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A Guide to Yoga
Feature
How things have changed. Rather than being the preserve of longhaired, patchouli smelling hippies, these days yoga boasts great style credentials. Where’s you might have sat in a village hall and meditated for a hour in the 70’s you can now visit exclusive yoga clubs and practice all manner of styles from ‘power’ through to ‘disco’.
With the massive growth in the ‘yoga industry’ we have however lost the point a little, so in order to set things straight here is a bit of background to the subject.
Yoga roughly translates as ‘union’, of the body, mind and spirit. It originated in India BC and although occurring in and around the Hindu faith, it is not a religion and as such can be practiced by any faith.
In the West we traditionally think of postures when referring to yoga, however the posture is just one part of an intricate system that makes up the practice. Yoga refers to all parts of our lives and rather than being a simple work out in the gym, it’s a system that provides ethical and philosophical guidance.
The ‘stretching’ or postures that we in the West traditionally practice are referred to as Hatha Yoga; there is also Karma Yoga (action/service), Bhakti Yoga (love) and Jyana Yoga (wisdom). There are a plethora of ‘styles’ that fall under the umbrella of Hatha yoga, each of which should have the same essential goal: of preparing yourself for meditation and ultimately ‘Samadhi’ (enlightenment).
Of course, a lot of the courses and classes run in the UK only focus on the physical aspect of the practice and in a sense, so long as the postures are taught correctly and the teachers have further insight and knowledge should their pupils want it, that’s ok. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, some people will want to learn more about the history and philosophy and some won’t.
If you want to try yoga, don’t get put off by your first class, stick at it for a couple of weeks and if it’s still not to your taste try a different style, there really is something for everyone. If you’re a complete beginner it’s also worth signing up for a short course, you’ll get the most out of it this way, rather than ‘dropping’ in and out of random classes.
Popular Styles of Hatha Yoga:
Ashtanga is a fast moving sequence of postures that flow one into the other. It’s an incredible work out that focuses on your breath and movement first, with the idea that your alignment will follow. Pattabhi Jois is considered to be the ‘God Father’ of this style and you’ll quite often see advertisements for his particular system of Mysore Ashtanga self-practice.
Iyengar is almost the opposite of Ashtanga, in that the focus here is first and foremost on alignment, with incredible attention to detail on balance and strength, whilst poses are held for fairly long periods. A lot of props are used to enable everyone, no matter of mobility or ability, to practice the poses to some degree. BKS Iyengar is now in his 80’s and his family carry on his tradition.
Bikram is a relative new comer and is quite unique in that it’s practiced in special rooms heated up to 100°Fahrenheit. It comprises of a specific routine of 26 postures (with no deviations – ever) and was created by Bikram Choudhary after he suffered a sporting injury at a young age. You’ll either love it or hate – there is no in between.
Viniyoga concentrates on the detail and the breath in each pose. The idea here is that everyone is different and we all change throughout our lives, therefore our practice should be specific to our needs. Classes are very explorative and educational. Krishnamacharya, who developed this system, had a massive impact on yoga, having influenced many modern teachers, including both Pattabhi Jois and Iyengar.
Sivananda centres can be found all over the world. This yoga practice is based on the philosophy of Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh, India, and offers a relatively traditional style that covers all aspects of the Indian system. The style is much slower than it’s contemporary westernised counterparts, with emphasis placed on meditation and breathing.
