Which style of yoga?

While stemming from the tradition of a common guru, Iyengar and Vinyasa yoga 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. This practice is known for its slower-paced and deliberate approach, making it ideal for beginners and seasoned practitioners alike. The physical postures are designed to enhance flexibility, strength, and balance, while the focus on breath control helps calm the nervous system and improve overall energy flow. Meditation and mindfulness elements of Hatha Yoga cultivate inner peace and mental clarity.

Hatha Yoga serves as a foundation for many modern yoga styles, offering a versatile and accessible way to promote physical health, mental tranquility, and spiritual growth. Whether you're seeking stress relief, a deeper connection to your inner self, or a way to enhance physical fitness, Hatha Yoga provides a comprehensive, adaptable practice suited to all levels.

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.

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

styles of yoga

 
 

Vinyasa

Vinyasa Yoga is a dynamic practice that links movement and breath in a seamless flow. Known for its fluid sequences, such as sun salutations, it builds strength, flexibility, and mindfulness. Each class offers a creative progression of poses, making it adaptable to all levels. This style energizes the body, calms the mind, and fosters a meditative state through movement.

Eimear, Mia, and Erin teach Vinyasa classes. Eva teach Flow classes, which are Vinyasa-based.

Yin

Yin Yoga is a slow-paced practice that targets deep connective tissues, such as ligaments and fascia, to improve flexibility and joint mobility. Poses are held for several minutes, encouraging stillness and relaxation while fostering mindfulness. This meditative style balances the body's energy, calms the mind, and complements more active yoga practices, making it ideal for stress relief and inner peace.

Eva, Eimear, Eilish, and Mia teach Yin classes.

 

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.