Know which style of yoga suits you best!

If you are new to yoga, it can be overwhelming with all the different classes on offer to choose from!

Here is a simplified view to help you along your yoga journey.

There are 3 main styles of yoga and within each style - are plenty of different variations.

1. Vinyasa - a vinyasa practice links your breath to the movement of the class. It is a flow class which means you flow from pose to pose as you follow your breath. People often choose this class because they are interested in weight loss and building strength and coordination. It is also great for improving mindfulness resulting from attention to your breathing as you move.
2. Hatha - In a hatha practice - you are holding the poses for longer. It is better for beginners because the longer holds allow you to get into the poses more safely and you receive more instruction about each pose from the teacher. Less about weight loss and more about mobilising your joints and improving flexibility and strength. Good for beginners.
3. Yin - Yin classes are about deep passive-held stretches lasting 5 minutes or more.
4. Trauma sensitive yoga - A new subset of yoga emerging is trauma-informed yoga. Research from the Trauma Centre USA is showing that trauma-sensitive yoga is more successful at helping individuals suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex trauma than cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). This makes sense when you understand that trauma is stored within our bodies - so a body-based approach is required to integrate the trauma safely. A trauma-informed class is about finding safety within your body as you choose to move into and out of different forms. There is no one style of yoga for trauma-informed yoga - depending on whether a person prefers vinyasa/hatha/yin - trauma-informed yoga can be applied to any style of yoga.

For more info on what private classes are on offer at New Life Movement, please head over to my website; www.newlifemovement.com.au or feel free to contact me directly.