Nowadays, yoga is gaining more and more attention worldwide. If you're a novice in this practice, things may be slightly different from your expectations when reading or seeing images on the internet, and this could influence your opinion after the first “real” session. If you are interested in Yoga for beginners and want to keep your enthusiasm throughout this time of relaxation and personal development, there’s a few things you should know to avoid confusion.

There are several types of yoga, all effective, and the best news is that you can choose the one that fits to your lifestyle to enjoy its real benefits.

Here’s an introduction to the most popular types of yoga, so you can decide which one works the best for you.

Ananda:

This yoga style is very spiritual and is meant to raise awareness of the present and to harmonize your body, mind, and soul. Ananda uses unique breathing techniques that focus on integrating different parts of the body. The purpose of Ananda yoga is to create balance and a sense of calm within yourself. 

Ananda yoga includes:

•    Asana (yoga postures)

•    Pranayama (breathing and energy-control techniques)

•    Yogic meditation techniques

•    Applied yoga philosophy

Ashtanga

This type of yoga is physically demanding and focuses especially on the development of flexibility and strength of the body. Aside from an increased focus and high flexibility, Ashtanga Yoga is good for those who need a good cardio workout since the positions can increase your heart rate and force your muscles and body to straighten.

Bikram

Ivengar

Integral:

This one is a more holistic approach to doing yoga, involving a combination of positions, breathing and relaxation techniques. It’s important to know that there is no specific physical approach to Integral yoga since it focuses more on the mental and spiritual aspect and it encourages its practitioners to focus on calming their inner being.

Focusing on spirituality, this type of yoga encourages its practitioners to start purifying their life by having a good base of healthy thoughts and work on having a great mental tonus, to begin with. This comes from the idea that without having a healthy mind one cannot have physical health or balance.

Kripalu:

Kripalu yoga is a gentle form of yoga practice that combines physical, emotional, and spiritual healing. This style has three stages - In the first stage, you learn the positions and how to coordinate motion rebound. In the second stage are included the meditation techniques that support and complete the positions, and in the third stage positions can become spontaneous, thus deriving in what is called "moving meditation".

The beautiful and spiritual aspect of this practice is the way it emphasizes compassionate self-acceptance, personal growth, and self-acceptance.

Kundalini:

With a beautiful mix of spiritual and physical practices, kundalini is a unique type of yoga based on putting into practice some positions, breathing techniques, chanting and meditation elements meant to awaken the natural energy of the body. Kundalini Yoga is the mix between Bhakti Yoga, Raja Yoga and Shakti Yoga and the positions concentrate especially on the abdomen and the back. The main goal of this practice is to build physical vitality and increase consciousness.

Vinyasa:

This style, also called "yoga flow", involves the association of movement with breath, balance and physical movement.

Being a very active type of yoga, vinyasa yoga provides benefits that include increased flexibility, great mental focus, burning fat and muscle development. Being more demanding than other yoga practices, it also helps you tone up and lose weight.

As a branch of Hatha Yoga, Vinyasa Yoga is based on the Ashtanga practice, which is a form of yoga that can be quite challenging for beginners. Done at a fast pace, Vinyasa Yoga becomes Power Yoga. The main focus is on the breath, as you have to pay attention to the way you inhale and exhale.

Vinyoga:

This type of yoga is often associated with its property of restoring the general balance. Several positions are used to relax the muscles (most of them are made on the ground combining streaking elements and breathing techniques).

Since most people are not aware of their postures and daily patterns of movement, the practice of Viniyoga provides great benefits as it brings awareness to the spine and breath, improving posture. Paying attention to the body, we bring light to our unhealthy habits and we begin to bring greater strength, balance, and flexibility into our life.

Now that you know a bit more about the vast subject that yoga is, find the one that aligns the best with your intentions and desired goals. You might try to start with the practices that are more gentle with your body and more firm on the mind, and continue with the ones that are challenging on a physical aspect as well.