There are over 10,000 yoga instructors in the UK.
If you are thinking about starting yoga, get ready for a total mind and body experience. It improves your flexibility, builds muscle, and improves your mental health.
New yogis may be worried about jumping in with more experienced practitioners.
Fortunately, yoga is beginner-friendly and instructors will make sure you are not strained if you are new to the practice.
What are some great types of yoga for beginners?
Let’s take a look.
1. Hatha Yoga
Hatha is a gentler yoga class because of its slow pace. Hatha yoga classes involve holding poses and working on your breath. You will leave the class feeling leaner, stronger, and spiritually refreshed.
Most hatha yoga classes start with a gentle warmup and move on to more advanced physical poses. Throughout the practice, your instructor will remind you about deep breathing.
The poses in hatha yoga are a series of movements designed to improve your strength, flexibility, and well-being. Basic poses like planks and Warrior 1 or 2 can get used to introduce your body to yoga movements and warm up your muscles. If you are uncomfortable at any time during the practice, your instructor may suggest a modification.
Most hatha yoga classes end with a short period of meditation and reflection.
Hatha yoga has been proven to improve anxiety and depression symptoms. It also helps with stress management by improving resilience and general mental well-being.
Hatha yoga can improve your sleep and encourage healthy living and eating habits. It can help relieve back pain, menopause symptoms, and even fatigue from conditions like Multiple Sclerosis.
2. Restorative Yoga
Restorative yoga helps to release deep tension without a lot of strain. This yoga type uses props like blocks, straps, and sandbags to encourage the passive release of body tension.
During a restorative yoga class, you may find yourself holding a few yoga poses over the course of an hour. You will build heat and increase your strength and flexibility gradually.
Restorative yoga uses props, rather than muscle strength, to support your body. These classes are excellent for stress management. Restorative yoga can improve symptoms of anxiety, pain, and even depression.
During a restorative yoga class, the instructor may arrange necessary props. You can also expect dimmed lights and soft music to get played.
Poses in these classes can get held for up to ten or twenty minutes. It is not uncommon for practitioners to fall asleep. You will end the session feeling relaxed and refreshed.
3. Lyengar Yoga
Lyengar yoga is great for beginners. It is a practice of precision. Poses get held for long periods of time and are often modified with props.
Lyengar yoga is designed to cultivate strength, flexibility, and stability. It is great for therapeutically treating certain conditions.
Lyengar yoga distinguishes itself through its focus on alignment. With minor adjustments to improve alignment, you will strengthen the muscles in your body responsible for posture. These include your legs, back, and core.
It will lead to increased flexibility, toned muscles, and a calmer mind. It also helps improve the overall function of the body. Your organs get nourished, toxins get eliminated and your risk of developing some diseases decreases.
4. Yin Yoga
Yin yoga also uses longer, passive poses to increase flexibility. You will focus on muscles on your hips, pelvis, and spine. Expect to hold each pose for at least three to five minutes so that you lengthen beyond your muscle and into your connective tissue.
Yin yoga can increase mobility in your joints and relieve stiffness and tightness in your muscles. Some practitioners use yin yoga to wind down after a more active workout, such as spinning or running. It gives your muscles the deep stretch they need and crave.
Yin yoga postures are more passive and get performed mostly on the floor. They offer deeper access to the body. You may hold poses from as little as three to as many as twenty minutes at a time.
Yin yoga is a great way to increase flexibility as you age. It is also a great way to get in touch with your feelings and emotions.
Yin yoga can help you to deal with anxiety, stress, or trauma. It gets used a lot in programs that treat addictions, such as eating disorders. Yin yoga can calm and balance your mind, increase your mobility and lead to greater stamina.
5. Vinyasa Yoga
Vinyasa yoga connects postures seamlessly together through breath. It may also get referred to as “flow” yoga.
Vinyasa is characterized by steadiness, comfort, and smooth breathing. Vinyasa yoga generates heat and adds a cardiovascular component that is not present in some other beginner types. Many postures require you to support your body against gravity, which requires a great deal of energy.
A link between breath and movement can increase your heart rate, which will result in calories getting burned.
Vinyasa yoga builds strength and flexibility. It is about harmony, balance, and flexibility.
Vinyasa yoga can build strength and stability. It moves at a faster pace than some other types of yoga, but can still allow you to modify exercises as a beginner.
Physical benefits include improved sleep, a reduction of stress, and a decrease in anxiety. It can increase your range of motion and flexibility.
As you flex your muscles, you will notice a release in tension from your ligaments, joints, and tendons. This can help prevent injuries, tears, and muscle pulls.
Vinyasa yoga also helps improve blood circulation throughout your body. You will eliminate toxins, giving your whole body detox. You may notice that you feel more energized and alive throughout the day.
6. Sivananda Yoga
Sivananda yoga is founded on a belief in the importance of proper breathing, proper exercise, and proper nutrition. It focuses on the mastery of twelve basic poses.
Sivananda yoga is good for meditation, stress-relief, and self-empowerment. It can boost your energy and restore and revitalize your body. Sivananda is often recommended for older practitioners.
Sivananda incorporates positive thinking and dieting into every class. This is a great option if you are looking for an overall positive life change that will help you lose weight.
7. Kundalini Yoga
Kundalini yoga is more spiritual and philosophical than other types of yoga. It incorporates movement, deep breathing techniques, and meditation into your practice. Its goal is to improve vitality and consciousness.
Kundalini yoga can create deep satisfaction in your work and relationships. It can also lead to greater peace and relaxation that lasts.
8. Kripalu Yoga
Kripalu yoga teaches that your body is the center of your being and that you can accept it as your best teacher.
Kripalu is a gentle form of yoga. It begins by helping you to understand your body and how it manages different poses.
There is a focus on “press points” and how they get attuned to your body. You will eventually learn to do the poses in ways prescribed by experts, but only in a way that best suits your body.
Kripalu poses are long and often require deep meditation sessions.
Kripalu gets tailored to your body’s needs and capacities. It is beneficial for everyone, including those who are out of shape or elderly.
Kripalu is a great way to build your body, mind, and spirit. It will help you develop a consciousness about the way you think, act, and feel in everyday life.
Kripalu teaches about love and acceptance of yourself and your body.
9. Viniyoga
Viniyoga is about adaptation. It takes a therapeutic, holistic approach to teach yoga that is designed to improve your health and well-being.
In this practice, an instructor works one-on-one with a student and tailors their approach to them. If you have a physical condition, injury, or illness, you may appreciate the one-on-one attention.
A Viniyoga class may include meditation, but it depends upon the student’s needs. Its goal is to warm up the muscles, thus decreasing the risk of pain or injury.
Viniyoga can address many different conditions. It is important for your instructor to have a knowledge of your condition, as well as your general yoga practice, before you begin working with them.
Types Of Yoga For Beginners
The best types of yoga for beginners allow you to grow into your practice. You will begin with gentle movements that teach you to respect your body and mind. As you develop strength and flexibility, you can advance your practice as far as you wish to go.
For more great yoga tips, read our blog today.