soothing yoga poses. Who its for: Since the transitions between poses happen quickly, beginners should start with a slower-paced class to develop a solid understanding of the basics. A-types will appreciate the methodical style of the practice.
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Types Of Yoga: Restorative Yoga
This type of yoga could be seen as Iyengars calmer baby sister. Developed by renowned American yoga instructor, Judith Hanson , she adapted his use of props to help assist and support the body as it calms and rests.
Each pose can be held for up to 20 minutes, meaning very few poses might be achieved during a class, but the time spent being guided by a yoga teacher and relaxing into the asanas can have profound effects as participants achieve a state of deep relaxation. As a result, Restorative yoga can contribute to increased flexibility and overall suppleness of your muscles.
Stress relief can also be a huge benefit of Restorative yoga, as lying in these postures for prolonged periods provides the perfect opportunity to listen to the bodys signals and focus the mind. In a study published in the Journal of Occupational Health in 2019, nurses working night shifts reported that their psychological and physical stress reactions were significantly reduced after the group restorative yoga sessions.
How To Get Started
Power yoga classes are typically taught at fitness centers or yoga studios. When starting out, look for beginner or introductory classes, and ask your friends or co-workers for recommendations.
You may not see classes listed as power yoga courses, but instead they may be called Vinyasa yoga classes.
Before signing up, talk with the instructor or people working at the fitness center or studio to learn more about the power yoga class and what it includes. Also find out what level of expertise or fitness is needed for the class.
If youre new to yoga, you may want to consider an introductory class in Hatha yoga. This can help familiarize you with a variety of yoga poses and how to do them correctly.
If youd prefer to practice power yoga on your own at home, there are many online videos you can stream and follow along. You may also want to try out a yoga app that you can download to your phone or tablet.
If you have a chronic condition such as heart disease or arthritis, have an injury, or you are pregnant, check with your doctor about whether power yoga is safe for you.
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The Best Yoga For Spirituality: Jivamukti
Another hatha-based method, jivamukti is meant to be both physically and intellectually stimulating in order to promote spiritual awareness. One of the cornerstones of this quick-moving practice is kirtan, a call-and-repeat chant that is thought to connect you with the divine, Steiner says. Upbeat or mellow music usually sets the tone for the class, and chanting, breath awareness, flowing sequences, alignment, and relaxation are all practiced to incorporate the five tenets of jivamukti yoga: Sanskrit scripture, devotion to God , animal and environmental rights , music, and meditation.
Find it: Pick a certified instructor near you from the extensive list provided by New York City’s Jivamukti Yoga School.
How Long Should You Hold Yoga Poses
The length of time to hold a pose is dependent on the style of yoga being practiced as mentioned above. If youre seeking to see improved flexibility it is best to hold poses for an extended period.
In faster-paced classes such as vinyasa, you still get benefits of increased flexibility but as you move through the poses with more speed you and your connective tissues dont have as much time to respond.
When holding poses longer, as in a yin yoga class, the steady load applied to the muscle fibers invites the connective tissues to stretch.
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Which Type Of Meditation Style Is Best For You
While some may think that meditation requires nothing more than sitting silently, it isnt necessarily as easy as it seems. The commitment needed to practice every day coupled with the challenge to empty your mind of everyday stressors can be discouraging. However, it doesnt necessarily need to be.
Meditation has been scientifically proven to reduce stress and anxiety, improve health, and increase happiness. However, the most essential aspect of meditation is appealing to your spirit. It is an entirely subjective practice and there is no right or wrong way to meditate. By practicing every day and finding a style that compliments your soul youll not only experience the joy in meditation, but you might just find youre better at it then you thought!
The following is a list of the most common types of meditation. Discover which one speaks to you!
Is Yoga Enough For Strength Training
This is the kind of question that drives die-hard yogis crazy but none the less comes up often enough that it deserves an answer. And our answer is, unequivocally, it depends. It depends on a lot of things, like what you mean by enough, what your strength goals are, and how you want to live your life. If you really want to bulk up, there are more effective ways, namely weight-lifting. Yoga falls under the categories of body-weight training, in which you are necessarily limited in how much you can lift by your own size. Weightlifting knows no such bounds since you can keep adding plates to your barbell until the cows come home. Both types of training build strength when muscles are worked until they are fatigued.
Incorporating all different kinds of movement into our lives makes us stronger and healthier. Cardio activities like running and swimming are great for yoga and yoga is great for them. Lifting weights and doing additional core work will help you do more strength-based yoga poses and also improve your balance and stamina in your daily life. Its all related. So if it makes your body feel good, then you should do it. But try to let go of the idea that you are never doing enough.
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Different Types Of Yoga And Their Benefits
Health
Lifestyle
Yoga is the hype of the moment in the fitness world. But luckily, this ancient discipline is something more than just a passing trend. Its roots are really ancient, and the modern evolution that we know is certainly different from its original nature. It remains, though, the desire for many people to approach this meditative discipline so fascinating which can help us find that difficult balance and give us the physical and mental energy so important to deal with our daily routine.
