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Yoga

While today the word "Yoga" has a connotation with exercise or therapy, Yoga is a philosophy that promotes harmony and unity between the body, mind, and spirit.

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Although there have been many references to Yoga since the Rigveda, the most comprehensive work is that of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, dating back two millennia ago. 
 

Types Of Yoga

There are four primary types of yoga: karma, bhakti, jnana, and raja.

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  1. Yamas are guidelines for ethical standards and moral conduct, such as Ahimsa (nonviolence), Satya (truthfulness), Asteya (not stealing), Brahmacharya (moderation) and Aparigraha (nonattachment)

  2. Niyamas are observances and disciplines such as Saucha (cleanliness), Santosha (contentment), Tapas (putting efforts into learning), Svadhyaya (study of spirituality), Ishvara Pranidhana (practice of awareness and surrender to the universe).

  3. Asanas are the practice of physical postures.

  4. Pranayama is the breathing technique used to control the life force, or energy, in the body.

  5. Pratyahara is the practice of sensory detachment through deep relaxation techniques.

  6. Dharana is concentration and focus.

  7. Dhyana is meditation.

  8. Samadhi is the state of bliss and enlightenment that helps us connect with ourselves.

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Hatha Yoga combines asana and pranayama. The two most popular styles of Hatha Yoga are Ashtanga and BKS Iyengar. Interestingly, they had the same teacher - Sri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya.

 

Mr Iyengar was likened to a drill sergeant because his teaching style was somewhat strict regarding physical positioning. Iyengar yoga students use many props to assist in this positioning, enabling people at all proficiency levels to go deeper or stay longer in postures with more accurate physical alignment.

 

Ashtanga is the style of yoga practice introduced by Pattabhi Jois. It is a dynamic form of hatha yoga that involves the vigorous flow of six series or set combinations of postures moving from one posture to the next without stopping.

 

Although approaches to hatha yoga differ, all of these methods are meant to help practitioners achieve the goals of greater health and general well-being through deeper self-awareness.

 

The difference is that Sri Krishnamacharya was known to teach each student according to their personal needs - a trait of a great Acharya!

 

Another hatha yoga style involves linking Surya Namaskaras (Sun Salutations) or similar postures between poses called Vinyasa, a  flowing movement linked with the breath. The variations of Sun Salutations are the vinyasas that link other poses together in Ashtanga yoga. However, vinyasas do not have to be vigorous; they can be slow and gentle as one pose flows easily and softly into another. The key is to connect postures with the breath.

 

Adaptations of Hatha Yoga have since taken many forms with the influence of the West and elements of modernisation!

 

https://us.humankinetics.com/blogs/excerpt/the-four-primary-types-of-yoga

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