Countless types or approaches to yoga and hundreds of variations, which are increasing and overwhelming who decides to start in this practice: Vinyasa Flow, Ashtanga, Power, Anusara, Hatha, Kripalu, Yin, Nidra, Acro, Air, Rocket ... 

So many options and not knowing which one may be right for you, can lead you to choose to practice only the Hatha always because for you "it is true yoga", to stay in the Ashtanga class because it was the first type of yoga that you tried and you do not dare to change, to practice only Acro because you have always been doing pirouettes and you also like to make friends or, if you are a daring one, to try all the types of yoga your studio offers and also to practice with each one of the professors who teach there. 

Be the type of student you are, maybe you want to understand a little more about what are so many approaches to yoga, before deciding to choose yours or yours. 

Personally I think that, like everything else in life, the interesting thing is to experiment to the fullest and try everything that is offered to you, in order to stay with what best suits you at all times. 

In my practice, I have gone through a great variety of yoga types over the years and so, in my beginnings, I started with Sivananda Yoga, which is a normally gentle type of Hatha Yoga and, in fact, my first training was with them. I must say that Sivananda is a serious and respectable organization, which gave me a spiritual romp during the 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Course that I did with them, which put me on the right track at a time in my life when I had great issues to be resolved. I spent years going to his Ashram in Nassau, in the Bahamas, to complete my training and let myself be guided by his wisdom, while bathing in the celestial waters of the Caribbean. 

Over the years, the Ashtanga seduced me for being a more physical and dynamic style, and I began to practice it so many hours a day that I began to notice how my muscles changed to adapt to the jumps and the rigorous postures that I had to maintain during the breaths. 

As my mind is quite western, with a tendency to haste and changes, and my hamstrings and sóleos are always somewhat tense, to spend hours at the computer and not get off the heels, I opted for the Vinyasa Flow when I began to frequent the teachers American people. I must also say that during my Ashtanga years, I used to combine that approach with the Anusara, a type of yoga with a very specific alignment and that I thought was very suitable to have it base and avoid injuries. 

With an American professor I met in Brussels, during my years of work in the European Commission, and with the aim of facing interminable and very stressful work days, I started practicing Kundalini Yoga, and this type of yoga, sometimes intense, Sometimes soft, but always heated, it took me to the deepest silence I had ever experienced before. 

But whichever approach I chose each time, I must say that until I did not attend Meditation, none of the physical practices, in which each yoga approach of which I have named, materialized, led me to connect with my Essence, my Soul, my Being ... as each one calls it. The physical practice of the asanas reinforced my concentration, taught me the importance of breathing, stressed and toned my body and taught me to observe my mind - like the activity of the brain that is -, preparing to enter the Silence and start to know me , but that was only possible when I started practicing meditation. 

My conclusion after all these years is that each type of yoga has something for you and that, as they did in the past and still do the authentic Yoga Gurus, it is about staying with what works best for you from each focus of the existing In this way, any type of yoga can be good for you, if it serves you and leads you to prepare for SILENCE, and I include here those approaches so criticized today, with the weak argument that "they are not yoga": Acroyoga, Aerial yoga, Rocket, Power.

And what I can not stop emphasizing with all my strength, is that the practice of asanas is only the physical activity of Yoga, which tones you, while eliminating the tension of your body, and therefore prepares you for SILENCE . But if you stay only in the practice of asanas, whatever type you have chosen, and do not practice MEDITATION, then, you will NOT be practicing YOGA. 

Below I have prepared a small practical guide for you if it is useful to choose your type of yoga, whether you are starting or if you are a regular practitioner and you are curious to try another approach 

For all audiences, it derives from the traditional Ashtanga style, but adapted to Western minds and bodies. Each class is different and will usually pursue a specific anatomical goal. 

A Vinyasa class can be soft and quiet or athletic and physical, and will lead you to discover that your true POWER is unlimited. The teacher may respect you teach your class in silence and without music, so you can listen to your breathing, or you may choose soft music or mantras, but you may also hear the latest hits of the moment during class, or the 80s if a melancholic teacher catches you, in any case, a good teacher will guarantee you moments of absolute silence throughout your practice. Regarding physical activity, you will discover moments of gentle movements where the asanas join to create a choreography, while your awareness of the body and breathing will impel you to do what you never thought; You will get concentration and space to be with you and you will enjoy everything you can do with your body and your breathing. The teacher may lead you to maintain postures and control your mind in those situations in which the body begins to stress, but what is certain is that you will find moments of absolute silence, where you can enter the deepest part of your Being. 

Dynamic and traditional, the practice can be soft or intense and athletic, depending on what you decide, since the teacher will give you variations depending on whether you are starting or depending on the flexibility of your joints and the elasticity of your muscles. You will always follow the same sequence and keep the asanas (postures) for several breaths, so it can be very meditative. You will find your own space to be with you and perceive you, and you will learn to observe whatever arises in you. You will challenge your body and your mind and you will surely get warm. 

