Yoga in the Past	Choosing a Physical Practice
Yoga Now	Hatha Glossary
Types and Styles of Yoga

Yoga in the Past

It is generally agreed that the practice of yoga has been around for millennia.  Evidence for this is found in tablets depicting people sitting in various yogic poses, and in the use of the word in ancient Sanskrit texts.  Nevertheless, what is considered a yogic practice today does differ from what was happening several thousand years ago, and this isn’t a bad thing.  Different societies, different beliefs, create different conditions, and hence different requirements, both physical, mental and spiritual.  For example, in ancient India obesity wasn’t an issue.  People didn’t use chairs much, so they squatted or sat on the floor, hence being a lot more flexible.  So a physical practice aimed at toning and strengthening the body, and making it more flexible, was far less important.

Originally, yoga was a method of achieving different states of consciousness, or “mystical powers”. Yoga comes from the root “yug” meaning yoke, and represented the unification of the individual self with the Higher Self (sometimes referred to as God).  It was generally practiced by men, who would give up their worldly life to become aesthetes and devote themselves to seeking enlightenment or immortality through the escape from reincarnation.  The main practice was a purely mental and spiritual one, of sitting and meditating.  There were also elements of religion in the chanting of sacred words.  Other methods of achieving altered states of consciousness, for example through pranayamas or breathing exercises, were also used.

Yoga Now

These days yoga is often seen more as a linking of mind and body, rather than having any religious overtones.  In a modern yoga class, depending on the style taught by the teacher, you may or may not encounter chanting, pranayamas, and seated meditation as part of the practice.  However, what you definitely will find, and this is a development as recent as the last 150 years, is a sequence of poses or movements which will lead to a stronger, more flexible body.  This doesn’t mean that the more aesthetic approaches to yoga have disappeared entirely, but they’re not what you will generally find if you go to a gym, church hall, yoga centre, or on a yoga holiday.  And another thing you won’t find is an all-male class: women now are often the majority.

Types and Styles of Yoga

It may be a little clearer to talk about the main types of yoga.  There are many categorisations of yoga, but one that is often mentioned is the five traditional types of yoga – Bhakti (devotion), Jnana (wisdom, knowledge), Raja (meditation, contemplation), Karma (action, service), Hatha (physical).  These are neither a complete categorisation, nor mutually exclusive.  The important point is that most of what is called yoga in modern Western society actually falls into the category of Hatha yoga.  So, in a normal class you will be offered one of a variety of “styles” of yoga (Astanga, Iyengar, Kundalini etc), but they will generally be of the “type” Hatha, that is they will require a physical practice of asanas.

This isn’t to say that Hatha yoga is limited, that it’s goals are different to those of the other “types” of yoga, or that all physical classes are basically the same.  A useful analogy is that of sport.  Chess as a “sport” is of a fundamentally different “type” to athletics, while within athletics running sprints is very different to running marathons.  However, at a deep level all sport, like all yoga, requires focus and concentration, an awareness of yourself, and being totally in the present moment. 

Within Hatha yoga, the physical elements of different styles will vary.  You may use different asanas (Kundalini, for example, uses movements not found in any other Hatha style), or perform the asanas different ways (holding a long time, holding a short time, emphasising different muscle groups).  The intention of the practice may also be different, perhaps bringing in less purely physical elements.  In some styles of Hatha yoga, a third of the class will be taken up with chanting, using this as an aid to meditation.  Sometimes breath itself is used to focus the mind as the body flows from one pose to another, making the physical practice into a meditation in movement.  Or the focus could be placed on body awareness, relaxing between, or within, poses, to become aware of how/what your body feels (if this sounds silly, just think: How often are you aware of your toes?).  The intention to affect your body and mind, and create an awareness of the state of each in the here and now, is found in all styles of Hatha.

Choosing a Physical Practice

If you are interested in a physical practice, which style you choose at any given moment will depend on a number of factors: from what’s available, to what suits your mood that day; from what your body allows, to your personality and what you want to achieve or get from the practice; from your religious beliefs, if any, to whether or not you feel comfortable singing in public.  And these things can change over time.  There is really no right or wrong in yoga, no absolutes.  As my teachers at White Lotus say: It’s not about doing the pose, it’s about what the pose can do for you.  Likewise, it’s not about which style is more traditional, or more spiritual, or more perfectionist, it’s about how the practice enhances your life.

So, that being said, how do you know what suits you?  Well, one way is to read up on everything, and make a rational choice.  Another way is to try things out.  Or you can do a bit of both.  In that spirit, here is a glossary of some of the many Hatha yoga styles you may come across.

