Yoga retreats and yoga holidays - improve your yoga practice in Egypt & Morocco

Different styles and different teachers

The general advice when looking for a yoga class is: 'try a few and see what suits you'. Which is OK if you've the time, but who has time to investigate all the results produced by a simple Google search for 'yoga class'?

Types of yoga class run along a continuum: from dynamic to introspective. Each emphasises different aspects: some might involve more stretching, others more bodily awareness, another cardio vascular workout, or meditation, movement, stamina, or suppleness.

The more dynamic styles (such as Astanga or Bikram) involve movement between postures and develop fitness, strength and stamina. Students push hard: there's often sweat, cardio vascular workouts and muscle toning. Although they are yoga, they are perhaps closer to western ideas of a gym workout. Concentration is centred on the flow and so these styles tend to focus on a routine. Breath connects postures. Because they are physically demanding students develop resolution, self discipline and physical confidence. And because they are physically tough students can achieve physical improvements, fast.

Less dynamic styles (such as Iyengar or Sivananda) offer more time holding postures. By going deep into a postures students develop flexibility, introspection and increase their understanding of their bodies – holding postures means going further into a stretch, delving deeper areas of the body. There is a sense of physical investigation rather than of physical challenge. Indeed, it might be argued that these styles are more subtle, focussing as they do on detail and intricacy. Strength is still developed - postures are held for longer. Classes tend to be more varied: trying different things and doing different postures. These practices develop self-understanding, bodily awareness and – since they are more likely to do things like meditation - mental understanding.

So where's the connection? Iyengar concentrates on positioning whereas Astanga concentrates on movement. How can all these styles be so different and still be called 'yoga'?

The key is in that work: 'concentration'. All the above styles involve concentration – meditation – in different ways. So while Astanga focusses on movement, and Iyengar on positioning, they are focussing the mind and body in the present moment, taking us away from being distracted and maintaining the focus on ourselves.