Yoga has its roots dating back from the ancient times. It was followed by the sages and the Gurus as a form of meditation. Now Yoga is followed as a regular form of workout exercise.
1) Ashtanga Yoga:
In Sanskrit “Ashta + anga” is Ashtanga. “Ashta” means eight and “Anga” is limbs so it means Eight Limb path. The eight limbs are Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyan, and Samadhi.
2) Hatha Yoga:
It gives guidelines from the practical point of view for a beginner to begin Yoga, which leads the students gradually from the culture of the body towards the sight of the soul and God-realization. Asanas, Pranayama, Mudras and Bandhas are the main processes of Hatha Yoga.
3) Power Yoga:
Power yoga is a general term used in the West to describe a vigorous, fitness-based approach to vinyasa-style yoga. Power yoga does not follow a set series of poses. It emphasizes on strength and flexibility. The advent of power yoga heralded yoga’s current popularity, as people began to see yoga as a way to work out. The main advantage of Power Yoga is it relaxes the body muscles and increases the blood circulation.
4) Jnana Yoga:
Jnana Yoga is the Yoga of true knowledge, which incessantly strives to know and understand the difference between the real and unreal, the permanent and the temporary. According to Jnana Yoga, the person should be able to detach himself/herself from everything that is temporary, after following the holistic path.
5) Karma Yoga:
The ultimate aim of Karma Yoga is to provide selfless service to humanity, without any ego. People performing Karma Yoga serve the needy, without urging to bear the fruit for all their actions. Karma Yoga is the consecration of all the actions and their outcomes to the Almighty. Karma Yoga purifies the heart. It releases the Karma Yogi from the ties of the kindred and indulges him/her into activities of selfless social service. Bad qualities of egoism, jealously, superiority and hatred are completely removed from the mind of the person, when he/she follows the path of Karma Yoga.
6) Kundalini Yoga:
Kundalini Yoga is an ancient form of Yoga, which creates a communication between the mind and the body by making use of a set of technique that involve the mind, senses and body. The sequences of Kundalini, known as kriyas, consist of repetitive movements, done by holding a pose, while breathing in a specific way. The entire thing is done in a rapid pace, so that the person gets the full benefit of Kundalini Yoga.
7) Mantra Yoga:
Mantra yoga is the chanting of mantras – words, phrases or syllables – in an attentive and thoughtful way, to attain certain goals. It is a form of meditation, in which one has to chant the mantra until he/she transcends his/her mind and emotions. In the process, the person discovers his/her super conscious. Mantra Yoga is highly beneficial for improving the overall health and mental stability. Mantras help keep the individual away from the drudgery of everyday life, the material world and deviates the focus towards the essentials of life, which are nothing but a healthy body and a peaceful mind.
8)Purna Yoga:
Purna which means complete, the Yoga aims at attaining a union of the body, mind and the spirit. It was thought that the traditional Yoga system revolved more around salvation and next life, rather than the present one. Purna Yoga gives Yoga a positive and dynamic form.
All this types of Yoga provide the Yogi with many health benefits. Yoga Therapy if followed well can work wonders.
Daniel Brewer is a Yoga instructor. In this article he describes the various forms of Yoga which is used in Yoga Therapy.