Physical and challenging, it is a fluid practice where your heart will beat while you find your own power and strength. The classes are vigorous and invigorating, as well as fun. You will move very fast and you will work hard. Do not expect much rest and of course you will sweat, but you will loose tension, tone your muscles and your mind will not have time to think. You will discover that physically and mentally you are stronger than you thought and face emotional challenges, but you will have a good time.

Slow, silent and traditional. You will maintain the postures during the practice and it can be soft or it can challenge your body and strengthen it, if you choose an intense Hatha. The intensity depends on the objective of the class and especially on you, because as always, you decide how you want to do your practice. Choose Hatha soft, if you want something soft and slow and that takes you in, and Hatha Intenso, if you want to work hard physically, mentally and spiritually. 

It is the yoga of dreams. For at least 20 minutes relax your body and calm your mind, to lower your brain waves to a state in which the body will remain asleep, while your mind will be alert. 

It will reveal the hidden power of your subconscious mind. Yoga Nidra will take you to a state of relaxation such that you will be between sleep and wakefulness, but without falling asleep, in which your conscious mind will lower your guard to allow you to enter to work your subconscious mind and your belief system, and get your objectives, change your perception of yourself or things and change your life, because "your body is the subconscious mind" (Candace Pert) and, if you can change your subconscious mind you will change your body and your reality. 

You will not perform many asanas, but rather Kriyas, which are movements reconciled with the breath, which will lead you to the absence of thoughts. They say that it is the most powerful yoga that exists and remained hidden for years with the purpose of not degenerating its practice. Absolutely detoxifying and releasing stress and tension. It is about combining movements with an intense breathing called fire. 

You will move your body in all possible directions, and you will raise your body temperature. You will clean your lungs and release a lot of blocked energy. You will reach very deep levels of your mind and you can work on creating a new self, or simply stay in that space of Silence, where your wisdom dwells. 

RESTORATIVE: 

Paused and relaxed, it aims to work the deepest tissues of your body and allow your mind to settle in a space of calm and relaxation, where you can find yourself. It is based on passive stretching accessible to all, which is maintained for a while to allow the parasympathetic mode of your nervous system to activate. 

You will not move too much, since it is about creating a space to nourish and relax your body, releasing it from tension, calm your mind and take care of you. You will use special cushions, blocks (foam rubber or cork bricks), yoga belts, to support yourself or help you in practice, and you will maintain the postures for a few minutes. 

Choose it if stress or your emotions have you stressed, if you are recovering from something physical or emotional or have had a week of high stress and want a lot, much silence and release the tension of the last connective tissue of your body. You will reach a state of relaxation that is very restorative and healing. Your goal: to feel comfortable and well, and to recover your own well-being. 

It is a type of yoga based on maintaining postures of 3 to 5 minutes on average. It aims to work the deepest tissues of your joints and allow your muscles and connective tissues to acquire their natural range of motion, once the tension has been eliminated. In addition, if you intend to, during practice, your mind will settle in a space of calm and relaxation, where you can find yourself. If you have a lot of stress, or you are an athlete who demands too much of your body, Yin Yoga will help you. 

AERIAL YOGA, antigravity, aeroyoga, Unnata, has many names, but it comes to the same thing: Use lycra-silk fabrics, or a kind of swing, to help you unfold your body in a vacuum, and perform asanas more easily , by using gravity to stretch muscles and connective tissues, and even separate your vertebrae in some asanas. If you dare, you can have a lot of fun and strengthen your muscles while you invent asanas in the air, because it is relatively new and every day someone invents a new posture in the air. 

You can allow yourself to surrender to gravity and release control, you can rise to heaven and challenge your beliefs, you can make your body make unimagined asanas. Fun and empowering, it involves a restorative part. You can swing, stretch and let go without fear because the swing supports you. It will increase the circulation of the blood with rejuvenating effect. 

The body of the woman contains the knowledge and strength to bring a child into the world, although sometimes we forget and fear enters us. If you are a woman and you are pregnant, Yoga will help you to enter into your belief system to empower yourself and become aware of your nature as a woman, move away from your fears and enjoy this miracle that grows in your body. It can prevent or greatly relieve pregnancy symptoms, since breathing exercises are indicated to relieve fatigue, nervous tension, eliminate toxin, center the mind and eliminate fears and, the asanas, help maintain postural hygiene in a moment of many physical changes. 

The practice during pregnancy will ensure that your baby gets as much space as possible and will provide a place of calm and relaxation to promote the connection mother and child, teaching you tools to control the mind and strengthen the essential areas of the body that will work in your birth. 

Until next time.