The Ultimate Guide To Choosing The Right Yoga Type For You

Suppose you’re thinking of getting involved in yoga — you’re on the right path to gaining body awareness and balance. With this guide, you’ll be able to know what you need out of yoga and what yoga type fits you best.

Yoga has been around for the longest time, with so many people embracing it as a tool to develop great habits that lead to self-discipline, guiding them into making a conscious choice of living a fulfilling life.

Yoga has helped people improve their mobility, flexibility, strength, and balance, as well as relieve strength, thereby boosting general wellbeing.

And, whether you choose to stick to yoga types for spiritual awareness, such as Kundalini, or those meant for physical wellness, including myofascial yoga therapy, you’ll have to consider different perspectives.

However, yoga entails so much and doesn’t fit everyone; thus, you may get confused or frustrated as a beginner.

This article has compiled a list of the ultimate guide to choosing a type of yoga that fits perfectly with your lifestyle.

A Guide To Choosing The Right Yoga Type For You

Here are 9 types of yoga that will serve every fitness goal you’re looking to achieve:

1. Vinyasa Yoga

This yoga will entail moving your body in perfect motion into different flow positions using your breath.

Exercises in vinyasa yoga change from time to time, making it perfect for exercising your entire body.

This type will be perfect if you want something that’ll make you break a sweat while testing your body limits and increasing your strength.

2. Hatha Yoga

If postures excite you, then Hatha yoga will be perfect as it focuses on holding poses as long as possible while focusing on your breath.

At the end of the class, you may end with a meditation session that clears your mind and relaxes your body.

Hatha is perfect for people who need to stretch their muscles to achieve the perfect balance of the body. In addition, Hatha improves your sleep patterns and manages stress.

3. Iyengar Yoga

For Iyengar yoga, you’ll focus on effective structural alignment, which helps balance the mind, body, and breath. This type of yoga focuses on precision through the use of props.

Thanks to its gentle nature, this slow-paced, detail-oriented yoga is perfect for people with injuries or physical sensitivities.

4. Yin Yoga

If you’re a fan of slow yoga, yin will offer the chance of meditation, and strengthening and lengthening your connective tissues. It works perfectly for people with either too low or too much energy.

Poses in Yin yoga last between three to five minutes, giving you a chance to sit through discomfort with just your thoughts.

5. Hot Yoga

This is a heated version of Vinyasa yoga practiced in a heated room between 95 and 104 degrees Fahrenheit.

Hot yoga is perfect for someone looking for an exercise that detoxifies as the heat loosens your muscles.

Due to the increase in your heart rate, you’ll burn some calories, making it an efficient exercise.

Remember to consult with your doctor before attempting hot yoga, especially if you have underlying conditions.

6. Kundalini Yoga

For an in-depth meditation process that’s spiritually centered, Kundalini is perfect. This type of yoga involves lots of meditation, chanting, and breathing techniques that locate energy on your spine.

With Kundalini yoga, you may get spiritual enlightenment that boosts cognitive function to realize stress and anxiety.

7. Ashtanga Yoga

This type of yoga is intense and may not suit people with sensitive joints as it challenges your body strength and flexibility. Created to tire a twelve-year-old, Ashtanga is perfect for beginners looking for a challenge.

And unlike other yoga types that require one to ease into different poses, this type will need you to perform nonstop series of yoga poses.

Once you learn the required breathing technique, you’ll be able to focus on your mind and control the flow of breath throughout your body.

8. Bikram Yoga

Like Hot yoga, Bikram is performed in a heated room above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. You’ll get to do 26 yoga poses, and this may come as a challenge to someone who isn’t used to the heat.

With the kind of heat you’ll be exposing yourself to, your body will detoxify while still getting a great workout out of it.

This yoga type is quite challenging and isn’t suitable for people with medical conditions, such as diabetes or hypertension.

9. Aerial Yoga

As the name suggests, aerial yoga involves hanging off a ceiling with silk and attempting antigravity poses. This type of yoga is gentle and perfect for people who want to improve their core strength and their breath awareness.

Bottom Line

As you go through all the options available, ask yourself what you hope to get out of the yoga sessions.

For instance, if you’re doing yoga for fitness, opt for challenging options, including Bikram or Ashtanga yoga.

Also, when considering a type of yoga, check with your doctor for any underlying condition that may affect you in the long run. Other than that, enjoy your yoga experience and ease into poses.