Which style of yoga is right for me?

Find out which style of yoga works best for you, from Hatha, to Ashtanga, to Yin and more.

Sometimes, the array of different styles of yoga on offer can be quite overwhelming if you’re beginning your journey into the world of yoga. Yoga originated in India, however, it’s expanded and cross-pollinated, and responds to the culture it lands in - including here in Berwick upon Tweed.

Let me walk you through the yoga classes I offer. I’ve included a little scale for each - this is very general, and in reality it is more nuanced and unique according to each individual. It’s more of a general indication. Comment on Instagram if you'd like to share your thoughts.

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The foundation: Hatha (align)

Slow & steady

●●●○○ Pace

●●●○○ Physical activity

●●○○○ Mental challenge

Hatha can be thought of as an umbrella term that encompasses all physical yoga practices, although it can be thought of as a style in its own right. If you go to a Hatha class, it will feel distinct to other styles on offer.

There is a focus on classic, foundational poses.

I’m calling these classes “Align” in plain English, to give a general idea of the focus.

Alignment of the body in yoga poses (asanas), and alignment of the energy (sun and moon, ha / tha.)

Perfect for beginners looking for a mindful, steady practice.

For my classes, the main sequence changes week to week. The warm up is usually consistent.

It’s a nice mix of gentle warm up, more active/movement poses, ending with restorative poses to settle and move into our final resting pose. Pranayama (translated as “energy expansion”) or breath work, is often included.

I like to give a balance of helpful guidance on alignment, focus on breath/sensation and space/silence for you to process your own practice.

Ashtanga (energise)

Dynamic flow

●●●●○ Pace

●●●●○ Physical activity

●●●○○ Mental challenge

Ashtanga means eight limbs, and refers to the Yoga Sutras (teachings) of Patanjali (more on them later!)

Ashtanga is made of several set series. The one I teach is the primary series, which is in theory the easiest, although it can still be a bit of a challenge! I still can’t do some of the poses in their full expression, and may never achieve them. This series can be very humbling.

The full sequence can take up to two hours to complete, so as we only have an hour, the start and end usually stay the same, however, a short part in the middle will vary to allow us to try different poses. You’ll have a print out of the sequence at the front of your mat, so you can see exactly where we are and what we’re doing. You might even be able to memorise the sequence, and carry it with you so you can practice the sequence wherever you are - even off the grid.

It’s a little faster moving than Hatha classes, which is why I’m calling it “Energise”. We build heat through breath and movement. Ashtanga is good for those looking for a more vigorous practice and consistency. It’s a form of vinyasa, or flow, and modern vinyasa originated from this style.

Just a heads up - I begin by chanting the traditional Ashtanga opening mantra (basically thanking the teachers), which is the time you can use to ground and settle into the beginning of the practice.

Having a consistent sequence allows you to really notice the changes in yourself. As the sequence remains roughly the same, the changes in your mind, body, and way of being are brought into focus.

Yin (deepen)

Release in stillness

●○○○○ Pace

●●○○○ Physical activity

●●●●○ Mental challenge

Yin yoga draws from Indian-style yoga, together with East Asian movement traditions. You may have heard of the concept of yin and yang. Yin being cool, still and associated with the moon, yang being hot, dynamic and associated with the sun.

In certain Taoist and Kung Fu traditions, practitioners would begin with “Yin” poses - long, still holds, before moving into their “Yang”, or dynamic movement practices. This morphed into Taoist yoga, which then became Yin yoga. The one who popularised this was American (Paul Grilley), however, the knowledge drawn from is very much rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Indian Yoga. There is overlap between the two.

When I first started studying, it felt counterintuitive to me that Yin would come before Yang, as surely, the warmer the body, the more deeply we can go into stretches? Yin yoga is aimed at working on connective tissue (joints, fascia etc), not the muscles, so actually, it’s useful to have cold muscles. The aim is to go deeply into the joints, tendons (bone to muscle attachments), ligaments (bone to bone attachments), and fascia (your body's internal lining), not necessarily the muscles.

Unlike in Hatha yoga, most of the muscles are completely relaxed in Yin. Although there is nuance - we need to use some muscles in Yin a little bit to keep from falling into a heap, and not every muscle is used in every Hatha pose. The poses can look similar, but the intention is different. A classic example is a seated forward fold - in Hatha, the feet are active, and flexed, in Yin, they are relaxed, to relax the whole leg.

