It's the start of a new year, and lots of people are trying yoga on for size as part of their new year's resolutions! It can be a little stressful, though, trying to figure out which yoga class is for you. Over the centuries since yoga emerged in India and made its way slowly to the U.S. lots of different styles and traditions have sprung up. There are also different "branded" yoga styles that have been developed fairly recently and consist of a unique style of teaching or sequencing the poses. So as a brand-new-to-yoga student, how do you figure out which style is the best fit for you?
Well, you could try a lot of trial and error. The best way to figure out which of the styles you like best is to actually try them in your body and reflect on how it makes you feel!
But, in case you want a little help guiding that process, I've included my tips on what some of the different styles are all about.
Also, just as a warning, a lot of these terms are used pretty broadly by many yoga guides and studios. You will want to check with your studio or teacher for confirmation before heading to your first class.
Due to length, I’m posting this one in several parts. You can see last week’s post here. and check back next week for three more styles! In the meantime, maybe try one of the ones I’ve described here, and comment with your thoughts!
Hot yoga is taught in rooms heated up to 105 degrees Fahrenheit. Just think of it as your own tropical yoga retreat. Photo by Jared Rice on Unsplash
Hot Yoga
Hot Yoga as a genre is relatively new, and also very old. If you think about it, in many parts of India, most yoga would have been hot yoga as air conditioning was not a part of our human experience until only a few decades ago. Now, Hot Yoga is practiced in specially heated rooms either with a traditional heater, space heater, or fancy infrared lights! Depending on the studio, the heat can range from 95-105 degrees Fahrenheit. At both studios I've taught at, we change the heat based on humidity to make sure that everyone can still breathe and move through the whole class without getting too overheated. Humidity makes a huge difference in the hot yoga experience: 100 degrees in Florida is a lot different than 100 degrees in Colorado.
In traditional hot yoga classes, students are guided through the same sequence of poses in each class, starting with standing postures and eventually moving down to the floor. Each pose is done twice, once for 30 seconds, and once for a full minute. There's a clear break in between each pose, and some teachers might even count down to the end of the hold for you.
Because of the heat and the vigorous nature of the poses, Hot Yoga can be pretty intense! The Mayo Clinic recommends avoiding hot yoga if you have heart disease, heat intolerance, dehydration problems, or other heat-related ailments. Also, many teachers recommend not practicing Hot Yoga while pregnant.
You might love Hot Yoga if: you feel like you're not working out unless you are sweating buckets, you like the idea of having basically the same class each time (it makes it easy to track your progress)
You might not love Hot Yoga if: having someone count down your holds makes them feel even longer, you hate being super sweaty, you're looking for a really calm relaxing environment for your yoga practice
Make sure you bring: the biggest water bottle you have, a towel (and not a hand towel either. You know the one you bring to the beach? Bring that one. Maybe bring two.)
Vinyasa yoga embraces the idea of sequencing poses to you can “flow” from one to the next. Photo by Akemy Mory on Unsplash
Vinyasa (aka Flow) Yoga
Vinyasa can mean two things in yoga land, but it generally means "Flow". A Vinyasa yoga class is normally pretty creative in that the guide might design their own sequence of poses and change them up each class. Instead of clear stops in between each pose, students will practice moving easily from one posture to the next. Sometimes you will flow through "a vinyasa". In this context, a vinyasa is a sequence of poses (plank, chaturanga, upward dog, downward dog) done in between two other poses. Most yoga guides will let you know that the vinyasas are optional though, and you'll notice other students (myself included) skipping them from time to time.
Because each guide makes up their own flow for each class, theres a lot of variation in Vinyasa yoga. They can be vigorous and challenging, or relaxing and slow, or somewhere in between. Some studios will help you out by marking their class with levels (i.e. " Intro Flow, Flow 1, Flow 2 " ) but others will not. It's a good idea to ask about the teacher in that case, as different teachers might lean towards different pacing and intensity levels.
You might love Vinyasa Flow if: you want every class to be different - repetition is boring, you love linking poses together without a clear start or finish, you crave more movement and less stillness, you're not afraid of some interesting pose transitions.
You might not love Vinyasa Flow if: you want lots of time to get into and out of each pose to make sure you're doing it right, you like the comfort of having the same class sequence each time you practice, chaturanga makes you anxious and irritable, you
Hot Vinyasa (Hot Flow) Yoga
So if you've read this far you might be able to guess that Hot Vinyasa is sort of a combination of the two styles above. This is the class I teach most frequently. It's a Flow class taught in a heated room. Once again there can be a lot of variation in the pacing and the difficulty level of these classes. It's a good idea to check with the studio or the teacher directly if you have any questions.
You might love Hot Flow if: You want a lot of movement and a lot of sweat! You love the idea of practicing in a hot room, but are not a fan of the traditional Hot Yoga sequencing.
You might not love Hot Flow if: You have no desire to ever practice in a heated room, or you're truly committed to the set sequence of your traditional hot or ashtanga class.
So that’s it for part 2 of my yoga styles breakdown. Which ones have you tried? Do you think my descriptions are right on target, or waaaay off? What styles do you still want to hear about? Let me know in comments!