Hatha Glossary

Here I’ll try to present a down-to-earth look at different styles you may see offered.  This is by no means exhaustive, nor is it absolute.  Every teacher infuses their class with their own spirit, and thus no two teacher’s classes will be the same.  These are my own views on these styles, but I’ve also included links to the “official” pages.

Acuyoga	Jivamukti
Anusara	Kripalu
Ashtanga/Astanga	Kundalini
Bikram	Power
Dru	Scaravelli
Dynamic	Sivananda
Hatha	Viniyoga
Hot	Vinyasa (Flow)
Integral	Yin
Iyengar	Other terms

Acuyoga

(www.healingtouchyoga.com/acuyoga.html)

Created by Michael Reed Gach, Ph.D., this practice combines yoga asanas with acupressure: while in a pose you press on certain meridian points to harmonize the flow of energy in your body.  Pranayamas are also used.  This is a gentle practice, without sun salutations.

Anusara Yoga

(www.anusara.com)

Founded by John Friend, previously an Iyengar disciple, this is a practice often described as Iyengar with heart.  More meditative and spiritual than Iyengar, it maintains an emphasis on correct alignment, and on anatomical explanations.  Breathing is natural, postures are generally repeated twice, and transitions are abrupt.  Sun salutations don’t start the class, though they may be practised.

Ashtanga/Astanga Yoga

(www.ayri.org)

Founded by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, a disciple of T. Krishnamacharya, and based in the Indian city of Mysore, this is a very dynamic system of yoga.  There are three series of postures, all including sun salutations and 50 or more postures.  In all the series there are poses of all types (standing, forward bend, backbend, lateral stretch, twists, inversions, balances).  Generally: the primary series focuses on seated forward bends, the intermediate series focuses on backbends, and the advanced series focuses on balance poses.  The series get progressively more complicated, and most Ashtanga classes will only cover the primary series, unless they state that the class is advanced.  Within each series, the poses are always performed in the same order.  To complete one of the series takes at least an hour and a half, so any shorter class will go as far as time allows in the series, and will then end with “finishing postures” (mainly inversions).

There are two main styles of Ashtanga teaching, Mysore-style and talk-through.  If it’s not stated, it’s probably talk-through.  Mysore-style means you are expected to practise on your own, to know a certain amount of the series by heart and be able to practise it, just receiving corrections and, as and when you are deemed ready and the teacher has time, being instructed in new poses.  This was the way in which the practice was originally taught, even to beginners, but now a Mysore class is generally considered more advanced.  A talk-through class is just that – the teacher will talk you through what you are supposed to be doing. 

Throughout the practice you use a breathing technique called Ujjayi (victorious breath), which helps increase heat and also concentration.  There is a dynamic flow to the practice, with breath and movement linked, making transitions fluid.

Bikram Yoga

(www.bikramyoga.com)

Founded by Yogiraj Bikram Choudhury, this system is practiced in a heated room.  No sun salutations are done, but then, you’re being warmed up from the outside.  The basic practice is made up of 26 poses, and each is performed twice.  Transitions are abrupt.  Some people find the heat oppressive, and have been known to faint, but others find it a wonderful experience, the extra heat creating far greater flexibility.  Inversions are not practiced until you reach the advanced classes, after a number of years.

Dru Yoga

(www.druyoga.com)

Dru yoga combines some Tai-Chi-like energetic practices with yoga moves, in a mellow, flowing style.  It is a gentle practice: no sweating or acrobatics here.  Instead, the focus is on the energy of the heart, and how this can harmonize the whole body.

Dynamic Yoga

(www.windfireyoga.com)

Originally designed by Godfrey Devereaux as a stepping stone on the way to a full primary series Ashtanga practice, it has become a style of it’s own, keeping a lot of simpler variations of more advanced poses.  It also combines more of the Iyengar focus on alignment.  Classes generally keep the basic format of the primary series: sun salutations, standing poses, seated poses, backbends, inversions.  Ujjayi is used, and the transitions are fluid.

Hatha Yoga

This is a non-category, in the sense that it is used to describe any style of asana practice.  It is impossible to define a “typical” hatha class as any teacher who doesn’t wish to claim one of the well-known styles, or name one of their own, can use this title.  Classes are rarely as dynamic as an Ashtanga class, but otherwise it is difficult to generalise about them.  They may seem to fit a particular style, or mix a number of different styles.

When I teach Hatha, I generally use variations on the 12-part sun-salutation taught in the Sivananda style of yoga, but I don’t follow their class sequencing style.  Instead, using simple transitions, we move from standing poses to backbends, forward bends, twists, and finally inversions, with balances added wherever they fit the class focus of the day.  There are some rests between poses, though not as long or as often as in a Sivananda class, and a final deep relaxation.  In hour long classes I don’t tend to teach pranayamas, but do include them if the setting allows for more time

Hot Yoga

(www.baronbaptiste.com)

Several quite different teachers claim this style, Baron Baptiste being perhaps the best known of these.   This style is defined by taking place in a heated room, but normally follows a pattern more similar to Power yoga than to the rigid sequencing of Bikram. Sun salutations often start the class, and transitions are normally fluid. Like Power yoga, it often incorporates Ujjayi breathing to build even more heat.

