An Insight Into the Yoga Culture - Yoga Schools

The practice of yoga is taught from different anglesHimalayas.
by multiple schools, each with its particular ideology.Iyengar - attention to detail and the precise alignment
The article intends to provide a short presentation ofof the postures are the basic principles of the school
the most important of them, with the mentioning thatfounded by B.K.S Iyengar.
no school is better than another. They just differ onIntegral - the teachings of the school developed by
what techniques to adopt in order to enhance theSwami Satchidananda represent the foundations of Dr
process of meditation. The choice is dictated byDean Ornish's groundbreaking work on reversing heart
personal preferences. What is most important is thedisease.
relationship between student and teacher.Kripalu - proper breathing, coordination of breath and
As said earlier, the difference among yoga schoolsmovement, alignment are greatly emphasised within
results from the aspect on which each places thethe teachings of this school.
emphasis. For instance, some schools stress theKundalini - it was developed by Yogi Bhajan,
importance of the alignment of the body, holdingemphasizing classic poses, meditation, breathing and its
postures, the coordination of breath and movement orcoordination with movement.
transition from one posture to another.Paramahansa Yogananda - also known as the Kriva
Here are the main yoga schools:yoga self-realization fellowship, it puts emphasis on the
Ananda - it was developed by Swami Kriyananda andspiritual and on meditation.
lays emphasis on self-realization.Power Yoga - it uses Ashtanga repetitive series of
Anusara - based on principles and spirals of alignment,postures.
it focuses on flowing with grace.Sivananda - it has at its core a structure that includes
Ashtanga - developed by K. Pattabhi, it concentratesclassic asanas (postures), pranayama and relaxation.
on a more serious athletic workout exercises.Power Vinyasa Yoga - it practices sweat-based,
Baptiste Method of Yoga - it was developed by Waltsynchronized and dynamic-flow postures in a room
Baptiste and Magaña and is based on Raja yoga,heated to 85-90°F.
focusing on mind and meditation.Viniyoga - founded by Sri T. Khrishna- Macharya, it
Baptiste Power of Yoga - it gathers yoga philosophy,was carried on by his son and promotes a
breathing techniques and flowing postures.methodology of developing practices for individual
Bikram - Bikram Choudhury, the founder, instilled apurposes and conditions.
series of 26 static-holding postures that are practicedVivekananda - it offers a spiritual brand of yoga.
in a room with the temperature of 110° Fahrenheit.No matter how many they are, these schools basically
Himalayan Institute - it places the emphasis onpreach the same thing, only with slight changes of
meditation and draws its philosophy from a lineage offocus.
sages of the ancient cave monasteries of the