Which Yoga style is best? A question of Yoga style.
Yin Yoga uses more “passive” variations. Relaxing into poses and staying there.
What do people mean when they ask “What Yoga style is this?” Will the answer satisfy all curiosity? Or is the question: Explain the experience? “Can you tell me what others think and feel? 0: Or: How can your class change my life?
“What Yoga style is it?” can be a massively loaded question. As if the answer could instruct the enquirer which planet to live on!
In brief
Yoga styles are a little made-up. And while the gloves are off: the same “ Yoga style” taught by a different teacher can be “completely” different. Investigation by going to a class is your true guide. Any style can be life-changing with an inspiring teacher. I have met the most amazing teachers practicing in many diverse “styles”.
Iyenger Yoga often utlises props such as belts, blocks and the wall.
Is Yoga style a true guide?
The “name tag” may assist with finding the perfect class for you. That said we are comparing mangoes with mangoes.
Take the “stylization” of the word Hatha. In the common tongue “Hatha” implies a gentler class. In Yogic terms, Hatha means any physical based Yoga with breath and meditation.
Most, if not all the Yoga we practice in the west is Hatha. Therefore the modern concept of Yoga style is comparing Hatha classes with other Hatha classes.
Yoga brands
The original “brand” Hatha classes are sometimes named after the Founder. Generally speaking, the Yoga brands have a stricter format because teachers are emulating the founder’s personal practice. They may move through specific sequences, hold poses for a set time, or practice at a certain temperature.
For example, Bikram utilises 26 Asanas/poses and 2 breathing excercises. In Iyenger each pose is held anywhere between 3-5 mins or more.
Yoga is a vast pool of knowledge. Regardless of the name, all classes “draw” from this source but they are not the ultimate source.
Life outside the “style package”
“Style” is useful for marketing. Yoga Style may assist in outlining the class structure and format.
That said, Yoga classes may differ slightly in emphasis but it is the one discipline. Yoga is Yoga. All types of Hatha classes have more in common than not.
Some teachers completely disregard the question of style and say “I practice Yoga”. Yoga has existed for 5000 years and “Yoga style” has been in circulation for about 50! B.K. Iyenger himself did not even use the term Iyenger Yoga for what he taught, believing “there is no distinction between one Yoga and another”
Partner Yoga. “Style” is probably very useful here to describe the class format!
Specific questions for a defined picture.
Outside of the specific “brands”, Yoga style is largely determined by the ratio of Asanas (poses) to Pranayama (breath work) to Meditation. Questions worth asking: What intensity and challenge level are classes? What’s the pace when transitioning from pose to pose? What’s the emphasis on alignment in this class?
Remember what a lengthy continual learning curve Yoga is. It is a life-long practice, more than a career alone. (Most teachers have been practicing the discipline themselves for an age.) The singular, most important element of “Yoga style” has to do with a teacher’s own experience. Every teacher has microcosms of personally discovered knowledge, and if they’re lucky more.
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