WHICH YOGA?
There are many types of asana in yoga, these can involve different ways in which to move & place the body, different speeds & styles.
It can be a little overwhelming to know where to start or which one to choose!
Here are the types of yoga that I offer, have a look to see which styles suit your lifestyle. Remember there are no rulebooks when it comes to finding your preferred practice. I recommend combining slow & fast styles (Yin/Yang) throughout your yoga journey to have a well balanced practice
VINYASA
Vinyasa is a creative form of yoga where poses are linked together with the breath in a flowing "dance" like sequence, it comes with a lot of variety & classes can be very expressive & meditative. There is no standard sequence in vinyasa yoga, so the style, pace & intensity can vary from class to class, or to your preference. This is considered a Yang practice but can also be slow flow & Yin in nature.
YIN
Yin yoga is a quiet, contemplative & compassionate practice. It involves holding poses from 2-5 plus minutes at a time, full body breathing through any discomfort; this targets our deep tissues of the body - ligaments, joints, fascia & meridians. It helps you become deeply relaxed, allowing emotions & feelings to come up throughout the practice; which we welcome & observe rather than them consuming us. This allows us to cultivate self-love on a deeper level in a nourishing & safe environment
RESTORATIVE
Restorative yoga enables deep relaxation as you hold poses for longer periods of time with the help of props to support you so you can sink completely into the pose. The main focus of restorative yoga is that by relaxing in poses with the aid of props & without any strain or pain, we can achieve physical, mental & emotional relaxation. It is similar to yin yoga except much more passive & does not involve any discomfort.
POWER/CARDIO
Power or Cardio yoga is not officially a recognised style of yoga, but a speed or way in which we can have a more explosive practice & achieve more exerted levels of aerobic/anaerobic exercise. By repeating & pulsing through typical yoga poses, we target, tone & strengthen certain muscles of the body, or achieve an aerobic state as we quicken/deepen our breath to ensure oxygen is flowing faster around our body. This can be mixed into a vinyasa style practice or a pilates class
HIIT
Similar to power/cardio yoga in that we achieve an anaerobic state, in this style we combine stretching & toning yoga poses with bursts of HIIT movements (high intensity interval training). There is a lot of evidence based research to show that fluctuating the heart rate between high & low rates is a very effective way to improve endurance, fitness levels & heart health. A typical one hour class may involve 2/3 five minute bursts of intense exercise, then allowing the body to return to a resting heart rate while we slowly stretch & tone. Classes can target certain muscle groups like core, thighs/glutes, chest & back to build strength
