When I first embraced yoga, it was all about asana, the physical poses. It was a practice which took me into something different, new ways of moving, challenging myself in ways I had not done before. Then came the inevitable, the spiritual awakening, discovering that connection of mind and body, breath and body. However, everyone comes to yoga at different times and phases in their life, points on their journey.
So, how do you know where to start? With so many kinds of yoga, it is a labyrinth. What does it all mean?
– EVENT: Nike We Run DXB 10km
This I would say is one of the most physically demanding practices but when done in the solitude in which it is meant to be done, in the Mysore style where you are all in the room together but practicing at your own pace, with your own breath, can offer a very meditative quality. The 90 minute series is the same each time until you progress to the next level so offers you time to get familiar with poses and grow in your practice. The series will include a wide range of poses from arm balances to inversions, standing to seated poses so is a great all round series for those who wish to be pushed physically and learn the wide spectrum which is yoga.
The original hot yoga, the series is 26 poses, in a room heated to usually in excess of 40 degrees by the time the body heat rocks up. Personally, I feel this is a fairly limited practice, not giving you a particularly rounded foundation for other styles and classes like other styles would. For example, there are no sun salutations which in every other practice you go to, you will do. There are no inversions and poses are renamed to add a sense of uniqueness (warrior 3 called balancing stick, dancers pose changed to standing bow etc) so students who come to classes after this are often a little confused. It is however a great physical practice and with the regularity of the same series, you can find a meditative quality to it. However, there is so much more to yoga than 26 postures.
This is possibly the least common of the styles you will find in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, however, this is a fantastic foundation where you will truly learn the poses. Set up originally as a form of rehabilitation, the practice uses a range of props from wall ropes to bolsters, blocks to chairs. For anyone with injury, I would send them straight here. Its teachers are the most well trained of any yoga instructor, having to have been a student for three years before even being able to embark on the very long process of teacher training. Poses are held for long periods of time and alignment and injury prevention are a priority. It’s a wonderful base for your practice and a compliment to your other styles.
Probably seen as the original of the yoga styles, Hatha is a gentle, often slow flowing yoga. It will offer you everything you need both physically and mentally, a huge range of poses and a strong emphasis on the spiritual side. Focus is strongly on the connection of movements with breath and this is where you’re most likely to encounter the practice of pranayama, or yogic breathing. I usually recommend this for beginners so they can ease themselves into the faster flowing classes such as Vinyasa, which really blends Hatha and Ashtanga but at a faster pace.
I am probably fairly biased when it comes to the practice of yin, it really is the yoga equivalent to my best friend, my favourite of all kinds of practice. Each pose is held for three to five minutes, the most challenging part of class being able to remain comfortable in the discomfort, to keep the mind clear and calm, to just be and breathe; skills which are in fact vital in our crazy fast paced lives today. It stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, the relaxation response, so is a great restorative practice. Holding the poses so long allows you to go beyond the muscular effort and into the connective tissue to get deeper into the poses over time. You will also use props such as blocks and bolsters which are meant to help ease and assist your practice.
Melanie Swan is a journalist, blogger, Yoga teacher (RYT200 Yogaworks/Yoga Alliance), and Reebok yoga ambassador. Check out more of her writing on her personal blog, Desert Swan.
