The many flavors of yoga

I had been practicing yoga for about 5 years when an experienced yoga friend asked me what “kind” of yoga I did. I had no idea. Were there “kinds” of yoga? I was practicing with a teacher who I had started with at my gym and then followed to her small classes at her home studio. I would ride my bike across the city two days a week, early in the am for the class, and had even gone to Kripalu once of twice for weekend yoga retreats.

I did not consider myself much beyond a beginner in terms of my practice since there were no backbends, or flipping my downward dog or handstands (there are still aren’t these kinds of poses in my practice!) but how could I not know what kind of yoga I was doing?

When I asked, my teacher responded “Janet’s yoga.” It meant nothing to me but I went home ready to report back to my inquiring friend. The next day it dawned on me. My teacher was Janet. Janet’s yoga? Hmm…maybe I’d better ask again not wanting to feel even more foolish. With the next inquiry Janet said, Yes, it’s my own style of yoga combined from a few different kinds to meet the needs of my students. Ahh….that was an answer that felt good.

Many yoga teachers have this approach and it makes sense. Our Prasada team includes teachers trained in many different styles or, as I like to call them, “flavors” of yoga. Some sources say there are about 6 basic styles while others cite over 20.

Truly it does not matter if you know the style. What is most important is that the style matches your needs so you can have a good yoga experience.

It’s similar to the feeling of relief when you have a hurt foot and end up at the office of a podiatrist vs. seeking help from a cardiologist.

Some styles are about getting sweaty and building strength and others are about restoration and relaxation with props of soft blankets. How do you find the right one for you? Here is a simple yoga chart and a yoga quiz to help determine what style of yoga will best meet your needs and interests. Finding the right class and teacher is the next step.

Yoga studios can get creative with the names of classes, often leaving new students baffled as to what exactly a class called Sweet and Soft Vini Flow Detox could possibly be. I recommend doing a quick search to find a studio close to you then giving the owner a call to share what you are looking for and then get a recommendation for which teacher might be the best match.

Once you get comfortable with what best meets your needs, it’s awesome to explore. The classes can be drastically different. If there is one flavor that you don’t like, give another one a try. Your mood will be different and you may like a nice, challenging flow on some days and a restorative class on another day. Be open to it all. There truly is something for everyone.

Here are my suggestions for exploration.
Hatha: basic poses, postures practiced one at a time, no real flow of poses but nice foundation of yoga
Vinyasa: a flow style where one pose “flows” into the next pose
Restorative: Floor poses with lots of blankets as props to help you relax and restore
Yin: Looks easy but this targets flexibility in the connective tissue, and joints. You hold postures 1-5 minutes, great for keeping flexible joints but not working muscles.

While there may be different styles, most still have most of the same postures. Even within one posture, however, there are many variations. I was the biggest pest in my yoga teacher training because I kept asking when learned a pose “What if someone can’t do that?” At one point my teacher snapped “Then they can’t do the pose.” That answer did not suit me so I got curious and found other teachers who showed me other options and I continued to experiment on my own and with my students to find a more accessible approach.

EVERY pose is a full body experience, with every part of the body engaged in some way. Variations are all about pulling the pose apart and working just one piece of a pose or not taking it to its “fullest expression.” For example, in eagle pose, there are three different ways you can wrap your arms and three different ways you can wrap the legs, and between those there are multiple combinations.

One of the most important aspects of a yoga practice is to know which of these is the right one for you at each practice. Your body, and mind change every day. So, too will your yoga practice. With an experienced teacher, you will be invited to explore all the variations, as they all have something to offer.

As a beginner I occasionally, okay, more than occasionally, I would go too far, trying to do a version of a pose that was beyond where I was. The pulled hamstring was not an experience I want to repeat. It took almost a solid year to fully heal because I was not paying attention in a 6 am class one cold morning. Some lessons are hard, and yet those are the ones we most remember. Be here now, paying attention on purpose is a mantra for my practice these days and it has served me well.

So here’s to trying yoga’s many flavors. And don’t forget the sprinkles.