Which Yoga Style Should You Practice to Meet Your Needs?
In this article, find out an overview of the 4 main styles of yoga: Hatha, Yin, Ashtanga, and Vinyasa, to see which one best suit your needs.
The question we all ask ourselves is: how do I choose a yoga style? In other words, what should we evaluate when choosing the right yoga style for us? Which yoga style should I practice to meets my needs?
The style of yoga that better suits your needs depends on your expected outcome. To gain strength and flexibility Hatha yoga is a good choice. If you wish to relax and soothe your mind, Yin Yoga or Restorative Yoga are the best. For a more dynamic practice, Ashtanga, or Vinyasa yoga, are the way to go.
Discovering the benefits of the main styles of yoga and what they focus on, can help us to better understand which style of yoga is right for us.
Let’s get started!
“Yoga reveals itself when the flow of breath stops…” – Abhinavagupta
What style of yoga should we choose according to our desires and needs?
To enlighten you a little and give you an idea of the 4 main styles of yoga that you can find, here is a small overview of the classes that I have already tested and what I thought of them.
Hatha Yoga
Hatha Yoga is one of the traditional yoga.
This yoga dates back to the 6th century (approximately).
It deals mainly with the physical body.
It uses:
- Asanas (postures)
- The pranayama (control of vital energy through different breaths)
- Nidra yoga (deep relaxation)
- The chakras (energy centers)
- The bandhas (locks of prana in the body)
- The mudras (sacred finger gestures).
Hatha yoga is good for…
People who wish to work on their physical strength and flexibility, consciously, at a slow/moderate pace.
Ideal for people who are new to yoga, or who have injuries.
The more advanced the person is, the more they will hold the posture several breaths.
One takes the time to properly position one’s body and breathing is at the center of the movement.
What I thought of Hatha yoga…
I loved Hatha yoga because it uses many tools.
I do my movements slowly and consciously.
I feel like I am completely within the moment, and have time to go through each series consciously.
I like the meditative aspect of staying several breaths in each posture.
I practice this yoga in the morning. It gently tones the body and awakens the mind.
You may also like 👉 How to Practice Yoga Nidra (+ Its Awesome Benefits)
Yin Yoga
Yin is related to exhalation, to letting go.
In this yoga, yin asanas are favored, that is to say rather passive postures, where the stretching is done with the relaxation of the body, with an emphasis on no-forcing, flowing.
Learn more about Yin Yoga in this ultimate guide for beginners we’ve put together: What is Yin Yoga?
Yin yoga is good for…
People wishing to relax, soothe their minds, and work gently with the slackening of the body.
It is a very beneficial yoga for people who are stressed and anxious by nature.
This yoga is gentle and slow. It allows the mind to relax.
The postures are held for several minutes, generally between 3 and 5 minutes.
What I thought of Yin yoga
I practice it more in the evening, a time of day when I need to refocus and calm my crops and my mind.
I find that this yoga prepares my body and mind well for sleep through its gentle stretching.
It invites the breath to take up more space and allows thoughts to dissipate. It gives way to letting go.
It promotes the feeling of simply being here and now.
Ashtanga Yoga
Ashtanga yoga consists of 6 series of asanas. We start with the first, the simplest, before moving on to the other series.
The order of the asanas is precise. It is a dynamic style of yoga where breathing is of uttermost importance.
AshTanga yoga is good for…
People who like familiarity and want to find the same routine in every class.
People who want to work on the physical body and on breathing in particular.
What I thought of Ashtanga yoga
Since the postures always follow one another in the same order and we always work the same asanas, we can see our progress and focus on the body.
Our mind, after a while, knows the sequences by heart.
This also allows us to practice at home since we end up memorizing the series.
Wanna know more? 👉 Here Can I do The Same Yoga Routine Every Day?
Vinyasa Yoga
Vinyasa means in Sanskrit the synchronization of movement with breathing.
It is a sequence of dynamic postures, synchronized with our breathing.
The sequence of asanas is done in a free order
Vinyasa yoga is good for…
People who are looking to break their routine and expand their physical energy.
We move on a fluid and continuous rhythm.
What I thought of Vinyasa yoga…
When practicing Vinyasa I feel fully in the present moment because there is no routine.
It is the teacher who decides the order of the postures according to his desires and the feeling of his students.
Personally, this is not my favorite yoga, because sometimes the rhythm is too fast for my taste.
I then have the feeling that I have to “run” to keep up with the rhythm of the class.
I find that this yoga is more for people who have been practicing yoga for at least a year.
In conclusion
Beyond the style of yoga that you choose, you must not forget that the choice of your teacher is just as important.
For me, a good teacher is someone who practices regularly and continues to learn.
A good teacher will also be someone who seeks to apply the values of yoga in his or her daily life.
Benevolence, working on oneself, freeing oneself from negative thoughts, from one’s ego…
Also, he will have to be attentive and listen to the needs of his students.
So, let’s grab your mat and good practice!
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