There are so many different styles of yoga you can choose to practice. There's sure to be one to suit you. It's great to dip your toe into the choices available to you. Still - it's possible to spread your nets too wide, so you dabble in a different style every few weeks, without cultivating a deeper appreciation of any of them. It's a good idea to seek out one or two styles that really work for you. And stay with them, to cultivate your skill and depth as a practitioner from there. Don't just aim to broaden your practice, aim to deepen it.
Traditional schools of yoga involve practicing in accordance with a classic style passed down, guru by guru, in a lineage. Newer styles of yoga - like Humanist Yoga - have evolved as our social and cultural environment evolves and our needs change.
Some new styles of yoga develop from an existing school, as a follower of a guru starts to hoe their own row. Other contemporary styles naturally evolve by exploration and experimentation. "I wonder if I can practise yoga on a paddle board…?" "I wonder what yoga with a partner would be like?" "I wonder how we can make yoga accessible to ALL bodies?"
Slow Flow ~ our house style
Slow Flow practice gives you time to pause and feel right into poses. And still enjoy the calming rhythm of a gentle flow. It's a combination of Vinyasa Flow and Hatha Yoga, with fewer transitions than Vinyasa Yoga and more flow than Hatha Yoga. Choose Slow Flow to experience its beautiful meditative effects, while still enjoying the benefits of improved strength, flexibility and balance.
Acro Yoga
Acro Yoga combines acrobatics and yoga. It’s an intensely physical practice requiring strength and balance – and a partner you can entirely trust. There are three roles in Acro Yoga: the base is the partner who provides the solid base, usually lying on the ground and supporting the partner in the air; the flyer is the partner in the air, working with gravity to move into a series of dynamic poses; the spotter observes and makes recommendations, ensuring the flyer always lands safely.
Acro Yoga combines acrobatics and yoga. It’s an intensely physical practice requiring strength and balance – and a partner you can entirely trust. There are three roles in Acro Yoga: the base is the partner who provides the solid base, usually lying on the ground and supporting the partner in the air; the flyer is the partner in the air, working with gravity to move into a series of dynamic poses; the spotter observes and makes recommendations, ensuring the flyer always lands safely.
Aerial Yoga
Aerial Yoga uses a fabric hammock which hangs from the ceiling or from a frame. The hammock is made from high density nylon material like parachute silk, so it will safely take your body weight. During the session, you move into yoga poses – some traditional, some adapted – using the hammock for support. Hanging upside down adds a new perspective to your yoga: greater flexibility and focus, stress relief and the opportunity to work different muscles in different ways.
Aerial Yoga uses a fabric hammock which hangs from the ceiling or from a frame. The hammock is made from high density nylon material like parachute silk, so it will safely take your body weight. During the session, you move into yoga poses – some traditional, some adapted – using the hammock for support. Hanging upside down adds a new perspective to your yoga: greater flexibility and focus, stress relief and the opportunity to work different muscles in different ways.
Body Positive Yoga
Yoga is for everyone, whatever your size or weight. Every yoga class aims to be inclusive of people of all shapes and sizes. Still - if you're large and you feel a bit shy at the thought of attending a regular yoga class, these Body Positive yoga classes are designed for you. They're upbeat and supportive, with variations of common poses that work well for larger bodies.
Yoga is for everyone, whatever your size or weight. Every yoga class aims to be inclusive of people of all shapes and sizes. Still - if you're large and you feel a bit shy at the thought of attending a regular yoga class, these Body Positive yoga classes are designed for you. They're upbeat and supportive, with variations of common poses that work well for larger bodies.
Chair Yoga
Chair Yoga is helpful if you find standing or practising yoga on the floor tricky or painful. It can be specially helpful if you have a condition like arthritis, a debilitating illness, mobility issues or a disability. Chair yoga's a part of a wider movement to make yoga inviting and accessible to every body. Classic poses are adapted so that you can enjoy the same fundamental movements of the spine covered in a standard class, while a chair bears your weight.
Chair Yoga is helpful if you find standing or practising yoga on the floor tricky or painful. It can be specially helpful if you have a condition like arthritis, a debilitating illness, mobility issues or a disability. Chair yoga's a part of a wider movement to make yoga inviting and accessible to every body. Classic poses are adapted so that you can enjoy the same fundamental movements of the spine covered in a standard class, while a chair bears your weight.
Hatha Yoga
Hatha Yoga is a slow paced practice, where poses are practiced individually and held for a few breaths. A Hatha class will often include breathing techniques and meditation as well as asana. This is a good place to start if you're new to yoga, because you get the time and space to become familiar with yoga poses. Hatha can still be challenging! Most contemporary, physical forms of yoga are derived from Hatha Yoga, including Iyengar and Ashtanga, which on the face of it seem very different.
