The word “yoga” means “union.” Yoga aligns the body with the mind, and yoga provides physical as well as emotional benefits. Yoga is a practice that has been around since ancient times, and its relevance to yoga has never been lost. Yoga helps to achieve the perfect body and mind alignment. Therefore, yoga is still necessary today for a healthy and fulfilling life. Different types of yoga practice focus on a common goal: overall physical well-being and health.
You can practice yoga from the comfort of your own home and reap all its benefits. The best thing about yoga is that you only need a mat and half an hour daily to start this path.
Today this form of yoga has become a part of our lives. Yoga is a therapeutic tool for treating physical and mental problems. Therefore, it is wrong to think of yoga for a particular religion or community.
You can find many types of yoga online that target specific health conditions. For example, therapies include yoga for back pain, yoga for reducing belly fat, yoga asanas for weight loss, and even weight gain. It is a series of postures and breathing exercises that take a holistic approach to problems and eliminate them.
Different Types of Yoga and Their Benefits
Different types of yoga benefit different categories of people. You need to know what yoga you are doing to get the good benefits from all these types of yoga, and always choose the one that suits your needs. Here is a list of the different types of yoga you should know about.
Ashtanga Yoga
There are many different types of yoga, but Ashtanga Yoga is one of the oldest. This branch of yoga is mentioned in Patanjali, a book of Sanskrit verses. This type of yoga has eight branches; therefore, it is called Ashtanga Yoga. It includes processes like yoga postures, positions, breathing, concentration on objects, withdrawal of senses, meditation, etc. The main advantage of this type of yoga is that it is said to purify the body and mind simultaneously. It is recommended for those looking for a branch of yoga that allows them to be physically and mentally healthy. The poses and positions practiced in this type of yoga should be performed in different sets. There are six such sets. This device is designed to increase body heat, removing impurities from the body, ultimately leading to mental and spiritual health.
The well-known sun salutations, or the “Surya Namaskara,” form a part of this type of yoga. This is how Ashtanga yoga has to be started, followed by the sets that the person is practicing now. The first stage of Ashtanga yoga is known as “Yoga Chikitsa” or Yoga Therapy. The second stage is known as Nadi Shodhana or Nerve cleansing, and the last stage is Stirah Bagh, which is a continued strength. The new fad in yoga- Power Yoga- is adapted from this kind of yoga and is also one of the most popular yoga types today.
Hatha Yoga
Hatha yoga relies heavily on postures and asanas for its benefits. Combining the syllables ha and tha alone should evoke two powerful life energies. Of all the types of yoga, it focuses the most on the need to maintain the life force, energy, chakras, and kundalini.
Hatha yoga is all about promoting mental and emotional well-being. It consists of asanas followed by six shatkarmas. The two together form physical and mental detoxification. It also includes pranayama and bandha, a practice for spiritual awakening and energy disclosure. Hatha Yoga is done in combination by combining all these exercises. Asanas are designed to rid the body of disease, after which one can focus on getting a fit body and mind. Shatkarma helps purify the body so that no energy is held or kept back. Pranayama helps in spiritual awakening, which will help one lead a healthier and happier life, mentally and emotionally. However, it is recommended to only practice pranayama under the guidance of a teacher or a guru.
Mantra Yoga
Mantra yoga is a type of yoga that is done through chanting mantras. There are thousands of mantras, and it is believed that their vibrations can help a person achieve his dreams and even cure ailments. Mantra yoga focuses on learning these mantras properly. These mantras are believed to have great power, and it is not good if people say them at will. Some guidance is required to practice this branch of yoga effectively. Practicing yoga mantras also needs items – like incense sticks, rosaries, etc. There are two ways to divide mantras in this type of yoga.
- Tantric Mantras: There are thousands of tantric mantras, and these are the mantras that people can use to attract wealth, health, money, success, etc., for themselves, but these spells have a lot of limitations due to their power. One should only learn tantric mantras with the guidance and assistance of a teacher.
- Puranic Mantras: These are simple mantras that people can practice without guidance. This is an essential mantra for people’s safety and a better emotional life.
Bhakti Yoga
This branch of yoga is based solely on faith and belief. Generally, while practicing yoga, one should place one’s faith and trust in a supreme power like God or higher consciousness. One of the essential prerequisites for practicing this type of yoga is to care for and invest in it.
If they do it, people have to believe in this type of yoga, or the flow of emotion and energy that comes from yoga will be useless. The greatest benefit of practicing Bhakti Yoga, out of all types of yoga, is that it can help heal one’s mental and emotional problems in a way that also improves one’s relationships with others.
