88) Never Compare Yoga Styles - take the best from each

Today the Yoga Scene is divided in to various styles - Sivananda Yoga , Iyengar Yoga , Ashtanga Yoga , Krishnamacharya Yoga , Power Yoga , Bikram Yoga , Satyananda Yoga  etc etc  . Each and every style has some thing unique to offer and also has something missing and so it is unfair to compare the various yoga styles and pick out which is best . 

I started my Yoga journey from the Sivananda System of Classical Hatha Yoga ( founder Swami Vishnu devananda ) and did all my major trainings ( TTC ,ATTC , Sadhana Intensive ) only in that style from 1998-2010 but from late 2010 onwards I started expreimenting with Ashtanga Vinyasa and also Iyengar Yoga and right now my own personal practice ( at the Asana Level )  is turning towards a combination of Iyengar and Ashtanga and I consider that my training at the Sivananda Institution as a good foundation on which I am right now building my Iyengar and Ashtanga Vinyasa practice .The reason why I am moving to the Iyengar and Ashtanga Style of practice ( at the asana level )  is that I want my own asana practice  to be a form of art and I have found that Iyengar and Ashtanga Yoga styles have that element of art and grace in them at the Asana level that I could not find in other styles and hence right now focusing on a combination of Iyengar ( to develop structural perfection in asanas )  and Ashtanga Yoga ( to develop the dynamic flow  )  for my own personal practice .  But Sivananda Style of Yoga is very holistic and goes beyond just developing expertise in Asanas .So basically now keeping the spirit of the Sivananda Yoga as the base I am focusing more on developing perfection in the Asanas using Iyengar , Ashtanga and other Yoga systems beyond Sivananda .So from now on many posts in this blog will contain inputs from Iyengar , Ashtanga Yoga practices  as well as from other Yoga styles especially at the Asana level for I beleive in taking the best from each system to improve my own Yoga practice both on and off the Mat .

19) Which Yoga Styles /Schools to follow ?

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 .