What are the differences between Hatha, Ashtanga, Vinyasa, and Iyengar yoga?

After an intense one month of research and visits to various yoga schools, I finally decided on a traditional one where I would do my teacher training. I was exposed to many types of yoga throughout my research, which I never heard of - Hatha, Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Ashtanga Vinyasa, Iyengar, etc. It was so confusing.

I am thankful I did my teacher training at a traditional school. It provided me a solid foundation and background to the history of the various yoga lineages which made me appreciate yoga more, though I do not have to subscribe to any of the beliefs which may turn me away from my faith. You can read my story here.

So what are the differences between the various types of yoga, and how do they differ from Hatha yoga? This was a question I raised during a class and I am grateful for the wealth of knowledge my yoga instructor, who has a PhD in Yoga and wrote research papers in yoga that are published in international peer-reviewed journals, has enlightened me. Finally!

TL;DR:

1. Ashtanga yoga is an eight-part process, of which asana is one of the facets, to reach our highest state of self.

2. Vinyasa yoga is a dynamic form of yoga involving gymnastic-style practices

   1. Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga is a modification of Vinyasa yoga and it links breath to movement

   2. Iyengar yoga is a modification of Vinyasa yoga, involving props such as bolsters, straps and blocks, and its focus is on alignment.

3. Hatha yoga adopts a “execute-hold” sequence, and there are also other practices involved such as kriyas, mudras and bandhas.

4. Some types of yoga are traditional, some are evolved.

5. Practice what you’re comfortable with.

6. Ultimately, they still point in the same direction.

Piecing together with information corroborated by various articles and videos, I realise that most answers derived from modern sources are like cliff notes or they simply do not cover the history behind it because it may be unknown. I reckon it is good knowledge all yoga practitioners should know so that we can be more appreciative of these different types of yoga. It just makes the whole experience even more meaningful.

Patanjali’s Ashtanga Yoga

This type of yoga was first written by Patanjali (sage in ancient India, author of a number of Sanskrit works) in his book called Patanjali Yogasutras. “Ashtanga” literally translates to “eight-limbed” - “ashta” means eight and “-anga” means limbed. It is an eight-limbed path towards achieving the final stage of Yoga, called “samadhi” or the highest state of self. The eight limbs are:

1. Yama

   1. Restraints or observances an aspiring yogi should relate to his or her community

2. Niyama

   1. Observances an aspiring yogi should carry out in his or her daily life in order to have a body and mind suited for yoga

3. Asana

   1. Meditative postures that promote stillness of the mind, and physical postures that facilitate sitting for prolonged periods in those meditative postures

4. Pranayama

   1. Breathing control

5. Pratyahara

   1. Withdrawal of senses from things that are not conducive to yoga

6. Dharana

   1. Concentration on an object

7. Dhyana

   1. Meditation

8. Samadhi

   1. Super-conscious state

As you can see, Patanjali’s Ashtanga yoga has to do a lot with the control of the mind - it is a process of going deeper inward into our minds to discover and uphold the divinity within us. Asana remains as just one out of eight parts of this type of yoga.

Vinyasa Yoga

To train the warriors at Mysore Palace where Krishnamacharya was teaching in the early 1900s, the ayurvedic healer created his form of yoga which involved a more dynamic and gymnastic style to entice and sustain the warriors’ interest. He named it “Vinyasa yoga”.

Two of his students, Pattabhi Jois and Iyengar, were the ones who developed their own styles and took yoga to the West.

Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga

Pattabhi Jois did a similar style of yoga as Krishnamacharya in its dynamic form (i.e. Hatha poses done energetically and continuously) and he paired it with breathing exercises. He named it “Ashtanga Vinayasa yoga”.

Iyengar Yoga

Although Iyengar also started with the dynamic form, he later incorporated props like straps and blocks, focusing on alignment. He named it “Iyengar yoga”.

Hatha Yoga

One of the six original branches of yoga, Hatha yoga is more commonly known as a style where individual asanas are executed and held for a few seconds before another asana is executed. However, asanas are not all there is to it; there are kriyas (cleansing techniques), mudras (gestures/psychophysiological expressions), bandhas (psychic locks). These practices are not commonly known or practised today because it was not propagated as much as postures, which are considered more easily relatable as compared to “psychic locks”. This is the reason why we see most modern yoga studios focusing on asana practices while only the traditional ones offering practices like kriya. Furthermore, they are, more often than not, only taught during teacher training.

Pointing in the same direction

Today’s modern Ashtanga yoga and Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga are a lot more physical, focusing on the asanas done energetically and continuously (very similar to surya namaskara). The various asanas are connected into a seamless sequence or “flow” and they are influenced by Pattabhi Jois’ forms of teaching, which is different from the traditional Ashtanga yoga by Patanjali; it is just that people taught it differently over the years, but they all come from the same lineage.

The other kinds of yoga we do today e.g. power yoga, aerial yoga are not the traditional forms of yoga; they are an amalgamation of all the different types of yoga that have evolved over thousands of years. They may also have been influenced by other forms of movement or exercises.

I am glad the first training I have done is Hatha style so I set my foundations right. Ultimately, most yoga styles’ basic is Hatha yoga. Some types of yoga are traditional, some are evolved, but that does not mean the evolved types of yoga are “wrong”. Choose a style that you are comfortable with. At the end of the day, they are still pointing in the same direction, and towards enlightenment.

Namaste,

Mae