Hatha Yoga is a slow paced practice, where poses are practiced individually and held for a few breaths. A Hatha class will often include breathing techniques and meditation as well as asana. This is a good place to start if you're new to yoga, because you get the time and space to become familiar with yoga poses. Hatha can still be challenging! Most contemporary, physical forms of yoga are derived from Hatha Yoga, including Iyengar and Ashtanga, which on the face of it seem very different.
HIIT Yoga
HIIT Yoga combines yoga with an intensive full body workout. HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training. This workout burns calories, interspersing bursts of cardio and strength training with relaxing poses. It aims to give you an opportunity to sweat and stretch within a single practice session.
HIIT Yoga combines yoga with an intensive full body workout. HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training. This workout burns calories, interspersing bursts of cardio and strength training with relaxing poses. It aims to give you an opportunity to sweat and stretch within a single practice session.
Hot Yoga
Hot yoga classes take place in a heated environment. They're similar to Bikram classes, but they differ in so much as they don't follow a set routine and they're not part of the Bikram organization. If you like the idea of ‘sweating it out’ at every practice, Hot Yoga may be a good match for you. The heat of the room boosts the natural heat generated by exercise, which can increase your range of motion. The effect on your health of Hot Yoga hasn't been researched yet.
Hot yoga classes take place in a heated environment. They're similar to Bikram classes, but they differ in so much as they don't follow a set routine and they're not part of the Bikram organization. If you like the idea of ‘sweating it out’ at every practice, Hot Yoga may be a good match for you. The heat of the room boosts the natural heat generated by exercise, which can increase your range of motion. The effect on your health of Hot Yoga hasn't been researched yet.
Laughter Yoga
Laughter Yoga is a practice involving prolonged voluntary laughter! It was created in 1995 in India by Dr Madan Kataria and his wife Madhuri, who was a yoga teacher. They discovered that voluntary laughter provided the same physiological and psychological benefits as spontaneous laughter. Laughter relaxes the whole body and promotes an overall sense of well-being. It’s also thought to strengthen the immune system, reduce pain and lower stress. Laughter yoga is practiced in groups.
Laughter Yoga is a practice involving prolonged voluntary laughter! It was created in 1995 in India by Dr Madan Kataria and his wife Madhuri, who was a yoga teacher. They discovered that voluntary laughter provided the same physiological and psychological benefits as spontaneous laughter. Laughter relaxes the whole body and promotes an overall sense of well-being. It’s also thought to strengthen the immune system, reduce pain and lower stress. Laughter yoga is practiced in groups.
Mysore Yoga
Mysore Yoga is a form of Ashtanga Yoga, where the student is encouraged to work through the Ashtanga series at their own pace, but in a setting in which a teacher is always available to assist. Mysore classes are taught one-to-one in a group setting within a three-hour window.
Mysore Yoga is a form of Ashtanga Yoga, where the student is encouraged to work through the Ashtanga series at their own pace, but in a setting in which a teacher is always available to assist. Mysore classes are taught one-to-one in a group setting within a three-hour window.
Partner Yoga
Partner Yoga takes place with a partner, but is not the same as couples’ yoga. Whether you’re practising partner yoga with a friend or relative or with a stranger, there’s always a give and take, a sharing. It’s all about clear communication, trust and support. Assisting a partner can lead to a greater understanding of alignment.
Partner Yoga takes place with a partner, but is not the same as couples’ yoga. Whether you’re practising partner yoga with a friend or relative or with a stranger, there’s always a give and take, a sharing. It’s all about clear communication, trust and support. Assisting a partner can lead to a greater understanding of alignment.
Restorative Yoga
Restorative yoga is all about relaxation and healing for the mind as well as the body. Simple passive poses are held for as long as twenty minutes with the help of props such as bolsters and straps. Blankets and eye pillows help you sink into a deep relaxation without falling asleep.
Restorative yoga is all about relaxation and healing for the mind as well as the body. Simple passive poses are held for as long as twenty minutes with the help of props such as bolsters and straps. Blankets and eye pillows help you sink into a deep relaxation without falling asleep.
Somatics
The term Somatic means ‘embodied’ or ‘of the body’. Thomas Hanna developed this field bodywork, influenced by the methods of Moshe Feldenkrais. It's a subtle, effective way of working with the body, that begins with re-educating the way our brain senses and moves our muscles. Somatics is a movement therapy in its own right, rather than a style of yoga. Still some yoga classes are influenced by somatics, and you will recognize a relationship to yoga in a somatics class.
