Teaching Styles In Yoga – Vinyasa, Hatha, Ashtanga, And More

If you delve into the different forms of yoga, you will come across names like Hatha Yoga, Vinyasa Yoga, and Ashtanga Yoga. Moreover, all these are derived from Sanskrit. Now, you must be wondering, what the difference is, in these forms. Well! Some are slow and a few are fast-moving. That is a basic difference, which can help you to identify the forms. Before you get into the teaching style used by yoga schools in India, it makes sense to know what the different forms are all about.

Hatha Yoga

We are discussing Hatha Yoga first, as it is the foundational form which most schools in India will teach you. It is slow, but that should not be a hassle. You will take things slowly and build stability. Additionally, you will also learn about purification techniques. As you build your muscles for harder things, and also cleanse the organs, you will be able to reach the higher realm, meditatively. If you enrol for a yoga teacher training in India, your teachers will adopt a certain teaching pedagogy to keep things moving.

Teaching Hatha Yoga:

The first step to teach Hatha Yoga is to welcome the class. It sets the tone of the class and makes the students comfortable. Most schools will start by playing soulful music, lighting incense sticks, and asking for introduction of each student. You will also learn to set a goal or intention for the class.
Most teachers will begin the classes with Surya Namaskar, which makes this form very distinct. The intensity of the poses is very important, and you will be required to hold the poses for a long time.
Teachers will guide you to seated poses after you are done with standing ones. The emphasis is more gradual, rather than quick. The explanation is most important, when you are teaching a class. Transitioning with the appropriate poses is also important. Wrong transitions can be difficult and also lead to injuries.
Slowly, the most learned teachers will help you to transition from seated poses to supine ones. Prone poses are also advised thereafter. Finally, after everything is over, you can go for Savasana. This is the sequence adopted by the best yoga teachers.

So, summing up, there are five things that every teacher should keep in mind, the goal or theme, avoidance of talking excessively, Soft music playing in the background, and students getting enough rest.

Ashtanga Yoga

Ashtanga Yoga is a series of six sequences, which one can take years to complete. This is a spiritual flow style. It follows a certain sequence of poses, which are repeated in every class. The main goal of Ashtanga Yoga is to build resilience and strength. Your focus also improves as a result. Your breath guides the movement, and gaze is also very important in this type of yoga.

Teaching Ashtanga Yoga:

Not everybody can teach Ashtanga Yoga. You will find the teacher guiding the student individually in the beginning. This allows the student to learn according to their own respiration rate, and individual mental and emotional state.
Consistency is the key in an Ashtanga class. You will be asked to maintain a steady breath, which will guide the poses. Additionally, your gaze will be very important.
Adjustments are also very important in this style of yoga. All Ashtanga Yoga teachers are trained to give safe adjustments. They will also check frequently, if you are comfortable.
Teachers function in a different manner, as opposed to other yoga styles. There will be students who are beginners and others who are intermediates. Most newbies are asked to observe in the first class, so that one can derive certain ideas.

Thus, this teaching style is distinct from any other yoga style.

Vinyasa Yoga

This is the third-most practiced style today. Vinyasa yoga is more demanding physically. It mainly recognizes the temporary state of things, so classes are fast-paced. You will be flowing from one pose to another seamlessly, while maintaining your breath and gaze. Moreover, you will not repeat the poses in each class. That means, you can change the sequence. That is another point of contrast from any Ashtanga class.

Teaching Vinyasa Yoga:

In teaching Vinyasa style, your teacher will adopt different methods. Firstly, it is not just instructing. Your teacher will get up and work with you. It is more than just demonstrating in a Vinyasa class. The teacher practices with each student, standing beside the same person.
Moreover, Vinyasa Yoga teachers will practice yoga before the actual class. This amounts to testing. This helps to eliminate any sequence that can cause harm to the student.
You will be required to move your body a bit, and warm up, before actually hitting the mat. Surya Namaskar is also practiced. There is a break of flow in between, many times. If a teacher finds that a student is unable to continue in one sequence, he or she is asked to stop and work on some different pose.
Respect to each and every student’s individuality is of prime importance.
Too much talking is not recommended in a Vinyasa class, as it removes focus.
A proper cooling down ritual and relaxation are also very important.

Born out of Ashtanga Yoga, to suit modern practitioners, it revolves around the same series as taught in the original form. You are just getting the leeway of exploring different poses, in different sequences.

Final Words

As learners of yoga, it is important for you to find out which style suits you. There are quite a few other styles, born out of a western mind-set as yoga travels globally. They are Yin Yoga, which is a restorative form of yoga. Then there is Hot Yoga, performed in closed and heated steam chambers. You will also come across other forms and styles in different regions, like the Mysore –style Ashtanga. Kundalini Yoga is a more spiritual form, which one must get into, after perfecting any of the above styles or forms. You must ensure to join a good yoga school in India, to get the most of this knowledge, both as a practitioner and as a teacher.