Numerous styles of yoga have evolved over the centuries since its birth. A widely practiced style of yoga in the United States is hatha yoga. Hatha yoga primarily focuses on the physical aspects of yoga like stretching and posing. A myriad of yoga styles exist within hatha yoga. Some of these styles include Ashtanga, Bikram, Iyengar and Jivamukti.
Ashtanga
Ashtanga yoga was brought to light by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. This style of yoga involves a flow of asanas, or poses, with synchronized breathing. Ashtanga is a strenuous workout, designed to improve strength, stamina and flexibility. This style is not ideal for yoga beginners or people who are just beginning to work out. Ashtanga has six levels that increase in intensity and difficulty. Yoga classes that are advertised as Power Yoga are often based on Ashtanga yoga.
Bikram
Bikram yoga, named after its creator Bikram Choudhury, is performed in a room with a temperature of up to 100 degrees F. During a Bikram yoga session, 26 poses are performed with each being done twice for a set period of time. According to the ABC of Yoga, poses are done beginning with standing poses and moving to back-bends, forward bends and twists. The theory behind Bikram yoga is that it warms and stretches muscles in a particular order to get the most out of the exercise.
Iyengar
B.K.S. Iyengar founded Iyengar yoga which concentrates on the precision of movements and body alignment. Iyengar yoga makes heavy use of props such as blocks, belts and ropes in order to achieve this precision. Poses in Iyengar yoga are held for longer and repeated more than in many other yoga forms. Students must first master the postures with precision before moving on to the controlled breathing, or Pranayama, that complements the yoga postures.
Jivamukti
Jivamukti yoga was founded in 1984 by Chicago-based yoga teachers David Life and Sharon Gannon. Jivamukti combines classic Ashtanga with an emphasis on the spiritual aspects of yoga. Each class focuses on a theme. This theme is emphasized in classes through a combination of postures, meditation, chanting, breathing, yoga scripture and music. According to JivamuktiYoga.com, Jivamukti yoga students are often more knowledgeable about the philosophy of yoga than many yoga teachers.
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