GooYoga Blog: types of yoga? ?

types of yoga? ?iyengar and hatha are the traditional postures. dont know about the other two.Hatha is the yoga of physical discipline. Hatha Yoga is the most commonly practiced type of yoga in the western world. The goal of Hatha Yoga is to achieve union of the mind, body and spirit through physical actions. Hatha Yoga promotes taking care of your body to be healthy.

Ashtanga (ash-tang-a) is the system of Yoga taught by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois at the Ashtanga Yoga research institute in Mysore, India. This method of Yoga involves synchronizing the breath with progressive series of postures - a process producing intense internal heat and a profuse, purifying sweat that detoxifies muscles and organs. The result is improved circulation, a light and strong body, and a calm mind.

Vinyasa: Breath-synchronized movement.
Poses will flow from one to another in conjunction with the breath.

Iyengar: is a form of yoga known for its use of props, such as belts and blocks, as aids in performing asanas (postures). It is firmly based on the traditional eight limbs of yoga.
It's emphasizing the development of strength, stamina, flexibility and balance, as well as concentration and meditation.
Iyengar Yoga, a form of Hatha Yoga, focuses on the structural alignment of the physical body through the development of asanas.

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All the bestIn very broad terms, any practice of the physical postures (known as 'asana' in sanskrit) is 'Hatha yoga'.

In the West (perhaps especially in U.S.), the word yoga is frequently misused to reference only the practice of asana.
Many people are unaware there are yogas that traditionally do not include the practice of asana (Bhakti yoga, Karma yoga, Jnana yoga).

The list at following site has short descriptions of many Hatha styles:
http://www.traditionalyogastudies.com/articles_styles.html

Because people frequently modify and mix/combine styles, you probably will not ever come across a list that claims to be complete.

The pros and cons will mostly come down to what you seek, and what appeals to you.

Astanga Vinyasa is very vigorous and follows a very structured sequence.
Power yoga is a somewhat generic term for a less formal/structured style modeled after Astanga.

Iyengar is generally not as vigorous as Astanga, and places much emphasis on correct physical alignment. It was also innovative it's use of props to assist in learning the asanas with correct form.

Vinyasa is a term that also gets used as a style name.
As 'Chaker s' explained, it basically means breath-synchronized movement.
A traditional example of a vinyasa sequence is Sun Salutation (Surya Namaskar).

Namaste',
dwb