What's the Best Style of Yoga?

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When one does a Sivananda yoga class, one is moving through a quite deeply thought out process that assumes spiritual practice as your reason for the slow to moderate movements and breathing exercises.

Rest is done appropriately, therefore a balance of sympathetic (Go!) and parasympathetic (rest, digest) nervous system activity is stimulated. The rest postures themselves are actually resting, as opposed to half-inverted postures (down dog) used by the majority of systems. Another balance is found by students in these classes because one is encouraged to have one’s own experience of the class in silence. Music is never used and constant adjustment to some unattainable ideal of perfection is not there. Neither are props used, except where really needed.

The reason for this is that it acknowledges the role of inner struggle in making spiritual progress. In the words of Swami Vishnu-devananda: “I am not merely teaching you to stand on your head, but also on your own two feet.” Constant use of props encourages a mental dependency on them and this is not spiritual.

The order in which the asanas are done is respectful of the chakra system and is mainly focused on the control of the prana that moves within and into those. Teachers do not step over students nor are encouraged to adjust in ways that would violate personal privacy- like massaging students, touching their third eye, etc.

The basics of the classes are founded in variations assisting the longer hold of basic postures in a calm and quiet mental state, rather than being focused on coming into and out of postures.

Breathing, strength and flexibility are emphasized in a Sivananda Yoga class, as too much of one and too much of another will imbalance the person and result in problems for students.