Which ones have you tried? Do you know your Vinyasa from your Hatha?
Yoga has many different practices, yet at the heart of all of them is ahimsa (kindness) and the uniting of your mind, body and soul through Asana (physical postures), Pranayama (breathwork) and Meditation techniques.
Whatever it is you need, yoga can gift that to you. Here are a few that you may like to try.
Whichever one is for you, remember to hydrate well.
HATHA 'Ha' meaning Sun and 'Tha' meaning Moon
A gentle practice, a class advertised as a Slow Flow may also have many elements of a Hatha practice within it.
It is wonderful for beginners, focussing on bringing balance to the body through our masculine (sun) and feminine (moon) energies found within our subtle body through ancient yoga techniques of asana (postures), savasana (corpse pose) pranayama (breathwork), dharana (concentration), and dhyana, meditation ( a longer period of effortless, sustained concentration).
The teacher helps you to sync your breath throughout, nurturing you to find steadiness whilst holding each posture for up to five breaths, and after one posture is completed you'll immediately move into a 'counteract' posture to bring balance. This practice lengthens and strengthens the body and brings calm to the mind, whilst balancing the sun and moon energies within you.
You may hear words such as,
Drishti - meaning focal point
Pratyahara - withdrawing of senses
Grounding - turning inward, arriving and connecting to your body and breath
Pranayama - breathwork techniques
Sankalpa - an intention
Philosophy - a theme, or quote, based on the lineage of authentic yoga that still has relevance in our life today, maybe from the Sutras, Yamas or Niyamas for example.
VINYASA
A dynamic practice with a focus on 'flow' and moving in sync with your breath. The Sanskrit word 'nyasa' means 'to place', and the 'vi' means 'in a special way'.
The pranayama ujjayi breath known as victorious breath, or beautifully as i like to call it, ocean breath, this breathing technique can be used throughout, it has a sound that can help your focus during your practice. The teacher will explain the technique at the start of the class.
It can have creative sequencing in it, moving through one side of the body first with Sun Salutations seamlessly practiced before moving onto the other side of the body. It is faster paced, one breath, one movement. The teacher will provide breathing cues during the class. This style of yoga finishes with a savasana, dharana, and dhyana. A vinyasa class can leave you feeling re energised and re balanced.
YIN
This is a slow paced practice, nourishing the feminine energy within us (yes, we all have both masculine and feminine). A practice that is mainly done low on the mat, you may use props such as blocks and bolsters to support your body.
Yin postures work to deeply stretch the connective fascia tissues with a focus on your hips, legs, and shoulders. Postures are held for between three to five minutes at a time.
It is a strong practice for the mind as well as the body, as the resistance you feel is real, it builds resilience within you as you develop a deep connection to the power of your breath, supporting you through discomfort (not pain I hasten to add!). Nurturing your resilience on your mat transfers into all aspects of your life off the mat.
RESTORATIVE
A practice that uses props so you may hold passive, but balanced postures for extended periods of time, between five to fifteen minutes each. It differs to a Yin yoga practice as the aim is to enable the body to reach a state of surrender, to 'let go' and completely relax, this is truly nourishing your nervous system. Easing tensions and stress both physically and mentally.
It can include restorative postures such as seated forward folds, supine postures and twists and heart opening through supported backbends. A way to deeply relax, even though this class may only have a few postures within it because of the length of time they are held.
There are many more Yoga practices out there, far too many for me to mention here. Be curious and explore, read about them, and ultimately try them out. Yoga can change your life, your practice can infinitely evolve, just like you.
Most of all, simply enjoy, yoga is for everyone.
Jo x
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