Types of Yoga

At the beginning of every yoga session at Lululemon, the instructor always describes the "type" or "school" of yoga that we will be "practicing" that day. I don't know about y'all, but this means absolutely nothing to me. In an attempt to find out what one earth they were talking about, I decided to look it up. As it turns out, there are a lot of different kinds of yoga. The 6 main types are:

1. Hatha - classes are generally slow-paced and gentle, providing a good introduction to yoga
2. Vinyasa - classes are usually more vigorous and incorporate Sun Salutations (a series of poses in which movement is synchronized with breathing)
3. Ashtanga / Power Yoga - a very intense style of yoga where there is constant movement (i.e., flow) between poses (in Ashtanga classes, the poses are always performed in the same order... power yoga is a little less strict)
4. Iyengar - poses are usually held for long periods of time and are very focused on alignment; props (i.e., yoga blankets, blocks, and straps) are often used
5. Kundalini - explores the synergy between breathing and movement to "free" energy from the lower body and allow it to move upwards
6. Bikram / Hot Yoga - classes are held in 95-100 degree rooms, which helps to loosen tight muscles and "cleanse" the body through profuse sweating; there are 26 poses in total, but not all of them may be

Trying to figure out which sounds best for you... take the Yoga Personality Quiz!