Yoga practice delivers health benefits for both the mind and body. Different styles of yoga have evolved through the years since its inception in ancient India. Two styles of yoga, hatha and vinyasa, both use exercises and postures -- referred to as asanas -- but they differ in their overall emphasis. Hatha yoga emphasizes balance through duality, while vinyasa yoga practice involves synchronizing breathing and movement.
Background
Humans began practicing yoga as early as 2000 B.C. The civilization that grew out of the Indus Valley developed this system of exercise concurrently with its major religions, Hinduism and Buddhism. The exercises, therefore, took on a spiritual aspect to them rather than serving as a system for physical fitness alone.
Hatha Yoga
"Hatha" is a two-part word created by combining the Sanskrit words for sun, "ha," and moon, "tha." Practitioners use the two words symbolically to refer to the two nostrils. The sun represents the right nostril, and the moon represents the left nostril. Further, the two terms convey the notions of positive, the sun, and negative, the moon. Hatha yoga practice focuses on balancing the breath through both nostrils in order to balance the body and mind.
Vinyasa Yoga
Vinyasa -- meaning breath-synchronized movement -- incorporates simultaneous movement and breathing. Also called vinyasa flow or flow yoga, this system of yoga focuses on smooth transition between movements and breaths. As with other styles of yoga, vinyasa yoga has a diverse set of asanas, but its instructors emphasize moving from position to position while either inhaling or exhaling. Also, this style of yoga encourages students to find their "flow" by using their own creativity and personal abilities while exploring the different asanas.
Exercises
Both hatha and vinyasa yoga contain diverse asanas, mudras, pranayamas, bandhas and kriyas associated with all styles of yoga. Mudras are gestures; pranayamas refer to control over the body's vital energy; bandhas translates roughly to forced posture and kriyas roughly means focus of exercise.
Specific exercises vary depending on the instructor and area where the yoga is practiced. With that in mind, individuals who wish to find which style is right for them will have many different approaches to the two styles available depending on where they are.
Considerations
Yoga is an exercise system available to all ages. Because each style of yoga has certain movements that can be more strenuous than others, practitioners should be aware of their own bodies' abilities and limitations. Practicing yoga should be a rejuvenating and energizing exercise.
References
- "A History of Yoga"; Vivian Worthington; 1982
- "The Complete Book of Vinyasa Yoga"; Srivatsa Ramaswami; 2005
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