The term Somatic means ‘embodied’ or ‘of the body’. Thomas Hanna developed this field bodywork, influenced by the methods of Moshe Feldenkrais. It's a subtle, effective way of working with the body, that begins with re-educating the way our brain senses and moves our muscles. Somatics is a movement therapy in its own right, rather than a style of yoga. Still some yoga classes are influenced by somatics, and you will recognize a relationship to yoga in a somatics class.
SUP Yoga
This is yoga on a paddleboard, floating on the water. (SUP stands for 'stand up paddleboard'.) You practice yoga on an unstable platform, which means you have to really engage your core to maintain balance while you move through your poses.
This is yoga on a paddleboard, floating on the water. (SUP stands for 'stand up paddleboard'.) You practice yoga on an unstable platform, which means you have to really engage your core to maintain balance while you move through your poses.
Tantra Yoga
Tantra Yoga is often understood as being focused on uninhibited sex - which is a bit of a misrepresentation. It aims to combine asana, mantra, mudra, bandha and chakra to create 'bliss'. You aim to cultivate connection and awareness in all your relationships (especially sexual ones!)
Tantra Yoga is often understood as being focused on uninhibited sex - which is a bit of a misrepresentation. It aims to combine asana, mantra, mudra, bandha and chakra to create 'bliss'. You aim to cultivate connection and awareness in all your relationships (especially sexual ones!)
Vinyasa Flow
Influenced by Ashtanga Yoga, these classes flow from one pose to the next without stopping. Some studios call it flow yoga, dynamic yoga or power yoga. Vinyasa Flow is a good workout as well as a yoga experience. Because this style of yoga moves you swiftly from pose to pose, it’s good to spend some time if you’re a beginner in a slower yoga class. So you can learn the poses and benefit from instruction and adjustment to correct alignment before you join a Vinyasa class.
Influenced by Ashtanga Yoga, these classes flow from one pose to the next without stopping. Some studios call it flow yoga, dynamic yoga or power yoga. Vinyasa Flow is a good workout as well as a yoga experience. Because this style of yoga moves you swiftly from pose to pose, it’s good to spend some time if you’re a beginner in a slower yoga class. So you can learn the poses and benefit from instruction and adjustment to correct alignment before you join a Vinyasa class.
Yin Yoga
Yin Yoga gets its name from the Taoist tradition, where ‘yang’ relates to movement and ‘yin’ to stillness. You need both to obtain balance. It calms the mind and stretches out the body with a series of passive, floor based poses. They target the connective tissues in the hips, pelvis and lower back. They may be held for up to ten minutes. It aims to help you enjoy a sense of release and letting go.
Yin Yoga gets its name from the Taoist tradition, where ‘yang’ relates to movement and ‘yin’ to stillness. You need both to obtain balance. It calms the mind and stretches out the body with a series of passive, floor based poses. They target the connective tissues in the hips, pelvis and lower back. They may be held for up to ten minutes. It aims to help you enjoy a sense of release and letting go.
Yogalates
Yogalates is a Pilates Yoga fusion. It merges traditional Eastern yoga practice with Pilates - the Western posture-enhancing practice. Grounded in research into functional movement, back care and exercise therapeutics, Yogalates includes poses and exercises to develop strength, stamina, stability and flexibility. There's a strong emphasis on strengthening core muscles.
Yogalates is a Pilates Yoga fusion. It merges traditional Eastern yoga practice with Pilates - the Western posture-enhancing practice. Grounded in research into functional movement, back care and exercise therapeutics, Yogalates includes poses and exercises to develop strength, stamina, stability and flexibility. There's a strong emphasis on strengthening core muscles.
Yoga Nidra
Yoga Nidra is a Sanskrit term for the state of consciousness between waking and sleeping, sometimes called yogic sleep. Anyone can practice Yoga Nidra and it’s a great, simple way to relieve stress. As you rest comfortably in savasana, this systematic meditation leads you to a point at which the body is completely relaxed.
Yoga Nidra is a Sanskrit term for the state of consciousness between waking and sleeping, sometimes called yogic sleep. Anyone can practice Yoga Nidra and it’s a great, simple way to relieve stress. As you rest comfortably in savasana, this systematic meditation leads you to a point at which the body is completely relaxed.
Yoga Therapy
Yoga Therapy is a form of treatment used to address a specific health need. It uses the tools of yoga – poses, breath, meditation, body-mind awareness and relaxation – to promote good health for the whole person - body, mind and heart. You might be treated in a small group or one-to-one.
Yoga Therapy is a form of treatment used to address a specific health need. It uses the tools of yoga – poses, breath, meditation, body-mind awareness and relaxation – to promote good health for the whole person - body, mind and heart. You might be treated in a small group or one-to-one.
