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Iyengar
YogaIyengar yoga is known for longer holding of poses and inclusion of more
strenuous poses (www.bksiyengar.com; Field, 2011). B. K. S. Iyengar is the
founder of Iyengar yoga and author of several books on yoga and the seminal
work, Light on Yoga (Iyengar, 1966). Iyengar yoga focuses on alignment as the
primary meditative focus of practice (McCall, 2007). Pranayama (i.e., breath work)
is taught after a certain level of proficiency is attained in asana—a process that
takes, on average, about 2 years of steady practice (i.e., postures; McCall, 2007).
B. K. S. Iyengar is thought to be a pioneer in yoga in both use of props and in the
development of restorative yoga. Props such as blocks, bolsters, straps, benches,
and ropes mounted on the wall are used to enhance practice (McCall, 2007).
Restorative yoga is useful for students, who are in need of respite, recovery, and
have other physiological challenges (e.g., illness). Teacher training in Inyengar
yoga is believed to be among the most rigorous (McCall, 2007).
Kripalu Yoga Kripalu yoga was created by a group of yogis who followed Yogi Amrit Desai in
the 1970s (McCall, 2007). Kripalu yoga emphasizes emotional release, spiritual
growth, and self-acceptance (McCall, 2007; http://www.kripalu.org). There is a focus on
creating a space for yoga students that is emotionally safe (McCall, 2007). The
practice is presented in different levels of intensity ranging from gentle to more
vigorous practices (McCall, 2007). Sequences stress coordination of movement
and breath, awareness of energy in the body, and working to find your edge in
postures (McCall, 2007). Sometimes teachers integrate breathing techniques
and postures to elicit specific energy experiences (McCall, 2007). It includes
asana, chanting, pranayama, and meditation (McCall, 2007). Kripalu yoga is
associated with the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Lenox, Massachusetts
(www.kripalu.org; McCall, 2007)
Mindful Yoga Mindful yoga focuses on raising a practitioner’s awareness of the patterns in his
or her mind (Douglass, 2011). The methodologies include postures, breathing,
deep relaxation, and concentration techniques (Douglass, 2011). Mindful yoga
emphasizes embodied experience and mental responses and checking with
students as they move through poses and engage in breathing and relaxation
techniques. Students are encouraged to bring awareness to thoughts, feelings,
and physical postures and how they feel in the body, to discern thoughts and
bodily sensations, and to notice that they can have multiple reactions to single
sensations. Mindful yoga emphasizes awareness of sensations and the choice
that follows (Douglass, 2011). Notably, it is not prescriptive but a form of
inquiry in which negation and embracing of multiple meanings over experience,
perceptions, sensations, and thoughts are encouraged (Douglass, 2011).
Power Yoga Power yoga evolved during the 1980s as a physical practice with a focus on
personal empowerment. Its roots are in Vinyasa flow, Ashtanga, and Bikram
yoga. In Baptiste methodology, there is a standard sequence emphasizing 12
different energetic foci including: integration, awakening, vitality, equanimity,
grounding, igniting, stability, opening, release, rejuvenation, and deep rest
(Baptiste, 2003). Physical and mental integration is reinforced via a central
teaching tenet referred to as true north alignment, a continuous guidance
to bring awareness and focus to the core of the physiological body and a
grounded, mindful mental state. The power yoga emphasis is on inquiry and
personal achievement. Some power yoga classes use heat (around 90 degrees)
and a standard sequence of poses (e.g., Baptiste, 2003). Others have more
flexibility in the sequences and vary the use of heat. See the Baptiste Power
Vinyasa Yoga webpage for more information: http://www.baronbaptiste.com.taBLE 9.4 Contemporary Styles of Yoga^ (continued )(continued )