Yoga Styles: Hatha, Vinyasa, Iyengar, Ashtanga, Kundalini, Yin, Restorative, Chair and Hot Yoga

Style names describe classes, not separate treatments

Yoga ranges from gentle practices to physically demanding ones, and the type of yoga used in a study can change its results. [1] That makes research hard to compare. The sources read for this page include no head-to-head trials showing that one style is better than another for a given outcome, so this page does not claim that any style has its own proven benefits. Labels used: promising but limited, mixed, insufficient evidence, no good evidence of benefit.

Names are also used loosely. One US membership organization's directory says its "flow" category is also sometimes called vinyasa, and that its "alignment-oriented" category is also sometimes called Ashtanga Yoga. [2] Researchers who study regular Ashtanga practitioners note that "Ashtanga Yoga" is also a name for Patanjali's eightfold path. [3] Several widely taught postural styles, including Iyengar and Ashtanga, are linked to the teacher T. Krishnamacharya and his students in India. [3] The same organization says teachers often identify with a style, tradition or lineage, and that there is no "right way" to practice yoga. [2] For history, see the history of yoga.

The styles at a glance

How classes differ in content

A survey of 968 yoga teachers from 64 countries grouped styles by what teachers said they mainly taught: traditional (for example hatha or Ashtanga), exercise-based (for example vinyasa or power) and therapy (for example restorative or gentle). [17] Postures took 50.0% of class time in traditional styles and 60.9% in exercise-based styles, while traditional and therapy classes gave more time than exercise-based ones to breathing, meditation, relaxation and chanting. [17] This is teachers' self-report, gathered through snowball recruitment, so it describes tendencies, not rules. Another paper called vinyasa "a system of hatha yoga," which shows how the labels overlap. [18]

Details worth knowing

Iyengar and falls. In a trial of 700 Australian adults aged 60 and over, a year of Iyengar yoga-based exercise was compared with seated relaxation yoga. The Iyengar group fell more often (0.87 vs 0.64 falls per person-year), and the authors said the program should not be recommended for fall prevention in its current form. [11] It did improve planned physical activity and self-reported balance confidence, and no serious adverse events occurred. [11] PubMed lists an erratum for this paper, so check it for corrected figures. A review of yoga-based exercise in general (not Iyengar alone) found small balance gains in six trials of people aged 60 and over. [19]

Kundalini. In a 226-person trial, Kundalini yoga helped generalized anxiety disorder more than stress education, but the test did not show it was as effective as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and the authors said CBT should stay first-line. [12]

Yin and restorative. A five-week trial in 105 stressed adults found greater reductions in a blood marker (plasma adrenomedullin), anxiety and sleep problems than in a control group. [13] A blood marker is a physiological finding, not a clinical outcome. In 180 adults with metabolic syndrome, restorative yoga was marginally better than stretching for fasting glucose but not for other measures. [14]

Chair. A review of older-adult trials found moderate-certainty evidence that yoga improved gait speed and lower-body strength compared with education or inactive controls, but it may not beat other exercise. [4] In a trial of 454 adults aged 65 and over with several long-term conditions, a 12-week chair-based program did not change quality of life compared with usual care, though it was safe and acceptable. [15] The trial was unblinded and outcomes were self-reported. [15]

Hot. A review of 43 studies found that hot yoga raised body temperature and heart rate but not energy demand compared with unheated yoga, and called claims of greater benefit than other yoga or exercise unsubstantiated. [16] It also noted case reports of ill-health after hot yoga. [16] One lab study of a standardized 90-minute hot class measured about 286 kcal. [20]

Choosing and staying safe

Match a class to your health and goals rather than its name; how to choose a yoga style lists questions to ask. NCCIH says yoga is generally considered safe for healthy people when performed properly under a qualified instructor. The most common injuries are sprains and strains, and the knee or lower leg is the part most often injured. [1] If you are new, NCCIH advises avoiding headstands, shoulder stands, the lotus position and forceful breathing. [1] It also notes that hot yoga has special risks of overheating and dehydration, and that the rate of yoga-related injuries treated in emergency departments is higher in people aged 65 and over. [1]

Pregnant women, older adults and people with health conditions should talk with their health care providers and the instructor about their needs. [1] NCCIH lists preexisting injuries, lumbar spine disease, severe high blood pressure, balance issues and glaucoma as conditions that may call for modifications. [1] Do not use yoga to postpone seeing a health care provider about a medical problem. [1] More in yoga safety, adapted yoga and movement and what is yoga.