What Style of Yoga Do You Practice?

One week, while we were waiting for yoga class to start, one of the students asked a question. (Oh, I just love it when I get questions from my students!) She said, “Elizabeth, I have a question. My friend asked me what kind of yoga I practice, and she sent me a list of over 15 types of yoga. I looked down the list and thought, ‘We sort of practice them all…’ So, what type of yoga do we do in your classes?”

It was a great question. And it got me thinking! I’m not sure if we’ve really talked about the types of yoga here.

Types of Yoga

There are dozens of styles and types of yoga. In fact, there are some yoga styles that are so similar and vary only by name. Yoga has grown over the years with a great deal of acceptance. People practice yoga at all ages, for all reasons, to heal injuries, and get better after accidents. There’s even a type of yoga done primarily in the chair for those who cannot get down to the ground.

While this blog post won’t go over each and every type of yoga, I do want to touch on a few styles that we embed into our classes.

Yin Yoga

Yin Yoga and another style called Restorative Yoga are two types that are very similar but have different names. While we don’t practice Yin/Restorative yoga in every single one of our classes, we do enjoy embedding these into our sessions from time to time.

Yin Yoga follows three core principles. One, we find the sweet spot to practice the pose. We notice we feel stretch and explore that edge of the sensation. Secondly, we resolve to remain still as much as possible once we’re in the pose. Sure, if we experience sharp, shooting pains, it’s best to release from the posture. But as long as we are experiencing stretching sensation and it’s not painful, we choose to stay as still as we can. So that, number three, we can eventually rest into the pose.

Both Restorative and Yin Yoga are about using props and holding poses for longer periods of time. You might find Restorative Yoga uses props quite a bit, while Yin may not. The class typically only features a handful of poses. Most of the time, you’re staying low to the ground, either seated or lying down. There are a few poses you might do kneeling, but since kneeling can cause pains to the knees, it might be avoided.

Restorative and Yin Yoga can be quite calming. The breath is slowed and body stilled. The parasympathetic nervous system is engaged. This is our rest and digest part of the nervous system. It gives the active half, the sympathetic nervous system, a break. These types of yoga are more meditative in style.

Iyengar Yoga

Iyengar yoga was founded by B.K.S. Iyengar. In this style of yoga, the poses are held for a longer amount of time. The reason for this is the practice involves being quite meticulous about the alignment. The toes, foot, ankle, leg, knee, hip, etc. has to be just so. It’s quite proper and specific.

This style of yoga also often uses a good number of props. This is so you can align the body exactly how it’s meant to be in the pose. It can be quite technical. And, often times, some of the more challenging yoga poses are explored.

While I wouldn’t say that my teaching style is Iyengar and I don’t hold these kinds of classes, I would say there are times when I cue the students from head to toe exactly into the posture. In my classes, we also use props quite a bit. So, even though I am not holding an Iyengar class, I lean on this type of yoga to teach my students the specifics of the asanas.

Vinyasa or Hatha Yoga

Hatha Yoga is actually an umbrella term for many types of yoga that involve physical movement and named postures. Hatha is like Vinyasa in that breathing is paired with the yoga movements. However, during a Hatha class, the students may move a bit more slowly than in a true Vinyasa flow.

Vinyasa Yoga is fluid and flowlike. The instructor cues students from one posture to the next, linking breath to movement. While I do embed some flow into our classes, I wouldn’t say we move too quickly. I make sure all students can keep up. In fact, when we have time, I like to go through the active sequences more than once. We may practice an active sequence slower, so that students can feel what the flow is like. Then, we might practice the exact same sequence, but a bit sped up. This way they can also experience the flow of the movements.

Gentle Yoga

If I had to give my teaching style a name, it would be “gentle.”

Classes sizes are smaller. We tend to have between five to 12 students in class. This way, we can get to know each other a bit and create a sense of community. We begin each class with 3-5 minutes of breathwork. There’s a warming up section of class, which is followed by a more active part of the practice. We move through traditional yoga poses and sometimes incorporate qigong into the flow. Each class ends with a cool down.

We wouldn’t say our classes are an intense workout. We’re not jumping from one pose to the next, and we don’t cue postures that we don’t practice. If you’re looking for an advanced and more active yoga class, we may not be the place for you.

As a holistic nurse, I weave in many healing modalities. Besides yoga, we breathe, meditate, practice qigong, balance, exercise the core, share reflection chats, get to know each other, laugh, set intentions, and access healing energy. Each session is unique in its own way

That being said… any and all yogis and yoginis can technically access any yoga class. Being true to the yogic principles, yoga is a personal journey of exploration. It’s a balance between accessing and striving, doing and growing.

What type of yoga do you prefer? Have you practiced different styles of yoga? What do you notice when you take yoga classes?

And, of course, we’d love to see you in a future class! Check out our yoga schedule and sign up for a future program.

About the Author: Elizabeth Scala MSN/MBA, RN, RYT (200) is a holistic nurse, registered yoga instructor, and reiki master.

Elizabeth received her dual master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University. She is a certified coach, nature lover, and avid meditator.

Elizabeth lives in Maryland with her supportive husband and playful pups. She enjoys gardening, jigsaw puzzles, baking, music, and hiking.