When someone is interested in learning yoga the first thing they seem to ask is which Yoga style to follow or which style is good . In the market there are various popular yoga styles like Sivananda /Ashtanga / Iyengar /Power Yoga /Bikram Yoga / Viniyoga /Anusara etc .Some follow a stict classical lineage and some have adapted themselves to the modern fitness culture of hot & intensive yoga .Some styles are highly intensive ,some are mild and some are moderate .There is difference in the way of approach i.e some never teach pranayama till you reach a certain mastery in asanas and some teach nothing but pranayama right from the beginning and some teach only meditation .Some teach in groups and some strictly follow a one is to one mode of instruction .Now the question arises as to how should one go about choosing which is best for him/her ? In my case I never had a big trouble finding the right style as being in Chennai I had just 2 major schools to choose from in the late 90s and they were the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre ( SYVC ) and the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram( KYM) . Even though my first interest in yoga got kindled by reading the life of the great Yogi Sri Krishnamacharya somehow I never got to visit KYM and ended up visiting the SYVC in Chennai on 14 July 1997- the day of the Mahasamdhi of Swami Sivananda .Whether it was a divine co-incidence I do not know but it was the most positive development in my life .From that time onwards I struck to only the Sivananda System of Yoga and did my Yoga Teachers Training ( TTC ) in 1998 and Advanced Yoga Teachers Training ( ATTC ) in 2004 in the Sivananda Yoga Organization only and I follow nearly their same method for my Yoga Teaching .I am not saying that the Sivanada Yoga System is the best for everyone but I find it best suited for me and I intend to remain focussed on it .Though I follow the Sivananda System of Yoga I do read and get valuable inputs from other Yoga Teachers / Yoga styles and they help me enrich my own knowledge and skills in being a better yoga teacher .
So my advice for people will be to choose one yoga style that best suits you and in case you find difficulty in selecting one consult your friends or colleagues who have attended or currently undergoing any yoga training .They might help you develop some clarity on the type of the yoga system , its difficulty levels and the quality of the teacher etc .It is better to stick to one Yoga Style instead of jumping from one style to the other .All Yoga Styles are basically involved in developing a healthy body and peaceful and stable mind and it does not matter which style you follow as long as you are faithful in maintaining a regular practice and are willing to put in your time and energy in understanding the system and making it a part of your day to day life .
So my advice for people will be to choose one yoga style that best suits you and in case you find difficulty in selecting one consult your friends or colleagues who have attended or currently undergoing any yoga training .They might help you develop some clarity on the type of the yoga system , its difficulty levels and the quality of the teacher etc .It is better to stick to one Yoga Style instead of jumping from one style to the other .All Yoga Styles are basically involved in developing a healthy body and peaceful and stable mind and it does not matter which style you follow as long as you are faithful in maintaining a regular practice and are willing to put in your time and energy in understanding the system and making it a part of your day to day life .
