Hatha yoga
Hatha is the oldest, most original style of yoga. In sanskrit, the word Ha means sun and Tha means moon. Hatha connects yin and yang energies, it is a harmonizing style of yoga. The lesson usually consists of both relaxing and stronger positions. He does not rush anywhere, he stays longer in the asanas. Thanks to this, there is space for you to understand, feel and breathe the position.
All other types of yoga are based on Hatha yoga and therefore it is ideal for beginners.
During the lessons, you will learn how to perform yoga positions correctly, how to breathe in them. You will learn the basics of the positions, which will come in handy during faster and more dynamic lessons (ashtanga, vinyasa), where you go at a pace and there is no room for explaining how to get into each position correctly.
Hatha is also ideal on days when you need to calm down and immerse yourself in yourself. During a hatha yoga lesson, you can relax and stretch.
The pace of the lesson is usually calm.
But Hatha yoga is not boring and lazy. Since it stays longer in the poses, you will strengthen the whole body during the more powerful, yang poses. Hatha yoga improves the flexibility of the spine, balances physical and psychological imbalances.
Ashtanga yoga
The father of Ashtanga yoga is considered to be an Indian, K. Pattabhi Jois, who created several comprehensive sets of asanas and breathing techniques and organized them into series that are practiced by many people around the world today. It is a more physically demanding practice that is built gradually. By repeating the series, the practitioner can better perceive his progress and gradually master even more demanding positions. There are six sets, the so-called series, the difficulty of which gradually increases. The sequence of positions has its meaning. Mastering one asana is a pass to the next position. This is how the study of Ashtanga continues and deepens, asana after asana, the first, second, to sixth series.
The first series has 41 positions and is based on sun salutations A and B.
According to Ashtanga, physical fitness, a healthy strong body, proper breathing and a focused mind are the building blocks for subsequent meditation practice.
It is traditionally practiced six days a week, which develops mental determination, willpower and discipline. Regularity is an important element of Ashtanga Yoga and any true spiritual practice.
The entire practice is imbued with the yogic breath of ujjayi, working with bandhas (body closures) and with a concentrated view of the so-called drizzling
For classic Ashtanga yoga, specific lesson management is typical, the so-called mysore, when the students practice by themselves, in the rhythm of their breath, and the lecturer walks between them and corrects them.
Ashtanga is very physically demanding, it is the most demanding type of yoga.
It is an advanced, dynamic and powerful type of yoga that will make you sweat a lot. Practicing real Ashtanga is a big challenge. Complete performance The first series lasts approximately 90 minutes.
Vinyasa Flow
Vinyasa Flow is originally based on Ashtanga yoga, with the difference that today it is practiced in various variations of positions. Vinyasa in translation means "arrange" and flow, "flowing", indicates that the asanas are practiced in a smooth flow of movement and breath, which can be difficult for complete beginners.
The goal is to achieve unity between body, breath and mind. Vinyasa is actually a kind of yogic dance, a meditation in motion.
The rhythm of the lesson is not fixed and fixed as it is in Ashtanga, each lesson is different and new. The instructor intuitively chooses the composition of asanas and adapts the lesson to the current needs of his students. Such a practice builds fitness, strength, stability and flexibility and teaches us to perceive the natural flow of breath.
Vinyasa is more suitable for those who already have some experience with yoga. It is a faster type of yoga, and in order to get the most out of the vinyasa practice and prevent injury, it is advisable that you at least know the basic positions.
Vinyasa develops flexibility and strength of the whole body, heals, cleanses the body, relieves the body of fatigue, tension and stress. Vinyasa builds fitness, strength, stability and flexibility and teaches us to perceive the natural flow of breath.
Power yoga
It is a Western version of yoga that originated in the 1990s in the USA. Power yoga is mainly about physical exercise with the aim of losing weight, sculpting the figure, gaining fitness and as a compensation for sedentary work. It is focused more on sports, but that does not mean that you will not also find elements of relaxation, meditation, or breathwork in it. Power yoga classes have a more or less clear structure - warm-up with Sun Salutations A and B, standing positions, strengthening the center of the body and relaxing positions.
Power yoga helps strengthen all parts, strengthens physical stability and increases self-confidence.
Yin yoga
In yin yoga, positions from Hatha yoga are combined with the use of yoga aids and knowledge about meridians. The basic difference between this style and others / which are more yang - strength focused on the muscles/ is that the positions remain for several minutes /2-5 min./ and the body should be relaxed as much as possible. It is a practice in which we mainly stimulate the connective tissues (tendons, ligaments, fascia, joints and bones) and does not stimulate the muscles as much as in other styles of yoga. In addition to increasing flexibility and mobility, this practice is also great after it is useful in cultivating mindfulness and the ability to work with the mind and emotions. It is a suitable preparation for meditation and also perfectly complements other physical activities.
Yin yoga is about finding relaxation. Once we find safety and balance in the position, we can completely relax the muscles and thus support the flow of energy and nutrition to the connective tissues.
In yin yoga, in addition to physical tension, psychological stress is also released and emotions flow freely. Through the relaxation of the physical body, there is also the relaxation of the emotional body, and with that comes deep relief.
Yin yoga is a harmonizing and meditative type of yoga, it works with energy pathways and meridians. It teaches us to deeply perceive our body.
Yin yoga is sometimes confused with Restorative yoga. Both styles are passive and relaxing. Unlike Yin yoga, Restorative yoga seeks physical comfort and focuses on restoring the body after injury.
