Types of Yoga

Most people think yoga is simply a form of exercise and/or a fitness routine to increase flexibility (or a legit excuse to wear the ever popular yoga pants).

Core power yoga is one of the multi-disciplinary and more vigorous types of yoga that strengthens and empowers the body, mind, and spirit. The practice of core power yoga aims to teach students to communicate with their bodies and access their spiritual core so they can achieve inner power. This inner power then builds the foundation for students to tap into their mental power to focus, and physical power to keep up with the strenuous yoga routine.

Even though yoga is known to have mental and spiritual benefits, it's safe to say that most of the people who sign up for yoga for beginners class are in it for fitness reasons and to lose weight. Understandable, after all, yoga CAN be quite physically demanding and what's great about it is you won't just be getting help from yoga for weight loss, you will also gain other physical benefits such as flexibility, joint and muscle strength, and improved posture and spinal health.

You may or may not have heard about this big craze in the world of fitness. It involves a lot of sweating, and therefore a lot of detoxifying, and one hopes, a lot of weight loss. But just what is Bikram yoga? It's more than your usual hot yoga, which is simply Hatha or Vinyasa flow-style yoga done in a hot room. Bikram yoga is, for many, a lifestyle in and of itself.

ISHTA is a style of yogic practice that stands for Integrated Science of Hatha, Tantra, and Ayurveda. The development of this yogic style is credited to Alan Finger and his father, and ISHTA is said to be rooted in the teachings of Paramahansa Yoganda. If you're interested in learning yoga and are looking up different styles to find one that suits you best, here are some key points about ISHTA Yoga.

Iyengar is one of the many derivative styles of Hatha Yoga, and was named after its creator and founder, B. K. S. Iyengar. This style of yoga is popularly called "furniture yoga" because its practice incorporates the use of accessories like yoga blocks, blankets, and straps. The focus of this type of yoga is on alignment, so there's a strict observance of the position of the spine, shoulders, hips, and feet in a variation of postures.

Corepower Yoga is actually a westernized version of the Indian Ashtanga Yoga. When yoga first crossed over to Western shores, it was found that some did not see yoga as appealing as an intensive workout in the gym or in the aerobics studio. Western folks hold a different prioritization when it comes to health and lifestyle. While Eastern practitioners do yoga because of the spiritual workout it provides for them, Western practitioners are more attracted to those exercises that can make them work up a sweat and feel good about their body, and ultimately, themselves.