Find your perfect yoga flow

With so many differing styles to choose from, just how do you find your perfect yoga flow?

As we all know just how beneficial yoga is to the mind and body. It helps to improve flexibility, build muscle strength, decrease stress, and even boosts immunity. But did you know that you can do certain styles of yoga depending on what you want to get out of it? There’s a class to suit everyone. It seems like they have something for everyone these days, so we’ve found five different styles that each deliver a different thing.

If you want to destress, try Kundalini

This practice will often include meditation, breathing techniques and chanting, so it’s a great way to release stress and tension from the mind – as well as the body. It focusses on the internal process of yoga, as it is intended to awaken specific energies within the body in order to develop spiritual strength. Perfect to enhance your focus and restore calm and serenity to your mind.

If you want to sweat, try Bikram

This type of yoga takes place in a heated room and will have you sweating until you can’t see. It helps to release toxins in the body through sweat. It was created by Indian yogi Bikram Choudhury in the early 70s. He designed a sequence of 26 yoga poses that help to stretch and strengthen the muscles. It’s a very physically demanding practice and will always induce heavy sweating. It’s best for people who like to push their limits, but must be considered with caution.

If you want a challenge, try Ashtanga

This is one of the most physically demanding yoga styles. You will practice the same series of yoga poses every time. This is best for people who are athletic, physically fit and have plenty of discipline in their mind and body. It’s a dynamic practice that’s great for building core strength and toning the body.

If you want to improve flexibility, try Yin

Poses in this practice are held for anywhere between one and 10 minutes to increase flexibility and encourage a feeling of release. It’s ideal for athletes, as it helps to release tension in overworked joints and targets connective tissues in the hips, pelvis and lower spine. You will experience lots of long-held deep stretching, which helps to increase flexibility. This is best practiced regularly under the guidance of a teacher.

If you want something fast paced, try Vinyasa

In this practice, teachers lead students through a series of poses without stopping – in a ‘flow’. So you get a great workout while having a true yoga experience. This is best for people who have a short attention span, or whose mind tends to wander during yoga. It’s also good for people who have a hectic fitness schedule and can treat this as a ‘rest day’.