STYLES OF YOGA

In the growing popularity of yoga, more and more variety of styles emerge and it can feel complicated to know what is what. In the West hatha yoga is often thought to be a style of yoga. It actually refers to the physical aspect of practicing yoga. Any style of yoga that is a physical pracItice is hatha yoga.

Other schools of ancient yoga include Mantra yoga, where the practitioner recites mantras, Jnana yoga or yoga of the mind, Karma yoga, a path of service, Bhakti yoga, devotional yoga and Raja yoga, or the path of meditation.

The many varieties and styles and hybrids of hatha yoga we have today grew primarily from the life and teachings of T. Krishnamacharya who brought this physical practice into greater prominence in the 1930s. Four teachers famous in the West today all studied under him at different times: Pattabhi Jois who developed the Ashtanga vinyasa style; Indra Devi who took yoga to the Soviet Union and then Hollywood where she taught Greta Garbo and Marilyn Monroe among others; B.K.S. Iyengar who developed the style known today for it's use of props and attention to alignment; and T.K.V. Desikachar who developed the style known as Viniyoga.

(credit to: YOGA: A Yoga Journal Book, by Linda Sparrowe, for the lovely summary of this information)

Differences between the abundance of styles available today are usually more about emphasis. Below are listed some of the more well known styles taken from the Yoga Site web page. A more complete list is available on their site.

• 
  ANANDA
  Ananda means bliss.
  Developed by Swami Kriyananda, a disciple of Paramahansa Yogananda, author of Autobiography of a Yogi.
  A more gentle and inward experience.
  Unique to this style is the use of silent affirmations while in the asanas.
• 
  ANASURA
  Anasura means "to step into the current of Divine Will," "flowing the heart."
  Developed by John Friend
  Heart oriented and spiritually inspiring .
  Unique to this style is the use energy loops to understand principles of alignment.
• 
  ASHTANGA
  Developed by Pattabhi Jois (see above)
  Flowing and physically demanding workout for strength, stamina and flexibility.
  So-called Power Yoga is based on this style.
• 
  BIKRAM
  Developed by Bikram Choudbury who studied with Bisham Ghosh, the brother of Paramahansa Yogananda.
  Known as hot yoga and it is hot hot hot.
  A particular sequence of 26 asanas.
• 
  IYENGAR
  Developed by B.K.S. Iyengar (see above).
  Attention to precise alignment and use of props such as blocks, straps and blankets to enable everyone to benefit from the alignment regardless of their limitations.
• 
  VINIYOGA
  Developed by T.K.V. Desikachar (see above).
  More a methodology for individual conditions.
  Uses flow of breath and movement.
  Usually taught in private sessions.
• 
  YIN
  Developed by Paul Grilley.
  Pose are held for an extended period of time (1 - 5 min).
  Targets opening and flexibility in the connective tissue.
  Props are generally not used.