Yoga 101

Yoga 101: Styles, Poses, and How the Practice Works

If you have ever stood outside a studio timetable wondering what separates hatha from vinyasa, or whether yin is the same as restorative, this is the section for you. Yoga 101 answers the questions every practitioner asks in the first year or two, in plain language and without assuming you already know the Sanskrit.

Who this section is for

New students use it to choose a class and understand what happens in it. Returning practitioners use it to fill gaps: the history of Ashtanga, what a kundalini class involves, why the alignment cues in downward dog matter. Teachers point their own students here when a question comes up that a two-minute answer after class will not cover.

The guides stay grounded. When a claim about the body comes up, it links to the anatomy section, and when a claim about tradition comes up, it names the source.

How the yoga 101 guides are ordered

Start with the styles. The guide to the main types of yoga schools gives you the landscape; the yin versus vinyasa comparison is the most common fork people face, and the hatha, vinyasa, and Ashtanga guides go deeper into the three you will meet most often. Restorative and chair yoga follow for readers who need a slower or seated practice.

Then the poses: downward dog, because you will do it hundreds of times in your first year, and crow, because it is the first arm balance most people attempt. The nutrition guide closes the path with what to eat before and after practice.

Start here

1. Types of Yoga Schools: A Guide to the Main Styles: the major styles side by side, and how to choose between them.
2. Yin Yoga vs Vinyasa: Which Style Is Right for You?: the slow, held practice against the flowing one, and when each serves you.
3. What Is Hatha Yoga? The Foundation Every Style Is Built On: the root style, its history, and what a hatha class looks like.
4. What Is Vinyasa Yoga? Breath, Movement, and Flow: how breath-linked movement works and what to expect in class.
5. Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga Explained: The Six Series and the Method: the fixed sequences, the Mysore method, and who it suits.
6. Restorative Yoga: What It Is and Why It Helps: supported, long-held rest and how it differs from yin.
7. Downward Dog, Done Right: Alignment Cues That Change the Pose: the pose you will practise most, with the cues that fix common mistakes.
8. Your First Arm Balance: A Step-by-Step Guide to Crow Pose: a progression into crow, with the preparation that makes it possible.

When the questions stop being about which class to take and start being about how to teach one, the 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training in Bali is the next step: every style in this section is covered there in person.