Yoga is considered to be an essential part of a healthy lifestyle and has several types of yoga each having its own unique way of practising. 

Yoga is considered be an essential part of a healthy lifestyle and has several types of yoga each having its own unique way of practicing. 

The practice of yoga traces its origin to the Indus-Saraswati civilization in northern India over 5000 years ago and has been spread, over the years, to various countries across the world. Practicing yoga is known for being a key element of a healthy life style as it helps in releasing stress while improving our physical strength and flexibility. There are various types of yoga, each specializing in a particular field. Here’s all you need to know about the popular types of Yoga.

Hatha Yoga

It is a wider type of yoga which is an umbrella term covering all kinds of physical yoga practices. It gives a special emphasis on the importance of right posture and requires you to hold a pose for a considerable amount of time. Meditation is also regarded as an essential part of Hatha yoga. 

Iyengar yoga

This form of yoga is recommended for healing of injuries and joint problems. Founded by B.K.S Iyengar, this form focuses on precision of the body alignment and the performance of pranayama. It helps in gaining strength, mobility and stability. 

Vinyasa Yoga

Being an extremely smooth practice, it is commonly referred to as flow yoga. In this type of yoga, a number of poses are stringed together to form a sequence where each movement requires synchronized breathing. ‘Surya Namashkar’ is an example of Vinyasa yoga. This type of yoga improves your flexibility and stamina. 

Ashtanga Yoga

Ashtanga yoga, also known as eight limb path, is a form of modern yoga and requires a lot of energy. It emphasizes three actions- Pranayama (breathing system), Asana (posture) and Drishti (place where you are looking). It is also called power yoga as it is physically demanding and increases the strength and flexibility of your body. 

Bikram Yoga

Created by Bikram Choudhury, it is also known as hot yoga since it is practiced in a room heated to 35-42-degree Celsius with a humidity of 40%. It consists of 26 postures practiced in a particular sequence. The heat results in vigorous sweating thereby reliving yourself of the toxins. 

Prenatal Yoga

This type of yoga is specially designed for pregnant women as it focuses on breathing techniques that help in reducing shortness of breath and works on pelvic floor muscles. It also helps in improving sleep and reducing stress and anxiety.

Anusara Yoga

A part of Hatha yoga, this type of yoga preaches a philosophy which believes all human beings to be ’good people’. It focuses on the principles of alignment, placing them in all of the physical asanas which includes over 250 poses. It leads to rapid healing of injuries and increase in strength. 

Kundalini Yoga

It is a blend of physical and spiritual practice consisting of meditation, breathing exercise, chanting, mudras and asanas with a focus on naval activities which help in raising the awareness of body and mind. Practice of kundalini yoga is believed to act as a cleanser of the blocks in one’s energy field. 

Jivamukti Yoga

This form of yoga emphasizes on all three aspects of yoga i.e. physical, spiritual and ethical. It is one of the most powerful and structured practices and is allowed by a number of celebrities. It follows 5 basic principles- meditation, music, non-violence, devotion and scripture. 

Kripalu Yoga

Founded by Amrit Desai, this type of yoga focuses on the importance of mind, body and spirit by providing an emphasis to the importance of meditation. It leads to gradual process of physical healing, psychological growth and spiritual awakening.