Yin yoga involves holding poses for longer amounts of time (three, five or even 10 minutes), and uses lots of props like bolsters and blocks to tailor the poses to everyone’s unique anatomy. This sounds like it can be relaxing, and it can, however, there can be discomfort - both mental and physical - in these long holds. It can be a challenge for the mind to sit in stillness without distractions, although it can be a wonderful antidote in these times of mental overload.

I've chosen "Deepen" as the plain English shorthand for these classes, as the time and stillness allows for a deepening into the connective tissues and mind. That's not to say the others don't work deeply: they do.

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Other styles of yoga

Other popular styles of yoga include:

• Vinyasa flow: Often in time to a playlist, it can feel more like a dance, a moving meditation, moving quickly with the breath. Ashtanga is the more traditional vinyasa style that this more modern style grew out of. Vinyasa typically means pairing movement with breath, or translates to: “place in a particular way”. The class structure usually centres around a peak pose.

• Iyengar: Iyengar was another classical Indian yoga teacher, who studied under the same teacher as the originator of the Ashtanga sequences, Krishnamacharya. Iyengar had his own approach, and these classes are usually centred around precision, and make full use of all of the yoga props, including chairs. My first ever yoga class (excluding the Wii Fit when I was a teen!) was Iyengar style. It is excellent for going deep into the details of each pose.

• Restorative: On the surface, it looks similar to Yin, however, it was developed through the Indian Iyengar lineage. It differs to Yin, in that the goal is complete relaxation, not to target the joints.

• Yoga Nidra: Often translated as yogic sleep. A guided relaxation/visualisation for complete relaxation, while you are laid in a comfortable position. I often include this for the last class in my blocks of Hatha (align) classes.

• Kundalini: This comes from a different origin to the other styles of yoga mentioned. The practice is made up of “kriyas”: physical movement paired with breath work, chanting and meditation.

• Seasonal Yoga: This is a fairly recent, and local, reframing of yoga, started in Scotland (as far as I can tell), which, like Yin, brings together Traditional Chinese Medicine with Indian-style Yoga, mixing in Tai Chi and Qigong, which are more flowing East Asian movement practices. The idea is the energy of the classes match the seasons, so more Yin style in winter, and more Yang style in summer.

• Hot yoga, aerial yoga, acro yoga, goat yoga… there are so many different niches/styles to explore! I can’t possibly list them all. Any way that encourages people to be in the present moment is valid and fair enough!

There are some classes that make yoga more accessible - yoga is for everyone, but not every individual class will suit everyone:

• Pre- and post- natal yoga: If you’re expecting, or have recently given birth, I highly recommend you go to specialised classes. Ask your doctor or do a little online research to understand how pregnancy affects the body and your yoga practice. It’s fascinating!

• Chair yoga: You can achieve a lot of the benefits of yoga sitting in a chair. This is perfect if you’re recovering from an injury, or have limited mobility.

One to ones are a wonderful way to make sure your yoga experience is absolutely tailored to you.

Yoga is always evolving as an exchange between teachers and students, and what best serves each individual, so no doubt new styles will continue to evolve.

I encourage you to try different styles and different teachers to see which one feels like the best fit. That might not be my class, and that’s ok!

What they all have in common

Yoga asks you to reconnect to your body, to your breath. In our Western world where we often live in our heads, it’s so valuable to come back to the body.

Once this healthy relationship is established in the body, we can mindfully set aside the manipulation of the body to enter seated meditation. Yoga itself can also be thought of as a moving meditation. Whichever branch you follow, I hope it leads you to peace and bliss.

The philosophy

The are many ancient Indian texts than underlie the practice of yoga and its philosophy. The one I personally turn to most is the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.

Patanjali gathered and consolidated earlier teachings. The teachings lay out the eight limbed path, ordered from ethics to enlightenment, although they are all branches of the same tree. If you follow one branch, it will nourish the others. One branch is asana, or the physical practice.

Yin yoga introduces East Asian philosophy, in the form of Taoism, which is also beautiful to contemplate.

A meaning of "yoga" is oneness. It is possible to look at the colourful array of yoga on offer and see the oneness shining through them all.

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If you notice anything in need of correction, please reach out!