Hatha yoga – We analyze its most well-known offshoots physical yoga.
Ananda
Ananda yoga is a classical style of Hatha that uses Asanas and Pranayama to awaken, test, and begin to control the subtle energies in the Chakras. Its object is to use those energies to harmonize body, mind, and emotions, and above all to adjust to higher levels of awareness. A unique feature of this system is the use of silent affirmations while doing the asanas for directness and awareness of energy to achieve attunement. Ananda yoga is a relatively gentle, internal experience not an athletic or aerobic practice. Developed by Swami Kriyananda, who was taught by Paramhansa Yogananda, author of the spiritual classic The Autobiography of a Yogi.
Anusara
A system founded by John Friend in 1997, which focuses on joy and love with students in yoga, for which the heart celebrates. It emphasizes alignment and combines tantric teachings.
Bikram
This yoga takes its name from its founder – Bikram Choudhury, who studied yoga with Bishnu Ghosh, brother of Paramahansa Yogananda. Bikram Choudhury's yoga is practiced in a room with a temperature of up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit, so you will sweat a lot. Enthusiastic students of Bikram after reaching the thermostat at high temperatures perform a series of 26 asanas. Each pose is usually performed twice and for a certain amount of time and is also accompanied by the Kapalabhati breathing technique.
Bikram yoga is designed to scientifically warm up muscles, ligaments and tendons to stretch them. The practice of this style of yoga detoxifies the body, and brings about ultimate flexibility. Bikram yoga methods can be practiced by people who are in good shape as well as those who suffer from any chronic illness, however, they should seek the advice of their doctor before including any exercise activity.
Why yoga in a heated room? Because heat is used in Bikram and Hot yoga to allow you to go deeper and more safely into the limits of your flexibility.
Your body becomes more flexible with the heat which allows you to reach levels you never imagined you could.
It also eliminates the risk of injuries, promotes perspiration, and helps you release toxins from your body.
Bikram yoga poses not only work for your muscles but also for your internal organs. What are the benefits of Bikram?
It strengthens the tendons and muscles, joints, and ligaments while releasing toxins and working on your internal organs such as the glands and nervous system. It can also reduce blood pressure and increase blood circulation according to yoga books.
Some people are often discouraged from practicing yoga by thinking that they are not flexible enough. Yoga is not only about becoming flexible, but about strengthening your body and spine in all directions with the aim of uniting body, mind and spirit.
Integral
This yoga places equal emphasis on Pranayama (breath control), meditation and asanas. This style of yoga was developed by Swami Satchidananda, the person who started chanting to the Woodstock crowd. Integral Yoga is also used for therapeutic purposes. Dr. Dean Ornish who is a disciple of Swami Satchidananda has used Integral to treat heart disease. The practice of Integral Yoga revolves around eight main purposes: Physical health and strength, strong and flexible, control over all senses, calm and well-disciplined mind, higher intellect, love and compassion, purer I, peace and joy.
Iyengar
It was named after the great teacher BKS Iyengar who is one of the most famous yoga teachers and who is also the creator of the most popular forms of yoga in the world. Iyengar's style is characterized by great attention to precise alignment of postures, and he also popularized the use of yoga props such as bricks and belts. This great attention to posture, and alignment have also become the special characteristics of Iyengar yoga, which sets a limit to reach a certain level in the exercise in order to proceed to Pranayama. Iyengar yogis use a variety of supports to achieve the best possible result, which also provide support and minimize the risk of injury. One of the most popular poses in Iyengar yoga is Tadasana.
Kali Ray
This yoga was founded by Kali Ray. This style of yoga brings posture, breathing, and focus together to create dynamic energy flows. Yoga exercises (Tri) combine flow and continuous postures in a wave-like movement, with conservative movement and synchronized breathing and mudras. Movement flows are derived from the learner's level and can be as gentle or challenging as desired. Students can progress from the basics by increasing flexibility, strength, endurance and awareness of flow.
Kripalu
Kripalu yoga is also called the yoga of consciousness. Kripalu places great emphasis on proper breathing, alignment, coordination of breath and movement, to honor the wisdom of the body.
