DISCOVERING YOGA: BEGINNER-FRIENDLY STYLES FOR EVERY PRACTICE
While it is ancient in origin, yoga is becoming increasingly popular for modern practitioners. And for good reason: yoga has been shown to have many benefits, such as improved flexibility, strength, and mental health. Research suggests that it could also help relieve stress, inflammation, and anxiety.
While traditional yoga includes a range of practices including meditation, prayer, physical poses, breath, and chanting, many modern styles of yoga focus more on the physical poses. However, they still emphasize uniting and integrating body and mind. For this reason, yoga can increase your overall sense of wellbeing in ways other types of exercise may not. If you have other active hobbies such as running or rock climbing, yoga can also be beneficial for cross training, as it builds balance, core strength, flexibility, and mental focus.
So how can you get started? How should you choose from all the class options out there, and what styles of yoga are best for beginners?
Popular yoga styles that are well suited for beginners include:
Vinyasa Yoga
Vinyasa Yoga guides the student through various poses in a seamless flow, rather than spending time holding or perfecting each pose. Attention is placed on the journey between poses and on the breath. This dynamic movement offers a challenging, energizing, and meditative experience, building strength and flexibility of the mind and body. Poses can always be modified for your individual body, creating a calming, yet invigorating experience that accommodates all levels.
Power Yoga
For those who want to focus on the strength-building aspect of yoga, you may like to try a Power Yoga class designed to build stamina and tone muscles. Like Vinyasa, students will move in a dynamic flow through various challenging poses. Unlike other types of high-intensity fitness classes, you’ll build strength and endurance at the same time you’re learning to link breath with movement, increase flexibility, and integrate your mind and body. Beginners will love this type of yoga if they are looking for a high energy class that will help them achieve their fitness goals.
Anusara Yoga
Anusara Yoga teaches the Universal Principles of Alignment™, offering a method using physical poses to better align your body, heart, and mind. This heart-focused approach emphasizes the innate goodness of each individual and combines detailed instruction with thoughtful sequencing. Its focus on safety and alignment makes it great for beginners.
Yin Yoga
A slower, more restorative style, Yin Yoga targets connective tissue such as fascia, ligaments and joints, rather than targeting muscles. Poses are generally held for longer periods of time than other styles of yoga, giving time for ligaments to relax and creating a more meditative practice.
There are other styles of yoga to explore, too, including Bikram or hot yoga, Ashtanga yoga, and others. If you’re interested in starting your yoga journey, search your area for classes that appeal to you! Most yoga classes welcome beginners, and experienced instructors will be able to tailor the experience to your needs. If you aren’t sure if a class is right for you, talk to the instructor beforehand about what the class is like and if it might be a good fit. You can even try out yoga at home using an app or online video. However, beginners may benefit most from a class with a licensed instructor who can guide you safely and ensure proper alignment.
In the Coeur d’Alene / Post Falls area, we offer beginner-friendly classes in Vinyasa, Hatha Anusara, and Power Yoga. Our friendly and knowledgeable instructors would be happy to help you find a class that is right for you based on your goals and interests. For more information on our yoga instructors and to try out a class, visit our yoga page.
