...If you are looking to add yoga to your healthy lifestyle you may be wondering what type to choose. We are here to break down the many styles of yoga and help you decide which path is best for you. Below is a brief overview of the most popular yoga practices today.

Vinyasa Movements and breaths are coordinated in a fast pace type of yoga. Each asana (pose) is balanced with a counter pose to create a harmonized mind and body. Vinyasa yoga has influenced many other styles of yoga that all keep the idea of balance and synchronicity throughout.

Ashtanga This is a type of Vinyasa yoga that follows a series of asanas that constantly flow, allowing each movement to receive a breath. Ashtanga is a Sanskrit (an ancient language in India) work meaning 8 Limbs. Ashtanga yoga is sometimes better known as power yoga because of the demand on the body.

Iyengar This a type of yoga designed by the famous yoga guru B.K.S. Iyengar. His style of yoga places a great emphasis on proper alignment by encouraging the use of yoga props such as band...more

Yoga Ball Exercise

...One of the best things about yoga is you really dont need any specialized equipment to get all of the major health benefits. Because yoga is traditionally practiced barefoot, you dont need shoes. If you are working out on a carpet, you dont even need a mat.

This is not to say that you never need any additional equipment. Some people have found that using an exercise ball is beneficial to their yoga program. Yoga balls have been used for years for physical rehab, but now they are being used in all types of different exercise programs.

Typically, stability balls have been used for abdominal exercises such as stomach crunches, but they can be used for almost any exercise. The theory behind the exerci...more

Finding the Right Yoga Teacher for You

...ht kind of teacher to whom you'll respond isn't always easy. In the first place, there is no real certification processed or approved training sequence. Without these standards almost anyone can hold themselves out as professional yoga instructors.

Find out what kind of training a proposed teacher has had. What school of yoga did he study? How many hours did he put in before becoming a teacher? A program that includes not only learning, but also practice teaching sessions, and is around 200 hours seems to be standard. You'll find some certification programs that take a year or more to complete, and those that are an intense weekend of correspondence-type study. Expect to pay more to and learn more from the former. Avoid the latter altogether.

Also check his experience. How long has he been teaching? Usually, the longer the experience, the better the teacher, but if he's new, don't rule him ou...more

Top 5 Benefits of Group Yoga Practice

...Running a Yoga studio gives me a great deal of insight into the benefits of group yoga practice. From these observations, I have compiled below the top 5 benefits I see from doing such practice. This is by no means disparaging a home yoga practice. I am, as everyone knows, a huge fan of having a daily personal practice. In fact, for serious practitioners a daily home meditation and yoga practice is a must. In this article I am simply pointing out the best of what I find in doing a group yoga practice.

1. ENERGY!!:

Without a doubt a group kundalini yoga class a has different level of Energy. It is palpable and easily noticeable. This energy serves to uplift and inspire all that are participating. This is most common feedback I get from students after a class. This energy not only helps all the yogis during the class, but, persists even after the class to keep your level of being raised. In fact, there are some classes where this energy is so high and so good that afterwards I can feel the after glow that it creates in everyone present. It is quite common that you enter the class feeling lethargic and down and l...more