Integral Yoga

(www.integralyogany.org, www.satyamvidya-yoga.org.uk)

Integral Yoga is a balanced, gentle, therapeutic and spiritual form of Yoga.  Based on the teachings of Sri Aurobindo, it seeks to explore the Five Layers of Consciousness; namely body, breath, mind/emotions, soul, spirit.  Classes are small, visualisations are used in meditation, and the asana practice is very gentle.

Iyengar Yoga

(www.bksiyengar.com)

BKS Iyengar, another disciple of Krishnamacharya, founded this style.  He had some health issues, which led him to work on creating ways of performing poses with help from props – chairs, blocks, belts, blankets, ropes fixed to the wall.  Having these aids meant that the practitioner could focus on perfecting the alignment of the pose, at whatever level of flexibility they had.  The Iyengar style places great emphasis on exact anatomical alignment and constant muscular activation.  Breathing is natural, transitions are abrupt, poses are generally performed twice.

Jivamukti Yoga

(www.jivamukti.com)

Founded by Sharon Gannon and David Life (Deva Das), this style of yoga “is a vigorously physical and intellectually stimulating practice leading to spiritual awareness.”  Each class includes Sanskrit chants, readings, modern music, asanas and pranayamas.  Jivamukti comes from the Sanskrit, describing the state of enlightenment, and is meant as a reminder of the ultimate aim of the practice.  This style was strongly influenced by Ashtanga, using Ujjayi breathing and fluid transitions.  The asana sequencing is innovative, but some people are put off by the focus on spirituality.

Kripalu Yoga

(www.kripalu.org)

Kripalu is a gentle practice, where the focus is on becoming aware of the sensations generated by the asanas, in order to create a conscious bridge between body and mind. 

Kundalini Yoga

(www.kundaliniyoga.org)

Kundalini Yoga as a style of Hatha yoga was brought to the West by the Sikh guru Yogi Bhajan.  Kundalini is also a term found in Sanskrit for the serpent energy that is said to reside at the base of the spine, in the Mula Dhara (first) Chakra.  Many yoga types and styles talk about waking this energy, and lifting it along the spine, passing through the chakras, to illuminate the Ajna Chakra (the third eye). The style of Hatha yoga called Kundalini focuses on the energetic level, with a lot of chanting, and pranayamas.  The yoga poses found in this style are often very different to other forms of yoga, with rapid movements and breath.  Many exercises are done while performing quite challenging breathing exercises, and there is more of a focus on the core of the body.  Rarely are sun salutations performed, in fact the practice is often done purely on the floor.

Power Yoga

(progressivepoweryoga.com, www.vancouveryoga.com)

This very dynamic style is based on Ashtanga, also uses Ujjayi breathing, but is distinguished by the free-form nature of the sequencing.  Part of the “Power” element is the fact that there are a lot of standing poses: the leg muscles are the biggest in the body, and generate a lot of heat.  Often, the legs will hold the same position while the torso and upper body move through different poses, so it’s a strong leg workout. 

Scaravelli Yoga

(www.estheryoga.com/vanda.html)

Vanda Scaravelli never named a yoga style, but the way she practised and taught was felt by many of her students to be so different that people talk of practising in the Scaravelli tradition.  Scaravelli was originally taught by Iyengar and Desikachar (Viniyoga), but her practice is quite different.  Reading her words, her approach is poetic: she talks of the wave in the body, of gravity and lightness, birds and flowers, opening to love and dancing inside the body.  Her approach is very much about “intelligent” practice: going where your body will allow, being rather than doing, feeling the flow of breath through your body. 

Sivananda Yoga

(www.sivananda.org)

Founded by Swami Sivananda, and brought to the West largely by Swami Vishnu-devananda, this is often seen as a traditional hatha practice.  It is far less dynamic than Ashtanga, and the class sequencing is considerably different, although the basic poses are largely the same, both in name and in practice (not always the case).  A normal class will start with a brief chant, pranayamas (if there’s enough time), followed by savasana (relaxation), then go through sun salutes, and 12 basic poses (shoulder stand, forward bend, triangle), interspersed with short relaxations to assimilate what you’ve done and bring awareness to how you feel.  Common complaints include shoulderstand being the first asana, which can be quite challenging before your body has had a chance to fully warm up, the amount of cooling down that happens during the mini-relaxations, and the cultish aspects of the Sivananda Centres around the world.  On the other hand, if you want an introduction to chanting and some yoga philosophy, many Sivananda Centres offer free Satsangs on Sundays, and sometimes will also offer a free meal afterwards.