Specialised yoga
Specialised yoga courses are styles of yoga designed with a particular target group in mind. It’s clear from the name who these sessions are aimed at. The practice of yoga will have been adapted and modified to accommodate this particular group in society.
Pregnancy Yoga is also known as prenatal yoga. Yoga postures are carefully adapted for expectant mothers. Keeping your muscles strong throughout pregnancy will give new mothers the strength and energy to return to normal after the birth.
Yoga for Addiction If you're recovering from addiction, yoga and meditation can be an effective support. They help provide calm and clarity. Specific Yoga for Addiction sessions are set up to support people who'd struggle to attend public classes. Yoga teachers taking these courses are specifically trained to understand addiction recovery and be sensitive to specific needs and triggers surrounding addiction.
Yoga for Back Pain offers poses and sequences that can release tight muscles in your back and alleviate back pain. Back pain is actually one of the most common reasons that people start doing yoga. If you suffer from long term back pain or acute back pain, then finding a teacher who specialises in yoga for back pain is important.
Yoga for Beginners is a series of classes designed specifically for those just starting out on their yoga journey. Many teachers and studios offer courses for beginners and there is no better place to start. These courses start from the very beginning and build up over the weeks to give you a solid foundation in all things yoga: poses, alignment, breathing techniques, the basics of meditation.
Yoga for Kids is exactly that: it’s yoga aimed specifically at children. There’s a surge of interest in the value of yoga for kids at present. Poses are adapted to suit young bodies and given names (usually animal-based) to capture the imagination. Some teachers build a story that incorporates yoga poses. Some classes are designed for parents and kids together.
Yoga for Footballers became an acceptable notion when Manchester United’s Ryan Giggs attributed his long playing career to his yoga practice. Many professional football clubs across the country have yoga classes as part of the programme for their players. Players are now recognising that the stretching and slowing down that yoga offers is vitally important for their health and fitness.
Yoga for Runners focuses on key poses for those areas of a runner’s body that are most overused or prone to injury. Yoga helps runners develop a greater flexibility, all-round fitness and mental focus. It’s those leg muscles that need lengthening and strengthening in runners. Running is such a repetitive action that is taxing on the body and yoga can counteract the effects of running on the human body.
Yoga for Sport aims to keep athletes as injury free as possible. Sports injuries come about through intensive repetitive action and motion. Athletes push their bodies and can lose touch of their bodies in over-use and training. Yoga builds strength, flexibility, balance and core to create a body that can stay fitter and healthier for longer.
Yoga for Special Needs is a therapeutic approach for children or adults with learning and physical disabilities. Yoga for all includes those with special needs. Yoga poses are adapted so that yoga can be accessed by those with additional needs.
Yoga for Teenagers is aimed specifically at teenagers. Those teenage years are often not an easy time with body image issues, a fragile sense of identity and constant pressure from peers, parents and teachers. Yoga for Teenagers offers these young people the time and the space to develop an understanding of their bodies (and an acceptance, or maybe even a love) and minds at a stage of life when health, fitness and wellbeing are vitally important.
Yoga For Those Affected by Cancer are classes aimed at anyone affected by cancer. Yoga teaches you to recognise what it feels like to be in your body right now and for those undergoing treatment for cancer, that can be a scary and ever-changing process. These classes are small and nurturing and create a safe space to explore and express.
Yoga for Trauma is also known as Trauma Sensitive Yoga or Trauma Informed Yoga. Some approaches look to release trauma and anxiety from where it is held in the body. Connecting with the body can be incredibly difficult for someone who’s experienced trauma and these teachers that deliver yoga for trauma must be well trained and well qualified to take on this work. Yoga can have an important healing and transformative role to play in lives affected by trauma.
Yoga for Weight Loss asserts that you can practise yoga for exactly that reason: weight loss. Studies have shown that yoga lowers levels of stress hormones and increases insulin sensitivity, which signals to your body to burn food as fuel rather than store it as fat. Particular poses help burn fat, build muscle tone, and give you more flexibility.
Novelty Yoga
Novelty yoga sessions are styles of yoga that have developed all over the world over the last decade to entice and excite. Where there’s an imagination and a mat, there’s always a new weird and wonderful type of yoga about to evolve….
And so we have Beer Yoga, Chroma Yoga, Doga, Goat Yoga, Heavy Metal Yoga, Nude Yoga, Rave Yoga, Voga….whatever new style of yoga will we have next?!?
Novelty yoga sessions are styles of yoga that have developed all over the world over the last decade to entice and excite. Where there’s an imagination and a mat, there’s always a new weird and wonderful type of yoga about to evolve….