Especially in the last months, many people have approached yoga for the first time. Lockdowns and Covid-19 restriction have forced us to spend much more time at home, struggling to disconnect from work and find time for ourselves.
But did you know that there are different types of Yoga? It is important to know the various differences and thus choose to practice yoga that best suits your needs. In this article, we present 5 different types of Yoga and their benefits.
But do you know that there are different types of Yoga? It’s important to know the differences in order to practice the type of yoga that best suits your needs. In this article, we present 5 different types of yoga and their benefits.
The Best Type Of Yoga For Flexibility
In truth, there isnt a best type of yoga for flexibility, although we recommend Hatha, Vinyasa, Hot Yoga, and Vin Yoga to improve flexibility.
Plus, to get a better understanding of why and how yoga aids in improving flexibility, lets take a closer look at some of the most common types of yoga taught in studios and the science of flexibility.
Contents
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Twisted Warrior Pose / Side Angle Pose With Praying Hands
Sanskrit Name: Parivrrta Virabhadrasana / Parivrtta Parsvakonasana,
Level: Intermediate
Benefits: The Revolved Warrior Pose is similar to the Revolved Side Angle Pose but the arms are brought into the chest, rather than extending over the head. Some practitioners call this the Revolved Side Angle Pose With Praying Hands because it is the precursor to the Bound Revolved Side Angle Pose.
Whatever you choose to call it, this yoga pose improves balance, strengthens the legs, feet, ankles, and abdominal muscles, stimulates the abdominal organs, and aids digestion. It also increases flexibility in the hamstrings, shoulders, and upper back.
How to do twisted warrior pose
- Step 1: From Warrior I pose, place palms together, and bend elbows to bring palms directly in front of the chest. Inhale.
- Step 2: On exhale, bend the torso forward from hips and turn the torso to right, bringing your left elbow to rest just outside of your right knee.
- Step 3: Hold pose for 10-20 seconds and then release back to Warrior I or move into either the Bound Revolved Side Angle Pose or the Revolved Triangle Pose.
Sanskrit Name: Parivrtta Trikonasana
Level: Intermediate
Benefits: Strengthens the ankles, legs, thighs, and feet as well as the core. Stretches the hamstrings, spine, calf muscles, and hips a well as improving balance and opening the chest to help improve breathing.
How to do twisted triangle pose
Hybrid Yinyasa Or Flow & Restore Class
Many studios have classes that are a hybrid of slower styles and flow. These classes may be called Yinyasa or Flow & Restore .
These types of classes typically start with an active flow style class where youll move and sweat, and gradually transition into a slow, grounded class with either a restorative practice or a yin practice.
These hybrid classes are great for beginners and for anyone who wants a little of both: a nice sweat and a nice deep stretch to unwind and relax.
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The Best Yoga For Strength: Ashtanga
While several styles of yoga can help strengthen your body, ashtangas heavily repeated series of vinyasaschatarunga , up dog, and down dogbetween each pose is guaranteed to make you strong and fierce, says Lauren Imparato, a certified yoga instructor and owner of the I.AM.YOU. Studio in New York City. Holding the poses, with this repetition of vinyasas in between, will develop targeted muscles in every part of your body, including those you never knew you had.
Find it: Imparato recommends looking for classes with names like led primary series or basic ashtanga.” And, if you are comfortable simply watching and following along without a teacher giving instructions, look for mysore classes.
Extended Side Angle Pose
Sanskrit Name: Utthita Parsvakonasana
Level: Beginner
Benefits: Stretches the thighs, knees, ankles, calves, groins, chest, and shoulders and strengthens the quadriceps and ankles. It also stimulates and tones the abdominal organs and lungs, which improves digestion, elimination, metabolism, and breathing capacity.
How to do extended side angle pose
- Step 1: Start with your feet in Triangle Pose position with your right leg in front, or you can move into Extended Side Angle Pose directly from Triangle pose. Bend your right knee and shift your weight forward over your knee.
- Step 2: Either leave your right hand on the ground by your right foot or rest it on your right thigh.
- Step 3: Inhale and bring your left arm up high over your head. Exhale and lean forward, extending your left arm forward. Turn your head and look upward at your left arm.
- Step 4: Exhale and hold the pose for 10-30 seconds, lengthening your spine and stretching your arm high overhead.
- Step 5: Pull your left arm back in, rise to center and center your weight back over both feet. Move into another pose or repeat on the opposite side.
Sanskrit Name: Dandasana
Level: Beginner
Benefits: The staff pose is another of the most fundamental yoga asanas that can act as a bridge when moving between one pose and another. It also provides full-body strengthening and increases overall flexibility.
How to do staff pose
Sanskrit Name: Sukhasana
Level: Beginner
How to do easy pose
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