The Yoga Basics
Celebrities swear by yoga and more specifically, pilates yoga, as the ultimate way of putting the finishing touches on an exercise regimen and toning all those difficult areas. If you’d like to get started, you may not know where to begin. There isn’t just one type of yoga, in fact there are many. This article examines some of the different styles so that you can choose which yoga class would best suit you.
Many beginners like to start with Iyengar yoga, where positions are held longer to provide maximum stretching and minimal injury. Unlike “flow” yoga styles, there are breaks between positions and an emphasis on long, deep stretches for people of all levels. Props like mats, blankets, straps and blocks help take some of the strain off the body.
Fitness yoga aims to increase flexibility, muscle strength and improve energy and cardiovascular systems. This is a more modern approach to the ancient principles and targets certain areas like the gluteus muscle or abdomen to tone and strengthen. Similarly, Pilates yoga is one of the most popular forms, with over 11 million regular practitioners in the US and over 14,000 instructors. The core postural muscles and spinal cord are emphasized, in addition to utilizing flowing movements to strengthen and define.
Ashtanga Vinyasa (also known as “power yoga” or “Raja yoga”) is derived from an ancient Indian manuscript called “the Yoga Kurunta.” The word “ashtanga” literally translates to mean “eight limbs,” which refers to eight positions: yama (moral codes), niyama (self-purification and study), asana (posture), pranayama (breath control), pratyahara (sense control), dharana (concentration), dhyana (meditation) and samadhi (contemplation). Vinyasa means “breath-synchronized movement.”
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