Emotional benefits can be obtained from all branches of yoga, but Bhakti yoga is different. With the help of this type of yoga, one can reduce attachment to negative energies. They can also prevent excessive ego, impermanence, negative emotions, or character traits because the meditator or yoga practitioner is connected to a higher power, leading to realization and inner peace.
Jnana Yoga
This type of yoga is something to do with the knowledge and wisdom gained through the practice of yoga. It is a tradition used to gain meditative power and insight.
In Jnana Yoga, one gains knowledge and awareness through meditation. Meditation helps people look within themselves and find rational answers to every question that plagues the body and mind. Of course, Jnana Yoga can be practiced by people on their own or with the help of a teacher. This branch of yoga wants to achieve the main goals of experiencing knowledge, developing wisdom and inner peace, realizing one’s truth and existence, and having self-confidence. There are no materials or things needed to practice this type of yoga as it is almost entirely about mind and spirit.
Kriya Yoga
This type of yoga focuses on physical activity. Its main intention is also to achieve inner peace and contentment, but it does little to resolve mental tensions or problems. Kriya yoga is a type that will help people maintain some form of fitness or even lose weight.
There are about 70 kriyas that are part of this type of yoga, but only 20 are commonly known and practiced by people – because they are the simplest. Pranayama is also a popular part of this yoga. It is not a popular type of yoga, although there are references to it in Puranic texts. It was recently revived, and we hope the revival will continue. People who do yoga for physical, mental, and emotional fitness can combine this with other types to get optimal benefits.
Swara Yoga
It’s also not a popular type of yoga, but it’s essential. Swara means sound or tone in Sanskrit, and yoga means unity. So the combination of Swara and yoga represents cosmic awareness where people can learn to control their breath and thus live a better life.
Yoga is based on the belief that half of all problems are solved when people learn to breathe correctly. That’s partly true – breathing exercises are part of all branches of yoga. But this form of yoga focuses mainly on breathing and manipulating Swara through breathing. This type of yoga also connects people with nature and is very important in today’s world. Swara Yoga is not difficult to do and can quickly calm a person down and improve their concentration. People of all ages can enjoy this breathing exercise.
Kundalini Yoga
Kundalini Yoga is one of yoga’s most commonly practiced branches. It deals with the psychic centers in the body or “chakras,” which are present in all individuals. There are six such chakras in the body, and Kundalini Yoga hopes to achieve them.
Kundalini Yoga believes that there are no chakras in the body other than the six main chakras – Sahasrara, Ajna, Visuddhi, Anahata, Manipura, Swadhisthana, and Muladhara. This chakra connects us with our spirit realm and elevates our consciousness. The concept of Kundalini Yoga states that all these chakras can be awakened when their six centers are awakened through pranayama, bandhas, asanas, mudras, etc. One should practice this type of yoga with other branches of yoga – such as mantra yoga or Swara yoga – to get the maximum benefit.
Kripalu Yoga
This is yoga that deals with mindfulness. Of all the branches of yoga, yoga is the most peaceful – it is said to ensure that people let go of all emotional and spiritual barriers that prevent them from achieving their goals. As a result, the main focus of this type of yoga is not on the perfect posture or procedure, as in Ashtanga yoga, but on the right kind of emotion.
There are three phases to this type of yoga – learning the poses and boundaries of your body, holding the poses, and developing awareness of yourself and your body. The final stage is meditative, where the person learns to move smoothly from one pose to another without disturbing their mental or thought processes.
Raja Yoga
This is yoga initiated by Sage Patanjali. This branch of yoga consists of eight stages, all determined by Patanjali. Raja Yoga is a yoga system that deals with the personality and the body.
It deals with the practice of pranayama, asanas, yamas (slavery), etc. Having attained physical body fitness through asanas, this branch of yoga deals with mental and emotional benefits through pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses) and Dharana (concentration). This is followed by dhyana (meditation), eventually leading to samadhi (or absorption into universal consciousness). This type of yoga is associated with mental and physical health. The basis is that people can only achieve mental or emotional fitness when their bodies are disease free and fit.
Conclusion
We hope that this overview of the different types of yoga & its benefits has inspired you enough to choose one. Choosing the best type based on your interests will be fun and bring out the best in you physically and mentally. So, without further ado, incorporate yoga into your life, not just as an exercise, but as a way of life! Yoga works best when you surrender your body to the practice and subject your mind to a peaceful meditative state.
