Yoga Is For Everybody? Not Quite...

This 2-minute quiz shows you if yoga is for you. Or what you should do instead.

Why I Don’t Have a “Yoga Type”

Yoga | Yoga for Beginners

I’m definitely the kind of person who has a type. A type in guys (tall, tattooed, and bearded), a type in friends (fun, spontaneous, and loving), and a type in coffee (black like my soul, and could melt a spoon). So it would only make sense for me to have a type in yoga.

But I don’t. And that’s ok.

Just a Word in Front of “Yoga”

Honestly, I wasn’t completely sure what all the types of yoga were until I did my teacher training. Vinyasa, Ashtanga, and Restorative were all just the words in front of “yoga” on my gym schedule. I went to all different kinds of classes, blissfully unaware of much difference between them.

I practiced this way for a long time, and then I found out about all the different types of yoga, and that people were fiercely loyal to their “brand.” All of a sudden, I felt a lot of pressure to find my yoga type. I felt that if I didn’t have a yoga type, then I was just some kind of yogi floating out in this weird yoga no-man’s-land.

“Do you do Vinyasa yoga?”

“Are you an Ashtangi?”

“What’re your thoughts on Bikram?”

…Uhh, yes?

When I started paying attention to all the different kinds of yoga, I felt more and more that the distinctions don’t matter. We’re all practicing yoga, and for me, that’s enough.

You Do You

We’ve all found something that makes us happy, strong, and more at peace. We all have our different methods, because we’re all different. And I’ve come to embrace the fact that despite having a type for just about everything else, I don’t have a yoga type. I feel it makes me more flexible (ha, pun intended).

When I really feel like sweating and working hard, I practice Power yoga. When I feel goal oriented, I work on the Ashtanga Primary Series. And when I feel more spiritual, like I need a connection to something, I practice Jivamukti and sing mantras until my roommate wonders if this time I’ve actually gone insane.

Just as the asanas I choose for my personal practice reflect how my body is feeling, the type of yoga I practice that day reflects what I’m craving mentally. So really, it’s ok to not have a yoga type. You don’t always have to be “brand loyal.” Pick whatever feels good for you, whatever works that day, and give it your all.

So come out to the yoga no-man’s-land with me. It’s fun out here. Tomorrow we’ll be practicing Restorative Power yoga!

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