Which style of yoga?

Ashtanga Mysore, Iyengar, Vinyasa-while stemming from the tradition of a common guru, they have developed into different approaches to yoga. Read more about which style might best suit you.

styles of yoga

 
 

Hatha Yoga

Hatha Yoga is a term which encompasses most of the styles of yoga offered in classes at yoga darśana and integrates many forms.

Ashtanga Mysore

Mysore style is the traditional way of learning Ashtanga yoga and is named after the southern Indian city of Mysore. The student is taught a sequence of postures through one-on-one instruction. The correct movements, breathing, and other aspects of the practice are learned gradually, in a step-by-step process accessible to anyone. This method allows each student time to practice and memorize what they have learned before adding more. Students are able to practice independently and at their own pace while surrounded by the energy and inspiration of other students in the room. Mysore style is the best way to learn Ashtanga yoga as memorising the postures allows practitioners to focus internally, calming the mind, which ultimately, is the goal of yoga. Learn more

Fiona Hynes teaches Ashtanga.

Iyengar Yoga

This method focuses on alignment and safety. Alignment is not limited to the body's posture, but also refers to aligning of body, breath, and mind. Safety means this method is accessible for all. Props such as blocks, belts, ropes, and bolsters may be used to help students experience some of the benefits of the classical pose. Iyengar yoga is named after BKS Iyengar who developed this method in the 1940s following his studies with Sri Krishnamacharya. BKS Iyengar is the author of Light on Yoga, Light on Pranayama, among numerous other texts.

While there is always a focus on alignment in Iyengar yoga, no two classes are the same, with classes incorporating various sequences of standing, seated, forward bends, back bends and inversions, according to students’ ability. Classes include restorative postures. Our understanding of Iyengar yoga continues to evolve. Learn more

Sara and Tara are certified as Iyengar yoga teachers, a process which takes a minimum of having 3 years of practice and successfully passing an assessment after a teacher training program over the course of 2-3 years. To maintain this certification, teachers undergo a minimum number of hours of specialised training every year.

The adult and teen classes Tara and Sara teach — whether Men’s, Beginner, Level 2, Restorative, or Gentle — are all based on this approach to yoga. *

Although we do not offer pregnancy yoga classes, Sara and Tara can accommodate in their classes current students who become pregnant.

styles of yoga

 
 

Vinyasa

This method is born out of the Ashtanga Vinyasa tradition based on the teachings of Sri Krishnamacharya. Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga practice, which coordinates breath with movement, is the source and inspiration for almost all Vinyasa Yoga styles. It is a creative form of yoga characterised by the linking of poses together with the breath in a flowing sequence. 

Saibh, Laurence, and Lynne teach Vinyasa classes. Eva and Fiona Brown teach Flow classes, which are Vinyasa-based.

Yin

The concept of Yin Yoga stems back to classical Hatha Yoga where poses were held for up to 10 minutes. Yin Yoga officially started in the West in the late 1980s when founder Paul Grilley started to attend Daoist Yoga classes. Grilley later began to teach a similar style of yoga involving passive stretching, and later he and one of his students, Sarah Powers, coined the term Yin Yoga.

The long. steady, passive holds target the deeper connective tissues, ligaments, joints, bones, tendons and fascia of the body. As the poses are held for a longer duration of time than in more dynamic styles of yoga, the use of props such as bolsters, blocks, cushions and blankets is encouraged.

Eva, Ruth, and Eimear teach Yin classes.

Yoga for Teens

Not a style, but a special class for a special age. Faster paced to keep up with the teenage brain! This class will introduce the yoga postures in a stimulating and engaging way tailored both the teenage attention span and unlimited potential. The class aims to build strength, stamina, flexibility and mental focus. While the poses may be invigorating, classes will also include some time to slow down, and relax.

Sara and Tara teach Yoga for Teens on Saturdays. Sara also teaches Kids Yoga.

 

Restorative

Not a style of yoga per se, but a different approach to the poses in the Hatha tradition. A restorative class is an ideal way to wind down at the end of the week. Poses taught in this class induce relaxation, not only of what we consider the physical body, but also the nervous system, to help quieten the mind and also to strengthen the immune state. In addition, restorative yoga poses can help regulate the body's functions. The pace of the class is slower and poses are held for longer than the more dynamic methods of practice. The poses both restore and recharge, leaving you rested, but also with renewed energy for whatever lies ahead. The class is taught by a different teacher from the studio each week, including Eva, Ruth and Tara.

what yoga is

we tend to think of yoga as a form of exercise, or stretching. for most of us, it is just that at the beginning.

yoga is, in fact, a vast subject. postures, or asanas, like downward dog (adho mukha svanasana) are just one of the eight limbs of yoga which also include our behaviour, breath, and eventually may lead one to meditation.

the word comes from the root of yuj in Sanskrit and means “to bind, join, attach and yoke, to concentrate one’s attention on…it also means union or communion.” Light on Yoga. BKS Iyengar.

with dedicated practice, yoga helps us control the mind, intellect and the self, “so that they rest in the spirit within.” Bhagavad Gita.

to discpline the intellect, the mind, the emotions, the will….it means a poise of the soul which enables one to look at life in all its aspects evenly.” Gita according to Gandhi. Mahadev Desai.

aspects of yoga

 
 

history

Yoga is a practice that has well over 2000 years of history in India. Sage Patañjali is credited with writing 185 Yoga Sutras around 200 B.C.E. These sutras, among other classical texts on yoga, inform us of the power yoga has had for practitioners, and the benefits practice can bring.

philosophy

svādyāya is the Sanskrit word for self-study, a key aspect of yoga. Many texts are available to modern-day readers such as Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patañjali, Hatha Yoga Pradipika, and others. Yoga Darśana may hold workshops on philosophy from time to time. Let your teacher know if you are interested.

āsana

āsana, or postures, is where most of us start in yoga, learning asanas like Utthita Trikonāsana, or triangle pose, Adho Mukha Svanāsana, or downward dog pose. These postures help us to understand our own body, and eventually to be able to observe our breath and ourselves through our practice.

prānāyāma

Often translated as control of the breath, pranayama is a practice that helps to elongate our breath, to make it more subtle. This limb of yoga is often taught after yoga asanas have been practiced for at least one year.