Viniyoga

(www.kym.org)

In 2004, TKV Desikachar, son and disciple of Krishnamacharya, told all teachers following his tradition to stop calling their style Viniyoga, so you may no longer see this name anywhere.  As yet, they haven’t quite decided what else to call it.  Desikachar was concerned that this labelling was being misused by some, and that :"The current world of yoga seems to be made up of many small parts, each one competing with and often confusing the other.  This is not consistent with the spirit of yoga, whose very meaning is "to unite."”  He has a point.  Anyhow, the style formerly known as Viniyoga is a gentle, individually tailored practice, where breath is united with movement, but poses are not generally held, you move in and out, back in and back out, with the flow of breath.

Vinyasa (Flow) Yoga

(www.whitelotus.org, www.shivarea.com)

Vinyasa is a Sanskrit term for the linking of breath and movement, also translated sometimes as flow.  It is also used to describe the transitions in Ashtanga yoga. Vinyasa yoga developed from Ashtanga yoga and like it, uses Ujjayi breathing.  However, it was also strongly influenced by Iyengar, Kripalu and Sivananda styles, bringing greater focus to alignment, to bodily sensation, and a stronger emphasis on pranayamas.  It is a dynamic, fluid practice, with creative sequencing based around anatomical principles.  So, classes generally begin with some variety of sun salutation, cover all the possible movements of the spine, and include balances and inversions.  Beyond that, the class may have a particular focus: twists one day, arm balances the next, backbends another.  Or the focus may be more at the level of intention: playing with the edge of balance, or of flexibility, holding longer, or making the poses more active or passive.  Emphasis can also be placed on something more philosophical: balancing the chakras; applying the yamas and niyamas to your practice; creating an intuitive practice. 

Yin Yoga

(www.paulgrilleyyoga.com, www.sarahpowers.com)

Initiated by Paul Grilley, another top proponent is Sarah Powers.  The goal of this style of yoga is to stretch the connective tissue in the body: the tendons and ligaments.  To do this, poses are held, passively, for a long time – normally five minutes or more.  The idea behind it is to stimulate the energy running through the meridians of the body, the energy lines activated in acupuncture, as well as “stretching your bones”.  It is a very different sort of practice, but well worth giving a go.

Other terms

Breath of Fire	Satsang
Kapalabhati	Three-part (full) breathing
Kirtan	Ujjayi
Pranayama

Breath of Fire

A gentler version of kapalabhati, this breathing practice is used during quite a lot of Kundalini asana practice.

Kapalabhati

A breathing practice which translates as shining skull, this is a forceful exhalation of air in sharp bursts, followed by a passive inhalation.  It is sometimes used as a kriya (purification technique), because it can help clear the nasal airways. 

Kirtan

Devotional chants, used in the Bhakti yoga type, and also found in many Hatha yoga styles, either as background music, as part of the class, or as an extracurricular option.

Pranayama

Although often used to discuss breathing exercises, pranayama is subtler and more complex than this.  Donna Farhi defines it as: “the practice of allowing the breath to move freely; containing and directing the breath toward a specific effect (such as increased vitality); and observing the flow of breath as a lure to bring the mind back to its original source.”  Most teachers would say that breath is the most important part of practice, and many styles highlight particular breathing practices either within a class but separate from the asanas, during the asana practice, or both.  Breath is the most important tool in relaxing into a pose, but also in strengthening the core for more dynamic movements.

Satsang

Satsang means literally “company of the wise/truth”.  It is often used to refer to times when people gather together to chant kirtans, listen to teachings from a philosophical teacher, and meditate. 

Three-part (full) breathing

This style of breath is used in many of the gentler asana practices.  It is a great practice to get in touch with your breath, as many people tend to breathe very shallowly in their daily life, or hold their breath when concentrating.  Three-part breath involves breathing into the belly, the sides of the ribs, and the chest, thus filling the lungs deeply.  Good ways to practice this are lying down, placing your hands on the different areas to ensure that breath is really moving throughout, or doing the same seated, with feet on the floor and knees bent, body relaxed out over the legs.

Ujjayi

Translated as victorious breath, Ujjayi is used in all styles of yoga that descend from Ashtanga: Hot Yoga, Jivamukti Yoga, Power Yoga, and Vinyasa yoga.  It sounds a bit like Darth Vader (or waves against the shore to be more poetic), but is practised with a closed mouth.  Ujjayi’s benefits are that it helps heat the body from the inside, and that it creates a sound to focus on during the moving meditation of the asana practice.

To the top of this page