Which yoga for you?

If you want to start a yoga class, the range on offer can be bewildering: Yin, Yin Yang, Iyengar, Vinyasa Flow, Bikram/Hot Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Ashtanga and the list goes on.

Yoga instructor Mignon Opmeer has tried a few of them. She trained in many styles, including Asthanga, and teaches the related Vinyasa Flow at Stanmore Bay Leisure Centre and Ōrewa’s Yummy Yoga.

She has also taught restorative and chair yoga – the latter consists of seated poses, modified for people with less mobility.

Traditionally, Hatha is an umbrella term for several styles, like Vinyasa, Ashtanga and Iyengar, from which other forms were adapted. Power Yoga, designed for Western participants, focuses on strength and stamina and has been popular in gyms internationally – it has an Ashtanga base. 

Mignon says depending on your health and fitness, Yin, Yin Yang, or Hatha are good places to start because you hold the poses for longer and focus on your body and breathing. 

She says every instructor, whatever their preferred style, adapts the class if needed – Ashtanga, for example does not traditionally involve props (like bolsters, straps or blocks), but many teachers offer them to make poses achievable for everyone.

The length of classes also varies but is usually an hour or longer.

Mignon says what yoga styles have in common is the importance of breath and mindfulness combined with movement. It improves flexibility and strength and calms the mind.

“There is something for everyone, and it is beneficial for everyone,” she says.