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Which Yoga Class Best Suits You, Part 2: New-Age Yoga Classes
3.Jan
So let’s take a close look at the different types of yoga classes on offer today and let’s derive the lineage practices from these made-up secondary new-age practices.
Bikram yoga is a system of yoga that Bikram Choudhury synthesised from traditional techniques in the early 1970’s.Bikram's classes run for 90 minutes and consist of a set series of 26 postures and two breathing exercises. Bikram yoga is usually practiced in a room heated to 105°F (40.6°C).
Hot yoga refers to yoga postures practiced under hot conditions. It is a style devised by Bikram Choudhury but is now used to describe any number of yoga styles that use heat in order to increase an individual’s flexibility.
Hot yoga became massive in Hong Kong around 2002 thanks to an influx of yogis who came from abroad to put these classes into place.
In 2002 I took my first hot yoga class and in order to give it a fair go, I actually took a few classs. At that point, I was already practicing yoga but was curious about the hype around this particular type of yoga. Also as a teacher I felt the need to try all practices and experience them. So I went and I got hot. Very hot. Not in a nice way. I was dizzy, I felt like throwing up and so did a few people in the class who were relatively good at it. Everything about the class was a reference point to the body. There was NOTHING spiritual about it at all. We were not even allowed to drink water.
Over the years I have seen many students fall into this trap of wanting to be slim and opting for a fast track yoga class to reach their ideal weight. But hot yoga can put pressure on your organs, it’s not something I would EVER recommend to anyone.
Power yoga is another new-age yoga class I’ve tried. I have also taken many power yoga classes and all I have to say is “help me”. Power yoga takes from the essence of a classical lineage called ashtanga yoga but contorts this beautiful practice. It’s so sad to see the practice of ashtanga being ripped apart and put in a sequential way that makes no sense at all. It seems it was created for those that wanted to just omit the difficulty of this beautiful system. All of these classes including the vinyasa flow class are all taken from the ashtanga system.
The ashtanga yoga system should never be confused with "power yoga" or any whimsical creation which goes against the tradition of the many types of yoga shastras (scriptures). It would be a shame to lose the precious jewel of liberation in the mud of ignorant bodybuilding.
- K. Pattabhi Jois, Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute, Mysore, South India
The quote above from Sri K Pattabhi Jois says it all. This is a man that dedicated his life to practice and to his teacher. I was lucky to have been taught by him and continue to be taught by his grandson R. Sharath Jois.
Vinyasa flow and flow classes also do the same thing. They take and take and apply the ashtanga lineage to create a class. Sometimes they have no thought for why one posture is in front of the other. Often the teacher just dictates what they feel in the class. I’ve gone to many classes incognito and raised the question: “Why is this posture before that posture?”, and the teacher several times has come back saying, “I don’t know”. Well if your yoga teacher does not know the answer, in my opinion that is scary.
Anusara yoga was created in 1997 by John Friend. The class had a little too much talking for my liking. I could not connect the breathing with all the chatting. White lotus yoga is a modified ashtanga practice developed by Ganga White that combines breath work and meditation. Again, too much talking and I must have missed the meditation part in the classes I attended. Forrest Yoga is another class I tried, I actually walked out of this class after trying it for the second time. It was like an aerobics class and Ana Forrest was just a little too scary in her approach. Restfulness and peace were not present anywhere in this class. This yogini even has her own business manager and event producer. That says it all really!
I would NEVER recommend anyone take any of these new-age yoga classes. These are the types of yoga classes created by secondary practitioners to help them sell yoga asana. As inviting as some of them are, they defeat the whole point of yoga. Find a class that is rooted in tradition and history. Classical lineages such as Sivananda, ashtanga and Iyengar are great places to start with. Check out my next column for more on these lineage practices.
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Biography
Born and raised in Hong Kong, Tiana started practicing yoga from a young age following the spiritual teachings of Sri Swami Satchidananda with whom her family has been affiliated with since the 1940’s. A significant part of her development into adulthood has been influenced by his teachings. Prior to teaching yoga, Tiana worked in the corporate world for 11 years. She has worked with global companies such as the LVMH Group and The Financial Times. Her daily practice consists of Meditation, Pranayama, and Ashtanga Vinyasa. Tiana teaches Mysore, Ashtanga led classes, Hatha Yoga, Yoga for Kids, Pre- Natal Yoga and Restorative Yoga. She is a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT 500) with Yoga Alliance International, as well as an authorized Ashtanga yoga teacher, a high honour in the yoga field. She is a travelling teacher, but when in Hong Kong teaches private classes to a selected few and classes at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental Spa. For details on where to catch her see www.yogawithtiana.com
