‘STYLES OF YOGA CLASSES’
There are so many options when it comes to practicing Yoga. It is a big mixing pot of poses, meditations, breath practices and lots more, so how do we choose? I cannot stress highly enough how essential it is to mix it up! If you only do what you have always done, you only get what you have always had!
If you are brand new to the practice you are the lucky one! So much choice, perhaps start with a few or The Basics of Yoga classes then begin to sample them all.
For the more seasoned practitioners, you may find that when you began your journey into yoga you probably found benefits fairly quickly and then perhaps plateaued as your body became familiar with the practice. This is okay of course, however, you could be surprised at how another style may open you up so to speak, physically, emotionally, mentally, in new ways.
I am not saying stop your regular practice, simply experiment more, supplement your practice and ensure you are also having a balanced practice of both Yin like classes and the more Yang (passive and active), as often we choose what we think we need rather than what we would really benefit from. A good example is very active people who run, cycle, workout, also choose very active flow styles where they may benefit from more Yin and Restorative some of the time and vice versa. Side note, Yin is not easy! Your needs can change daily so it is good practice to think about what you have done, or what you are going to do each day then choose a yoga class to compliment and balance your energy output.
My suggestion would be to try one different class on your next visit and attend it for say 4 – 6 weeks to see how it affects you, then do the same with another style after that until you have tried them all. Even when it comes to the same style of class every teacher has their own interpretation of it so also mix it up that way too.
The only way you will fully understand a style of yoga class is to try it enough times for your mind, body, and energy system to really get a feel for it, which definitely is not once but several times. Don’t fear a class description, simply try it, have an open heart, mind and body and feel all the feels.
One of the main philosophies of yoga is to always remain the student. Each day is a lesson and those involved with us are sent to teach us something. What that ‘something’ is we don’t know but search deeply and the lesson is there. Trying a different style or a different tradition may lead you to a deeper understanding of why yoga is so valuable to health, both mental and physical. You may desire a more spiritual practice over a physical one or find that the teachings that were relevant to you 10 years ago are now not needed but other teachings and guidelines are more practical for you.
Don’t be afraid to go off the path a little and try something new – you never know what could be waiting to be discovered!