And so we have Beer Yoga, Chroma Yoga, Doga, Goat Yoga, Heavy Metal Yoga, Nude Yoga, Rave Yoga, Voga….whatever new style of yoga will we have next?!?
Yoga Schools
Hatha Yoga
Tirumalai Krishnamacharya is credited with the revival of Hatha yoga. The practice of Hatha yoga emphasises physical exercises to master the body and mind exercises to withdraw it from external distractions. It’s a combination of proper diet, purifying the body, regulating breathing and bodily postures. The term Hatha is translated as ‘Ha’ meaning ‘sun’ and ‘tha’ meaning moon. There’s a balance there, a steady pace. Hatha yoga has become a generic term for what we now just call ‘yoga’ in the West: asanas (physical postures) as a form of physical exercise for relaxation, body flexibility, strength and personal concentration. A Hatha yoga class typically takes a basic and classical approach, focusing on postures (asanas) and breathing (pranayama) exercises. Ashtanga and Iyengar yoga both have their roots in Hatha yoga. Many of the asanas are the same, but the approach is different.
Tirumalai Krishnamacharya is credited with the revival of Hatha yoga. The practice of Hatha yoga emphasises physical exercises to master the body and mind exercises to withdraw it from external distractions. It’s a combination of proper diet, purifying the body, regulating breathing and bodily postures. The term Hatha is translated as ‘Ha’ meaning ‘sun’ and ‘tha’ meaning moon. There’s a balance there, a steady pace. Hatha yoga has become a generic term for what we now just call ‘yoga’ in the West: asanas (physical postures) as a form of physical exercise for relaxation, body flexibility, strength and personal concentration. A Hatha yoga class typically takes a basic and classical approach, focusing on postures (asanas) and breathing (pranayama) exercises. Ashtanga and Iyengar yoga both have their roots in Hatha yoga. Many of the asanas are the same, but the approach is different.
Ashtanga Yoga
Ashtanga Yoga was brought to the West by K. Pattabhi Jois in the 1970s. It's a challenging, athletic yoga style, where you pace your movement with your breath. There are six set sequences — the primary series, second series, third series, and so on — to advance through. You can be led by a teacher in an Ashtanga class or taught one-to-one in a group setting in a Mysore class. Influenced by the Ashtanga tradition, a Vinyasa class is similar in intensity to an Ashtanga class, except that no two Vinyasa classes are the same.
Ashtanga Yoga was brought to the West by K. Pattabhi Jois in the 1970s. It's a challenging, athletic yoga style, where you pace your movement with your breath. There are six set sequences — the primary series, second series, third series, and so on — to advance through. You can be led by a teacher in an Ashtanga class or taught one-to-one in a group setting in a Mysore class. Influenced by the Ashtanga tradition, a Vinyasa class is similar in intensity to an Ashtanga class, except that no two Vinyasa classes are the same.
Iyengar Yoga
Iyengar Yoga is a classical style of yoga, developed by B.K.S Iyengar. It's a meticulous approach, emphasizing precision and alignment. Iyengar yoga is great for learning the subtleties of correct alignment for all ages and abilities. You're encouraged to use yoga props is encouraged — blocks, blankets, straps, chairs and bolsters. These props can help you find comfort and ease when you’re new to yoga, have a chronic condition, are injured or you're very stiff.
Iyengar Yoga is a classical style of yoga, developed by B.K.S Iyengar. It's a meticulous approach, emphasizing precision and alignment. Iyengar yoga is great for learning the subtleties of correct alignment for all ages and abilities. You're encouraged to use yoga props is encouraged — blocks, blankets, straps, chairs and bolsters. These props can help you find comfort and ease when you’re new to yoga, have a chronic condition, are injured or you're very stiff.
Kriya Yoga
Kriya Yoga is an ancient form of Yoga that was made famous by Paramhansa Yogananda, when he wrote about it in his best selling book ‘Autobiography of a Yogi’ (1946). Yogananda wrote that the principle behind it is that: ‘Liberation can be attained by the pranayama which is accomplished by disjoining the course of inspiration and expiration.’ So there you go! :-) The Kriya Yoga system is based on techniques of pranayama, mantra, and mudra, that aim to help you develop spiritually and experience a deep state of tranquility.
Kriya Yoga is an ancient form of Yoga that was made famous by Paramhansa Yogananda, when he wrote about it in his best selling book ‘Autobiography of a Yogi’ (1946). Yogananda wrote that the principle behind it is that: ‘Liberation can be attained by the pranayama which is accomplished by disjoining the course of inspiration and expiration.’ So there you go! :-) The Kriya Yoga system is based on techniques of pranayama, mantra, and mudra, that aim to help you develop spiritually and experience a deep state of tranquility.
