Types of yoga, without the mystique

Hatha is the broad family of physical yoga that most Western classes descend from. When a studio schedule says "Hatha", it usually means a general-purpose class: individual poses held for several breaths each, taught one at a time rather than linked into a continuous flow. You set up a pose, stay in it, come out, and move on to the next.

42 poses

Vinyasa (often listed as "flow") links poses together into continuous sequences, with one breath cueing each movement. Instead of setting up a pose, holding it, and resting, you move more or less constantly: inhale into one shape, exhale into the next. The Sun Salutations are the backbone — short, repeatable sequences that warm you up and reappear between longer standing series.

46 poses

Ashtanga is a fixed, breath-counted sequence practiced the same way every time. The Primary Series — Yoga Chikitsa — is its foundation: sun salutations, a standing sequence, a long run of seated forward folds and hip work, and a finishing sequence of backbends and inversions. You learn it pose by pose, adding the next only when the previous one is steady.

61 poses · fixed sequence

Iyengar yoga is the method developed by B.K.S. Iyengar (1918–2014), whose book Light on Yoga remains a standard reference. Its defining trait is precision: each pose is taught in exact detail — where the feet point, what the thighs do, how the spine lengthens — and held long enough to actually work on those details. Certified teachers go through years of rigorous training, so instruction tends to be unusually specific and hands-on.

43 poses

The Bikram sequence — now usually taught as "Hot 26" or "26 & 2" — is a fixed series of 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises, practiced in a room heated to around 40 °C (105 °F). Every class is the same sequence in the same order, which is exactly the point: the sequence becomes a measuring stick, and progress is unmistakable.

27 poses · fixed sequence

Yin yoga is the slow half of practice. Instead of moving between poses, you settle into one shape — mostly seated or lying down — soften your muscles, and stay for one to five minutes. The long, passive hold works on the connective tissue around the hips, pelvis, and spine rather than on muscle strength.

24 poses

Restorative yoga is rest, not stretch. Each pose is set up with enough props — bolsters, folded blankets, blocks — that your body is fully supported and your muscles can stop working entirely. You then stay there, usually five to twenty minutes, doing nothing. That's the whole practice.

12 poses

Power yoga is a fitness-oriented offshoot of vinyasa, developed in the late 1980s by teachers who wanted the athleticism of Ashtanga without its fixed sequence. It keeps the flowing, breath-linked format but turns up the intensity: more chaturangas, longer holds in strong standing poses, and dedicated core work woven through the class.

36 poses

Honest framing first: Kundalini yoga is not really a posture practice. A class is built around kriyas — set sequences of repetitive movement, strong breathwork, chanting, and meditation — rather than held asanas. You might pump the arms for three minutes, hold a simple shape while doing Breath of Fire, chant a mantra, then sit in silence. A pose list can only show you part of it.

12 poses

Prenatal yoga is a gentle practice adapted for pregnancy: slower pacing, wider stances to make room for a growing belly, more support, and a shortlist of things to avoid — deep closed twists, strong core work, breath retention, and (later on) long stretches flat on the back or belly. The aim is comfort, mobility, and calm, not progress in poses.

18 poses

Chair yoga adapts familiar poses so they can be done sitting on, or holding onto, an ordinary chair. That makes it practical for desk workers who want to move without changing clothes, and genuinely accessible for seniors and anyone with limited mobility, balance concerns, or difficulty getting down to the floor.

15 poses