Ten yoga styles explained to help you find your flow – from hatha to hot, and vinyasa to yin

Whether you do yoga at a trendy fitness studio or with an app on your living room floor, you probably know there are plenty of ways to get into the flow. But figuring out which practice best suits your physical and mental goals can be tougher than holding half-moon pose.

Yoga – which comes from the Sanskrit root yuj, and means “to yoke” or “to unite” – is a discipline that dates back thousands of years to India. Western yoga began to boom in the United States a little more than half a century ago, becoming a fixture on the global wellness scene and eventually evolving into something we consider exercise.

Over the years, classical forms have been adapted to be more fitness-focused – and sometimes plain gimmicky. Now there are so many options, it can be difficult to keep up. What makes Bikram different from other hot yogas? How does ashtanga compare with Iyengar? Does aerial yoga require experience as an acrobat? How does hip-hop yoga fit into the matrix? Here’s the breakdown.

1. Hatha yoga

This is probably the branch of yoga that comes to mind when most people think of yoga. It focuses on basic postures such as downward-facing dog or the warrior poses. Sometimes the poses are combined into a set or series – for example, sun salutations – with each pose held for several breaths. Breathing is also rhythmic, with inhaling and exhaling as drivers of motion, as well as a way to find stillness. Hatha is great for beginners and for anyone looking for a good stretch or work on their alignment.