Sivananda Yoga
Sivananda yoga teachers are all graduates of the Sivananda Yoga Teacher Training Course. It's an unhurried yoga practice that focuses on the same twelve basic asanas, bookended by Sun Salutations and Savasana. Practice includes frequent relaxation and full yogic breathing. Its system for a healthy lifestyle includes a five-point philosophy: proper breathing, relaxation, diet, exercise, and positive thinking.
Sivananda yoga teachers are all graduates of the Sivananda Yoga Teacher Training Course. It's an unhurried yoga practice that focuses on the same twelve basic asanas, bookended by Sun Salutations and Savasana. Practice includes frequent relaxation and full yogic breathing. Its system for a healthy lifestyle includes a five-point philosophy: proper breathing, relaxation, diet, exercise, and positive thinking.
Bihar – Satyananda Yoga
Satyananda Saraswati (1923 –2009) was a student of Sivananda SaraswatI and became a yoga teacher and guru both in his native India and in the West. He founded the Bihar School of Yoga in 1963. Bihar yoga takes influences from both ancient and traditional schools of yoga. The practice focuses on posture (asanas), breathing (Pranayama) and meditation.
Satyananda Saraswati (1923 –2009) was a student of Sivananda SaraswatI and became a yoga teacher and guru both in his native India and in the West. He founded the Bihar School of Yoga in 1963. Bihar yoga takes influences from both ancient and traditional schools of yoga. The practice focuses on posture (asanas), breathing (Pranayama) and meditation.
Kundalini Yoga
Kundalini Yoga was introduced by Yogi Bhajan in 1969. It aims to awaken energy in the spine with flowing, invigorating poses. Kundalini energy is serpent energy: picture a sleeping snake coiled up at the base of the spine, just waiting to be awoken. The fluidity of the practice is intended to release the energy supply in your body. As well as yoga postures, Kundalini yoga classes include meditation, chakra studies and chanting.
Kundalini Yoga was introduced by Yogi Bhajan in 1969. It aims to awaken energy in the spine with flowing, invigorating poses. Kundalini energy is serpent energy: picture a sleeping snake coiled up at the base of the spine, just waiting to be awoken. The fluidity of the practice is intended to release the energy supply in your body. As well as yoga postures, Kundalini yoga classes include meditation, chakra studies and chanting.
Integral Yoga
Sri Swami Satchidananda is the founder of Integral Yoga®. He was one of the first yoga masters to bring the classical yoga tradition to the West when he was invited to America by pop artist icon Peter Max in 1966. Just as the word ‘yoga’ means ‘union’ in the Sanskrit language, Integral Yoga synthesises the various branches of yoga into a comprehensive lifestyle system. The six branches of Integral Yoga encourage wellness and self-mastery, promoting the harmonious development of every aspect of the individual.
Sri Swami Satchidananda is the founder of Integral Yoga®. He was one of the first yoga masters to bring the classical yoga tradition to the West when he was invited to America by pop artist icon Peter Max in 1966. Just as the word ‘yoga’ means ‘union’ in the Sanskrit language, Integral Yoga synthesises the various branches of yoga into a comprehensive lifestyle system. The six branches of Integral Yoga encourage wellness and self-mastery, promoting the harmonious development of every aspect of the individual.
Bikram Yoga
Bikram yoga was created by Indian yogi Bikram Choudhury in the early 1970s. Chowdhury designed a sequence of 26 yoga poses to be performed in a heated room to facilitate the release of toxins. Every Bikram yoga class all over the world follows the same sequence of 26 poses. Bikram Choudhury trademarked his sequence and has controversially sued studios who call themselves Bikram, but don’t teach the exact sequence. Official Bikram yoga classes take place in a sauna-like room, heated to nearly 105 degrees with 40% humidity. The poses are designed to stretch and strengthen the muscles as well as cleanse the organs of the body. Prepare to sweat like never before. For this kind of practice, a yoga mat towel is a great idea. Layer over a yoga mat during a hot yoga class with the dots face down for a protective & hygienic layer and super absorbent grip.
Bikram yoga was created by Indian yogi Bikram Choudhury in the early 1970s. Chowdhury designed a sequence of 26 yoga poses to be performed in a heated room to facilitate the release of toxins. Every Bikram yoga class all over the world follows the same sequence of 26 poses. Bikram Choudhury trademarked his sequence and has controversially sued studios who call themselves Bikram, but don’t teach the exact sequence. Official Bikram yoga classes take place in a sauna-like room, heated to nearly 105 degrees with 40% humidity. The poses are designed to stretch and strengthen the muscles as well as cleanse the organs of the body. Prepare to sweat like never before. For this kind of practice, a yoga mat towel is a great idea. Layer over a yoga mat during a hot yoga class with the dots face down for a protective & hygienic layer and super absorbent grip.
