You might have trouble deciding on a yoga class as there are so many variations. However, all American yoga styles are deviations on one common type: hatha yoga. The roots of hatha yoga have a long history, although hatha yoga and each specific type have evolved over the years. Consult a certified yoga teacher to learn more about yoga and to try out a class. You might have to try a few types to discover which is right for you.
History
The basic tenets of hatha yoga go back thousands of years, although modern hatha yoga is a comparatively new phenomenon as it is only a few hundred years old. The oldest known yoga texts do not include instruction on physical poses, but focus on meditation and paths to enlightenment, although it is possible that poses existed during those times. The date of the earliest known documents is not known, but is thought to be between 1700 and 1100 BCE.
Modern Hatha Yoga
The oldest descriptive texts on hatha yoga only date back a few hundred years, although this type of yoga is based on ancient yoga that changed over time. Instead of having a channeled focus like yoga of the past, hatha yoga incorporates many aspects of a person, including your emotional, mental and physical sides. "Yoga Journal" describes hatha yoga as "a physical discipline which focuses mainly on asanas (postures) and breathwork in order to prepare the body for spiritual pursuits." However, not all modern American yoga classes contain all these components; it varies based on the type of yoga and the teacher.
Types
A wide variety of yoga types have grown out of basic hatha yoga, most of which use the same postures, breathing methods and other techniques. Some of the more popular varieties are Vinyasa, Bikram and Iyengar yoga. Vinyasa yoga, which includes Ashtanga and Power yoga, is characterized by flowing from one movement to another in a fast-paced, physical practice. Bikram, or hot, yoga focuses on performing movements in rooms heated to over 100 degrees. Iyengar yoga focuses on alignment and each aspect of a posture to perform it "correctly." More general hatha yoga classes exist as well, which tend to include a well-rounded practice of meditation, breathing and slowly performing each pose.
Aspects
The general areas of focus in a hatha yoga class or one of its variations are meditation, breathing and poses. Generally, a variety of postures are used for a well-rounded yoga class. The major groups in which poses are categorized are sitting, kneeling, standing, supine and prone poses. Supine poses involve lying on your back while prone poses entail lying on your stomach.
References
- "Teaching Yoga: Essential Foundations and Techniques"; Mark Stephens; 2010
- Yoga Journal"; Not All Yoga Is Created Equal; Jennifer Cook
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