Yoga

[monkey]

Hi there. I do a physical yoga practice daily and have done for a while. That's the more established practice for me, the sitting has come later.

Hatha yoga just means the physical practice, so encompasses lots of different types of class. Iyengar is taught in the style of BKS Iyengar and commonly has an emphasis on alignment and use of props to support the body in poses. I've not been to an Iyengar class because I like more movement really.

I think now that the style is less important than the teacher. If you can find someone who really creates a safe space in a class for people to try things out, and who emphasises all the time that yoga is about exploration and accepting your limitations then that's going to be a much more positive and mindful situation than a teacher of a specific style who doesn't really get that across. I've been to lots of classes and I think often people pay lip service to those core ideals while actually encouraging students to push too hard or not show themselves enough care.