Dharma Yoga
Dharma Yoga is a yoga school founded by Sri Dharma Mittra. Certified teachers teach it worldwide. This style aims to meet each student where they are and according to their condition. It’s a devotional practice that emphasises good health, a clear mind and a kind heart. The Dharma Yoga system places great emphasis on the traditional social values and personal disciplines of classical yoga philosophy. - the Yama and Niyama. The ultimate goal is self-realisation - absolute knowledge of the True Self.
Dharma Yoga is a yoga school founded by Sri Dharma Mittra. Certified teachers teach it worldwide. This style aims to meet each student where they are and according to their condition. It’s a devotional practice that emphasises good health, a clear mind and a kind heart. The Dharma Yoga system places great emphasis on the traditional social values and personal disciplines of classical yoga philosophy. - the Yama and Niyama. The ultimate goal is self-realisation - absolute knowledge of the True Self.
Dru Yoga
Dru Yoga was started in 1978 at Bangor University, by a group of teachers inspired by the teachings of Francis of Assisi and Mahatma Gandhi. Dru Yoga aims to create healing and unity by combining asanas, pranayama and mudras (hand gestures). Its sequences are called Energy Block Release.
Dru Yoga was started in 1978 at Bangor University, by a group of teachers inspired by the teachings of Francis of Assisi and Mahatma Gandhi. Dru Yoga aims to create healing and unity by combining asanas, pranayama and mudras (hand gestures). Its sequences are called Energy Block Release.
Rocket Yoga
Dynamic, fast paced Rocket Yoga was developed by Larry Schultz in San Francisco in the 1980s. He called it The Rocket as it ‘gets you there faster’. It uses postures from all four series of Ashtanga Yoga, following through 142 poses in 75 minutes in a typical class. The Rocket Yoga System differs from Ashtanga by adding the ‘art of modification’. Students are encouraged to remove or modify poses that would cause them to get stuck in the traditional series, making this method more accessible for everyone.
Dynamic, fast paced Rocket Yoga was developed by Larry Schultz in San Francisco in the 1980s. He called it The Rocket as it ‘gets you there faster’. It uses postures from all four series of Ashtanga Yoga, following through 142 poses in 75 minutes in a typical class. The Rocket Yoga System differs from Ashtanga by adding the ‘art of modification’. Students are encouraged to remove or modify poses that would cause them to get stuck in the traditional series, making this method more accessible for everyone.
Forrest Yoga
Forrest Yoga is style developed by Ana Forrest. It's a blend of some aspects of Sivananda, Iyengar and Ashtanga yoga aimed to address common Western physical ailments. It involvesthe long holding of positions, emphasis on abdominal core work, and extended standing series. Students are encouraged to use Forrest Yoga as a path to cleansing the emotional and mental blocks that limit their lives. The practice is founded on four pillars — Breath, Strength, Integrity and Spirit.
Forrest Yoga is style developed by Ana Forrest. It's a blend of some aspects of Sivananda, Iyengar and Ashtanga yoga aimed to address common Western physical ailments. It involvesthe long holding of positions, emphasis on abdominal core work, and extended standing series. Students are encouraged to use Forrest Yoga as a path to cleansing the emotional and mental blocks that limit their lives. The practice is founded on four pillars — Breath, Strength, Integrity and Spirit.
Kripalu Yoga
Kripalu yoga was founded by Amrit Desai in the 1980s. It's a gentle style similar to Hatha. In Kripalu, your body is your best teacher. You're invited to listen to your body and figure out how it manages in different poses, rather than performing poses in the ways prescribed by books and experts. It encourages you to believe in yourself and your body. Kripalu yoga invites you to develop awareness of the way you think, act, and feel not only in your practice, but in your daily life as well. Quite a lot in common with our Lotus Leaf house style this one!
Kripalu yoga was founded by Amrit Desai in the 1980s. It's a gentle style similar to Hatha. In Kripalu, your body is your best teacher. You're invited to listen to your body and figure out how it manages in different poses, rather than performing poses in the ways prescribed by books and experts. It encourages you to believe in yourself and your body. Kripalu yoga invites you to develop awareness of the way you think, act, and feel not only in your practice, but in your daily life as well. Quite a lot in common with our Lotus Leaf house style this one!
