While many people often say, “I can’t do yoga, I’m not flexible enough,” that’s just one of the primary reasons to include some sort of yoga practice in your wellness efforts. The practice of yoga dates back 5,000 years, and it’s not only beneficial for helping you manage recovery but is also proven to be helpful in other ways, such as managing chronic pain, reducing stress, promoting better sleep, and other vital health aspects. However, it’s important to try a variety of yoga styles and disciplines to find just the right practice for you.
How Yoga Helps Recovery
Similar to meditation, yoga offers another holistic opportunity to take the initiative about your overall wellness. As one example, the Global Wellness Institute indicates that “more people are seeking whole-health approaches that go beyond the treatment of isolated symptoms. This indicates a shift in prioritization—at both the individual and the organizational levels—towards proactive health and wellbeing efforts.” The organization cites some specific benefits of yoga and a more customized approach, yoga therapy, which we provide verbatim:
- Clinical trials on stress reduction demonstrate how yoga and yoga therapy impact a diverse range of health responses—from energy, brain, and immune strength, to fatigue, nervousness, lack of enthusiasm, mood changes, irritability, and depression. This occurs by affecting nervous system regulation and increasing heart rate variability (HRV) through the various technologies of yoga—most especially through asana/posture, meditation/mindfulness, and the specific practices of pranayama or conscious breathing.
- In the realm of integrative healthcare, the ancient art of yogic breathing, known as Pranayama, is gaining significant recognition as a powerful tool for impacting health. This trend is fueled by a growing understanding of how conscious breathing practices can positively influence various aspects of our lives, from enhancing mental clarity to managing stress and promoting overall wellbeing.
10 Different Types of Yoga: What to Expect
Just as you need to find the right type of counseling that suits you, not all yoga styles will be your favorite, and that’s okay. Should you stay with an instructor because you like them but the practice doesn’t help you? Not really. Conversely, a location that or teacher who might be convenient because there are more classes on the schedule that mesh with your availability—or price point—doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the right yoga for where you are at a particular moment.
So be a “yoga tourist” for a while, exploring various options. However, if you’re new to yoga, do your best to attend a series of sessions with a registered yoga instructor to ensure safety. You’ll find teachers throughout the world at Yoga Alliance.
Depending on the source, there are as many as 30 styles of yoga, each with specific features and benefits. But to simplify your approach, here are 10 foundational disciplines of yoga and their benefits:
- Ashtanga
- Builds core strength and tones the body, improves cardiovascular fitness, increases stamina, and promotes mental clarity. It follows a specific sequence of poses in a fast-paced manner.
- Bikram
- Promotes detoxification through sweating, improves flexibility, enhances strength, and can aid in weight loss. It consists of a series of 26 postures practiced in a heated room.
- Hatha
- Improves flexibility, builds strength, enhances balance, reduces stress, and promotes relaxation. It’s great for beginners as it focuses on basic postures and breathing techniques.
- Iyengar
- Improves posture, enhances alignment, builds strength and stability, and increases flexibility. It uses props such as blocks and straps to aid in performing poses correctly and safely.
- Kundalini
- Awakens spiritual energy, reduces stress, improves mental clarity, and enhances emotional balance. It combines physical postures, breathwork, chanting, and meditation.
- Power
- Builds strength and endurance, improves cardiovascular health, increases flexibility, and aids in weight loss. It’s a vigorous, fitness-based approach to Vinyasa-style yoga.
- Restorative
- Deep relaxation, stress reduction, improved sleep, and enhanced recovery from injury or illness. This practice uses props to support the body in passive poses for deep relaxation.
- Vinyasa
- Increases cardiovascular fitness, improves flexibility and strength, enhances mental focus, and helps with weight loss. It involves flowing from one pose to another in synchronization with breath.
- Yin
- Enhances flexibility, improves joint mobility, reduces stress, and calms the mind. It involves holding poses for an extended period to stretch deep connective tissues.
- Yoga Therapy
- A customized approach by a certified yoga therapist to address specific health issues and trauma-informed circumstances.
You, Only Better, at Fair Oaks
At Fair Oaks Recovery Center in Sacramento, California, our board-certified professionals develop effective treatment programs using evidence-based methods combined with holistic care. We understand that helping you heal fully—through mind, body, and spirit—provides greater peace in your recovery. We’ve also earned the status of a licensed Chemical Dependency Recovery Hospital, issued by the California Department of Public Health to addiction rehabilitation and dual diagnosis treatment facilities that provide high-level acuity care. We hope this designation helps you trust that we’re able to provide you or a loved one with all the techniques necessary to create a better future. Call us today to learn more.