Restorative yoga
A slow, therapeutic style of yoga that also uses many different aids. Unlike Yin yoga, their purpose is that there is no tension and pressure in the body, but on the contrary, that the body rests freely in a given position without a perceptible stimulus. This style is suitable as part of convalescence after an injury, surgery or also as a mental and psychological rest in case of great physical or mental exhaustion.
Restorative yoga brings balance, heals the body and relaxes the body and mind. It is a passive style of yoga. The positions are held for several minutes, which induces a feeling of relaxation and the body and mind can rest. There are usually a maximum of 10 asanas per lesson.
Restorative yoga and Yin yoga are sometimes lumped together, but each of these two approaches differs from the other in some ways. Both styles are slow-paced, but while Restorative Yoga emphasizes comfort and, as the name suggests, "restoring" the body, Yin Yoga works with deep structures, tension and discomfort in which practitioners seek release.
Restorative yoga is designed to return the injured and diseased body back to a healthy and harmonious state. It is ideal during the period of menstruation, when the body needs to rest and it is not good to burden it with active strength activities, on days when you feel tired, stressed or without energy. Restorative yoga has very beneficial effects in convalescence after illness, injury, or mild depression and in anxiety states.
Iyengar yoga
It takes its name from its founder, Iyengar, who studied with Pattabhi Jois under the same teacher, Krishnamacharya. Iyengar pays attention to the precise adjustment of the body in positions, and therefore uses many yoga aids - belts, yoga blocks, blankets, chairs, bolsters and pillows. Even Iyengar yoga is taught in specially prepared rooms in which straps are fixed on the walls, which are also used for the practice of asanas.
Iyengar is suitable for beginners, for advanced people, and for people with health limitations.
Advanced lessons also include teaching conscious breathing (pranayama). Breathing techniques improve concentration, calm the mind, support the immune system and the will.
Hot and Bikram yoga
Both types of yoga are practiced in a room heated to 40° and with air humidity also around 40%. Such an exercise brings deep detoxification through sweating and warms the body from the outside and the inside, very quickly gaining flexibility and mobility. The difference between Hot yoga and Bikram yoga is that Bikram yoga is a complete set of 26 poses, while Hot yoga can be any set practiced in a heated room.
A Bikram yoga class is always exactly 90 minutes long, while Hot yoga is usually 60 minutes long. There are always mirrors in the Bikram studio (Hot yoga is practiced without mirrors) and the temperature of the room is a few degrees higher in Bikram yoga.
Both Bikram and Hot yoga are advanced, more demanding types of yoga that make you sweat a lot and are suitable for weight loss. But Bikram is significantly more demanding and there is strict morality in the lessons.
Hot types of yoga are a controversial topic. There are health risks associated with exercising in high temperatures, such as dehydration, feeling sick and more frequent injuries, as muscles relax too much in the heat and are more prone to microtears.
Bikram and Hot yoga are popular styles for body shaping, weight reduction and detoxification.
Hormonal yoga
The Brazilian Dinah Rodrígues and her sets of hormone yoga for women and for men (these are two different sets) are known in yoga circles around the world. These are comprehensive sets of asanas, breathing and cleansing techniques, in which the order of asanas does not change, and its aim is to improve the function of the endocrine glands. It is sought by women with gynecological problems, painful menstruation, problems with pregnancy, but also by women at the age of menopause. By regularly practicing this set, many women achieve amazing results on their way to health. This set can be practiced at any age.
Hormonal yoga combines elements from Hatha yoga, Kundalini yoga and Tibetan energy exercises.
The same set is always practiced, working with breath and visualizations. Attention will be focused specifically on prchanneling energy into endocrine glands and specific organs.
Hormonal yoga is dynamic, the flow of the exercise unit supports the overall effect. But the series is not demanding on flexibility. Hormone yoga does not require previous yoga experience.
But there is also a specific set of hormonal yoga for men and for diabetics.
Aero or Aeriel yoga (anti-gravity yoga)
Aero yoga combines yoga, acrobatics and sometimes Thai yoga massage. It is practiced in a curtain, in a special hamasia hanging from the ceiling. The goal is stretching, playfulness and relaxation.
Aero yoga is an unconventional experience, an opportunity to look at classic yoga asanas from a completely new perspective, upside down.
Inverted positions are very beneficial for blood circulation, they act against swelling, varicose veins, and have a beneficial effect on the circulatory system. By practicing aero yoga, the brain is better oxygenated and the mind rests.
During aero yoga, the spine relaxes, the vertebrae move away from each other, the pressure on the discs is reduced and back pain is alleviated.
Aero yoga is ideal if you suffer from pain in the musculoskeletal system, because thanks to hamasia, your joints and bones will be relieved of the load.
Aero yoga has many names, sometimes it is also called Fly yoga, Aerial yoga, Flying yoga, or Antigravity yoga.
Kundalini yoga
Kundalini yoga focuses on awakening the sexual and creative energy of kundalini (the so-called serpent force), which sleeps at the root of the spine. Through dynamic practice, this energy is activated, we feel a flow of energy and sometimes joyful, even ecstatic states.
Kundalini yoga brings the body and mind into a state of deep meditation. In the lessons, compared to other types of yoga, more emphasis is placed on breathing exercises and chanting mantras.
The goal is to awaken a person's consciousness and connect it with the universal consciousness, to strengthen the inner creative potential. It works with chakras and meridians.
The positions are relatively simple, the effect consists in dynamic movement and controlled breathing.
