There are major 11 types of Yoga in India. If you’re trying to determine which of the different types of yoga in India is best for you, remember that there is no right or wrong one. If you want to look for a traditional style, this is the best platform for you where you can teach what yoga is suitable for you and what are the physical benefits of yogasan.
“Yoga is not a work-out it is a work-in” And this is the point of spiritual practice to make us teachable to open up our hearts and focus our awareness so that we can know what we already know and be who we already are free. Below you can see the yoga poses with pictures.
11 types of Yoga in India:
1. Hatha Yoga:
“Hatha” can be understood in two ways; “Wilful” or “Forceful” or the Yoga of activity and as “sun” (ha) and “moon” (tha), which means Yoga to bring the balance between sun and the moon in you. Hatha yoga is a great way of achieving the good health of your body and mind. This further leads to help and joyness. You can explore Hatha Yoga in many ways that take you beyond certain limitations but, basically, it is a physical preparation- preparing the body for a higher possibility.
Benefits of Hatha Yoga :
- Some of the effective poses like Tree pose, Shoulder Stand, and Mountain pose come under Hatha Yoga, it is a great way to improve your core strength.
- Hatha Yoga helps to reduce the occurrence of hypertension, which is one of the major causes of Heart Problems.
- It boosts blood circulation and improves your glow as well as provides essential nutrients to the skin.
- It supports the lymphatic system that protects the body from disease and infection. Besides, it lowers stress that negatively affects the immune system. Hatha Yoga also keeps the inflammatory level in check to prevent immune system disorders.
- Hatha Yoga helps you burn calories and get toned muscles with improved flexibility.
- Making you more aware of your eating habits and feelings of fullness.
2. Vinyasa Yoga :
Vinyasa Yoga connects one posture to the next using breath. The word “Vinyasa” can be derived as “arranging something in a special way.” In Vinyasa yoga you should coordinate movement with breath to flow from one pose to the next. The smooth flow of the Vinyasa Yoga that the poses run together, is one of the most popular contemporary styles of yoga. In Vinyasa yoga breath should be synchronized with each movement. Each movement in the series is cued by an inhalation or an exhalation of the breath.
Benefits of Vinyasa Yoga:
- Vinyasa yoga is beneficial for the body as well as mind. This yoga reduces stress and anxiety and helps to connect the body and mind. Doing this exercise on a regular basis makes you feel calm and at peace in your mind.
- As you progress through the flow sequence, it creates heat within the body. It improves blood circulation and purifies the blood and makes it thinner.
- The continuous movement stretches and strengthens each muscle within the body, is a great way to boost strength and flexibility.
- It is a great exercise for burning your calories. This makes it an ideal type of exercise for people who are looking for weight loss.
3. Kundalini Yoga:
These days Kundalini yoga is a combination of many traditions, and the kriyas and meditations in Kundalini Yoga are designed to raise complete body awareness to prepare the body, nervous system, and mind to handle the energy of Kundalini rising. Kundalini yoga is a mixture of the practice of meditation, the mental and physical control, the yogic practice of chanting, and for the expression of power and energy.
Benefits of Kundalini Yoga:
- Knocks up your willpower, that means you build a strong heat in this region, which helps in digesting not only foods but also past memories and self-doubt.
- Strengthens your nerves system, so when the stronger your nerves are, the more you will be able to act in a cool, calm, and collected manner in the face of any situation.
- Kundalini yoga is beneficial for the heart problem. Poses as the tree pose provide us with security in the root chakra so we feel strong and confident.
- When you begin each Kundalini session with the chant it’s believed you are linked with the spiritual power of yourself.
- Kundalini yoga helps to develop your internal guidance system.
4. Bikram Yoga:
Bikram yoga is a traditional yoga that orders in sequence a series of yoga posture and breathing exercises that were initially structured by Bikram Choudhury. This yoga is not only beneficial for getting a healthy body through the practice of it, as well as giving inner peace and happiness. When you practice for this yoga the room is prepared to reach 40 degrees of heat and between 40-50% humidity.
Benefits of Bikram Yoga:
- Bikram Yoga makes you physically and mentally sharper, It helps you become more creative and productive.
- This yoga provides your total health through balance and strengthening of all body systems, with the aim of preventing disease, injury, and limiting the effects of aging.
- These postures of Bikram Yoga combine various abilities like concentration, patience, determination, and self-control which leads to increased clarity, self-confidence, and liveliness.
- It works every system of your body nervous, immune, digestive, endocrine, reproductive, muscular, and cardiovascular.
- Builds mental strength by holding your mind in a focused manner.
5. Yin Yoga:
Yin Yoga is based on ancient Chinese philosophies and Taoist principles which believe there are pathways of energy that run through our bodies. By stretching and deepening into poses, you can open up any blockages and release that energy to flow freely. Yin yoga targets your connective tissues like your ligaments, joints, fascia, and bones. This yoga connects both your mind and the physical sensation of your body.
Benefits of Yin Yoga:
- Yin is one of the most effective ways of improving your flexibility and releasing tension.
- This helps increase your blood flow and circulation.
- Yin yoga has a significant impact on lowering stress and anxiety and reducing the risk of depression.
- Balance internal organs and improve the flow of circulation.