Jivamukti Yoga
Jivamukti Yoga is a physical, limit-pushing vinyasa-style practice that was founded in 1984 by Sharon Gannon and David Life in New York, 'Jivamukti' translates as ‘liberation while living’ . The practice is all about reintegrating yoga’s traditional spiritual elements in a practical way into daily life for Western practitioners. Classes often include chanting, music and scripture readings. Through its core philosophy and five tenets, Jivamukti Yoga is seen as a path to enlightenment. It has five tenets: shastra (scripture), bhakti (devotion), ahimsa (non-harming), nāda (music), and dhyana (meditation).
Jivamukti Yoga is a physical, limit-pushing vinyasa-style practice that was founded in 1984 by Sharon Gannon and David Life in New York, 'Jivamukti' translates as ‘liberation while living’ . The practice is all about reintegrating yoga’s traditional spiritual elements in a practical way into daily life for Western practitioners. Classes often include chanting, music and scripture readings. Through its core philosophy and five tenets, Jivamukti Yoga is seen as a path to enlightenment. It has five tenets: shastra (scripture), bhakti (devotion), ahimsa (non-harming), nāda (music), and dhyana (meditation).
Viniyoga
Viniyoga typically refers to the therapeutic style of yoga modernised and popularised by T. K. V. Desikachar, son and student of the great yoga master T Krishnamacharya. Viniyoga is not a standardised programme, but a customised yoga experience tailored to each individual, according to their physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental needs and abilities. All Viniyoga teachers are highly trained to lead you through a highly individualised practice, which could include pranayama, meditation, yoga philosophy, and Vedic chanting. There’s a strong focus on alignment and holding postures.
Viniyoga typically refers to the therapeutic style of yoga modernised and popularised by T. K. V. Desikachar, son and student of the great yoga master T Krishnamacharya. Viniyoga is not a standardised programme, but a customised yoga experience tailored to each individual, according to their physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental needs and abilities. All Viniyoga teachers are highly trained to lead you through a highly individualised practice, which could include pranayama, meditation, yoga philosophy, and Vedic chanting. There’s a strong focus on alignment and holding postures.
Anusara Yoga
Anusara yoga was developed by John Friend in 1997 as a contemporary form of the purist Iyengar yoga.The classes are often rigourous. They're specifically sequenced by the yoga teacher to explore one of Friend’s Universal Principles of Alignment and are often rigorous. Through the physical practice of Anusara yoga, students open their hearts, experience grace, and let their inner goodness shine through. Students are guided to express themselves through the poses to their fullest ability, rather than trying to fit everyone into standard positions.
Anusara yoga was developed by John Friend in 1997 as a contemporary form of the purist Iyengar yoga.The classes are often rigourous. They're specifically sequenced by the yoga teacher to explore one of Friend’s Universal Principles of Alignment and are often rigorous. Through the physical practice of Anusara yoga, students open their hearts, experience grace, and let their inner goodness shine through. Students are guided to express themselves through the poses to their fullest ability, rather than trying to fit everyone into standard positions.
Scaravelli-inspired Yoga
Vanda Scaravelli was a concert standard pianist, born into an intellectual, artistic and musical family. She took up yoga in her late 40s, shortly after World War II, when she was introduced to BKS Iyengar by the violinist Yehudi Menuhin. Continuing to study with Iyengar and TKV Desikachar, she developed her approach towards the breath, gravity and the spine, focusing on the importance of surrendering to gravity. This approach invites the student to follow their own inner teacher. Scaravelli never wanted to develop another school of yoga. Rather she encouraged her students to develop their own individual approach to yoga. You're invited to listen to yourself, and practise yoga in a way that makes sense to you personally, in your own bodies and mind. In Scaravelli-inspired yoga, each moment, each day, each breath is completely new, something never previously experienced.
Vanda Scaravelli was a concert standard pianist, born into an intellectual, artistic and musical family. She took up yoga in her late 40s, shortly after World War II, when she was introduced to BKS Iyengar by the violinist Yehudi Menuhin. Continuing to study with Iyengar and TKV Desikachar, she developed her approach towards the breath, gravity and the spine, focusing on the importance of surrendering to gravity. This approach invites the student to follow their own inner teacher. Scaravelli never wanted to develop another school of yoga. Rather she encouraged her students to develop their own individual approach to yoga. You're invited to listen to yourself, and practise yoga in a way that makes sense to you personally, in your own bodies and mind. In Scaravelli-inspired yoga, each moment, each day, each breath is completely new, something never previously experienced.
New Schools of Yoga
There'll never be a definitive list of schools of yoga. How can there possibly be? Yoga is constantly evolving. New schools are being developed, all the time. A few examples include: Baptiste Yoga, Insight Yoga, Prana Vinyasa Yoga, Strala Yoga and Sun Power Yoga. The list goes on...