You work within the limits of your individual flexibility and strength. Alignment follows awareness. Students learn to focus on the physical and psychological reactions caused by the various postures to develop awareness of mind, body, and spirit. There are three stages in Kripalu yoga.
Stage one focuses on learning postures, proper breathing, and exploring your body and its potential. Stage two involves holding the postures for a period of time, which develops concentration and awareness of your thoughts and emotions. Stage three is meditation in movement in which movement from one posture to another occurs unconsciously and spontaneously while you are in a meditative state.
Kundalini
Kundalini yoga was introduced to the west by yogi Bhajan in 1969. It focuses on the controlled release of the Kundalini energy located at the base of your spine. The practice of Kundalini yoga includes the classical coordination of breath, movement and meditation. The emphasis, however, is on singing and breathing. Kundalini yoga rewards yogis with a spirituality of transmutation and unity.
Kundalini focuses on awakening the energy located at the base of our spine. For this reason, Kundalini yoga is said to be the most powerful form of yoga known today. Its aim is to awaken the serpent of hidden power within you and move up the spine to your brain, to bring you into a wonderful state of trance and awareness. Once awakened the Kundalini passes through the various Chakras, or centers of consciousness, which are thought to reside in the human body. There are a total of seven chakras, each activating certain things when stimulated. To understand the movement of Kundalini better, you need to have sufficient knowledge about your nervous system, especially about the spinal cord. This is because the seven Chakras are considered to be located at this point in the nervous system.
Sivananda
Sivananda yoga was developed by Vishnu-devananda who wrote one of the modern yoga classics, The Complete Illustrated Book. His book was originally published in 1960, and still one of the best introductions to yoga. He named yoga Sivananda, after his teacher, Swami Sivananda who is also one of the greatest yoga gurus in the world. This style of yoga focuses on Pranayama, Asanas, and relaxation. It also focuses on nutrition, positive thinking and meditation. The Sivananda yoga practice seeks to increase strength, flexibility, breathing, and meditation. The Sivananda school now has over eighty centers worldwide and is considered the largest of the yoga schools in the world.
Svaroopa
This style of yoga was developed by Rama Berch. Svaroopa yoga teaches by emphasizing the principle from the top of the spine to the coccyx and focuses on progressing through each region of the spinal cord. It incorporates the Asanas, anatomy and philosophy of yoga. It also emphasizes the development of supreme inner experience, which is called Svaroopa by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutra. It is a consciousness-oriented yoga that also promotes healing and transmutation. Svaroopa yoga is not an athletic endeavor, but a development of consciousness that uses the body as a tool.
Viniyoga
or what is also known as yoga for fitness and has been practiced since the beginning by Sri. T. Krishnamacharya – teacher of well-known modern masters BKS Iyengar, K. Pattabhi Jois and INDRA Devi. His son, TKV Desikachar, continued and developed the practice.
Viniyoga uses modified yoga designed to meet an individual's specific needs and enhance healing, flexibility and strength. Practices can also include Pranayama, meditation, contemplation, study and other classical elements, but the emphasis of Viniyoga practice is on the coordination of breath and movement.
Jivamukti
The Jivamukti method of yoga is a style of yoga created by David Life and Sharon Gannon in 1984. It is a powerfully physical and intellectually stimulating practice that leads to spiritual realization. Each aspect focuses on one subject, supported by Sanskrit hymns, readings, references to biblical texts, music, mantras, the sequence of Asanas and breathing practices. The average Jivamukti student is more trained in yoga philosophy than most yoga teachers.
Bharata
it actually means "alignment". The foundation's founder and director, Gert van Leeuwen, developed the technique critical alignment in which spinal mobility is the most important characteristic. THE critical alignment it makes a distinct difference between using the muscles on the surface and in every posture and movement of our muscles – located near the spine and joints. When we stabilize our posture through our muscles, we do not increase tension but when we increase our stability through the muscles of movement, on the contrary, the body becomes stiff in the muscles and joints.
Nude yoga
Nude yoga is meant to unite body, mind, and soul. This is not a sexual experience though.
The important thing about Nude yoga is the principle that yoga can be practiced with freedom from the constraints of clothing. Understanding and accepting this concept can greatly assist people in focusing consciousness.
by Lena Adamopoulou
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