- Encourages mindfulness and meditations.
6. Jivamukti yoga:
Jivamukti (pronounced Jee-va-mook-tee) is a name for a type of Hatha Yoga practice branded in the early 1980s by David Life and Sharon Gannon to reflect the true aim of yoga, which is liberation and self-realization. Incorporating chanting, meditation, pranayama, philosophy, and music into a vigorous flowing asana, or vinyasa, practice, Jivamukti is a physically and intellectually stimulating method.
According to David Life, Jivamukti Yoga is for students “with imagination, a sense of adventure and the courage to change.” In addition, Sharon adds that the perfect candidate is one “who wants to be absolutely free… to live their life in ways that matter.”
Benefits of Jivamukti Yoga:
- Jivamukti yoga helps build your body balance.
- One of the important benefits of Jivamukti yoga is decreasing the stress and toxins from the body.
- Makes blood circulation smoother.
- With the regular involvement of meditation and breathing helps you relax and removes your mental stress.
- The regular practice of Jivamukti yoga brings you to harmony with nature and all the living creatures.
7. Anusara Yoga:
Anusara Yoga, or “Yoga of the Heart” was founded by John Friend in the 1990s. Friend, a student of Iyengar yoga, developed an asana system centered on the universal principles of alignment. Anusara yoga is a type of yoga in the Tantric tradition, wanting to nurture the intrinsic goodness in all of us, and celebrate the difference and diversity of its practitioners. Yoga revolves around a heart-oriented theme, using breath-coordinated movement and the ‘Universal Principles of Alignment.’
Benefits of Anusara Yoga:
- Regular Anusara yoga practice makes the body stronger and more flexible heals injuries faster and evens out imbalances that naturally exist in the body.
- The heart and mind become more resilient and softer, peaceful and joyful, happy and balanced.
- Anusara improves your body alignments and makes you more graceful.
- Yoga certainly helps you in living a tension-free, relaxed and healthy life!
- Anusara yoga improves stamina. People following this form of yoga, on a daily basis, feel highly energized.
8. Iyengar Yoga:
Iyengar yoga was developed by B.K.S. This yoga who was a direct disciple of T. Krishnamacharya. Iyengar Yoga is known for asana, the physical postures, though the practice does incorporate the breath and the mind throughout each pose of this yoga. By paying close attention to anatomical details and the alignment of each posture, Iyengar Yoga is the practice of precision.
Benefits of Iyengar Yoga:
- Improved physical and psychological health.
- The use on a regular basis of this yoga to enable beginner or more advanced to hold posture without causing pain or any injury.
- Guides you to think about where the muscles are connected to other body parts and engage those as well.
- Once you are in the asana or pose, Iyengar yoga encourages you to focus on the precise alignment of your body.
- While you hold your asana and consider your alignment, linger also instructs you to focus on the breath.
9. Ashtanga Yoga:
In Sanskrit, the ancient language of India, the word “Ashtanga” means eight limbs. The term was first used by an ancient Indian sage called Patanjali, who wrote The Yoga Sutras; the authoritative text on yoga. He described eight practices (“limbs”) that we should master in order to transcend suffering and recognize our true nature. Ashtanga yoga, with its many vinyasas, is great for building core strength and toning the body. Prepare to sweat as you briskly move through a set sequence. Ashtanga Yoga was founded by K. Pattabhi Jois.
Benefits of Ashtanga Yoga:
- It is a great way to improve your flexibility.
- You are working to hold your bodyweight upon just your hands or you are balancing on one leg – this builds a ton of strength in your core and increases your overall body strength.
- It improves cardiovascular fitness.
- It helps to reduce body fat and you will look gorgeous.
- Reduce Stress and anxiety.
10. Restorative Yoga:
You might have come across many different forms of Yoga, like Hatha Yoga, Raj Yoga, Power Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga and maybe even restorative Yoga. In the Restorative form of Yoga, we slow down and relax the body by holding on to the poses passively. Here you take the help of props, blankets, yoga blocks and bolsters. The muscles get relaxed without getting much strained.
Benefits of Restorative Yoga
- Improves the capacity for healing and balancing.
- Restorative asanas would be a gentle form of exercise that promotes healthier lifestyles.
- Encourage the transition to regular meditation
- Restorative yoga is so powerful it can even calm your nervous system.
- Encourage greater self-awareness- it also nurtures your insight and spiritual growth.
11. Prenatal Yoga:
During pregnancy, your body goes through many changes, which creates stress on you mentally and physically. A way to maintain a healthy mind and body is prenatal yoga because it focuses on poses for pregnant women, in order to increase strength and flexibility. It also helps pregnant women to develop proper breathing and relaxation techniques for easier and more comfortable labor.
Benefits of Prenatal Yoga:
- One of the most notable physical benefits of yoga during pregnancy is the way your delivery will be easier.
- Your body and mind will be fit during the delivery.
- Get an all-natural pregnancy glow
- Yoga helps you to strengthen and stretch these areas so that they don’t hurt quite so much as they shift in your body.
- It will help to remove anxiety and mental stress during pregnancy.
After knowing about all 11 types of Yoga in India, we are sure you will able to choose the one that you think will perfectly suit your body requirements!