Picking the Right Yoga Practice: Navigating the Variety of Options Out There

Navigating the Abundance of Yoga Practices - What Factors Guide Your Selection?

Yoga, a physical practice with many forms, is more than just a series of poses. It is a connection between the mind, body, and breath that aims to create harmony and balance.

In its essence, yoga is about focusing on various aspects such as physical postures (asanas), breath control (pranayama), meditation (dhyana), ethical disciplines (yama, niyama), and the ultimate goal of mental control or spiritual union (samadhi). This is exemplified by systems like Raja Yoga and Ashtanga Yoga, which emphasize stages from moral conduct to deep meditation and union of mind and spirit.

One unique form of yoga that has gained popularity is Aerial Yoga. Performed using a silk hammock suspended from the ceiling, this practice helps extend your spine and relieves pressure on your joints. It also balances out a mat-based yoga practice by using pulling muscles instead of pushing muscles.

Another style, Restorative Yoga, uses blankets, bolsters, and blocks to prop you into long, comfortable poses for a deeper state of mind-body relaxation. It is considered the more passive of the two, and the idea isn't to fall asleep but to relax.

Power Yoga, similar to Vinyasa, is physically demanding and may incorporate additional strength-building moves like crunches. Vinyasa yoga is one-breath-per-movement yoga, organized to smoothly transition from one pose to another in coordination with your breath, with instructors often switching up their sequences each class.

Ashtanga Yoga is a physically demanding practice that synchronizes movement with breath and follows a set series of postures every time. Hatha Yoga, one of the six traditional branches of yoga, is a slow flow or gentle flow yoga that starts with a gentle introduction to basic yoga postures and moves through a sequence of poses, holding each for a few breaths.

Iyengar Yoga emphasizes proper alignment and body positioning in each pose, using props to achieve optimal alignment. Kundalini Yoga is about awakening and releasing cosmic energy that's trapped in the base of the spine through a combination of quick repetitive movements, breath work, chanting, and meditation. It can bring up a lot of emotions.

Prenatal Yoga addresses particular issues that may arise during pregnancy and includes fewer inversions, more props, some gentler flowing, and work that helps with balance. Stand up paddle board (SUP) yoga is gaining popularity among the outdoorsy crowd and is great for developing balance and getting you outside.

Chair-based yoga uses a chair as a tool to perform postures that might not otherwise be possible if you have an injury or limited mobility. Yin Yoga is a slow, gentle, and more restorative style of yoga that targets deep connective tissues. It involves holding postures for up to 5 minutes, such as forward folds, hip openers, and seated twists.

According to Kate DeSisto, a CYT-250 yoga instructor with additional certifications in aerial and SUP yoga, yoga is ultimately about breath work related to physical postures. Sarah Burns, a Memphis-based E-RYT 200 yoga instructor, echoes this sentiment, explaining that all forms of yoga aim to create this connection.

In conclusion, whether you're looking for a physically demanding practice, a gentle restorative session, or something in between, there's a yoga style to suit everyone. So, find the one that resonates with you and embark on a journey towards harmony and balance.