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I can imagine that it is all starting to get very confusing when it comes to yoga. There are a lot of styles and every teacher does it in their own personal way. Yet this is at the same time the charm and power of yoga. In life, not everything is always the same, we are also looking for our own authenticity and we often want to do it all in our own way. This is one of the reasons why yoga for everyone. For 99% of humanity there is a form of yoga that is suitable. Ultimately, the intention is often the same, connection and especially the connection with yourself. Because when you are connected with yourself, connecting with others and everything around you is much easier and even stronger.

As I indicated in the introduction, there are many types of yoga, but a number of them stand out head and shoulders above the rest. These are Hatha yoga, Vinyasa yoga, Asthanga yoga, Kundalini yoga, Yin yoga and Power yoga. Restorative is also a style that is currently gaining in popularity. One is a bit more physically active than the other and within these styles you can sometimes also see differences such as Hatha Flow, Easy Flow, Yin Yang and Asthanga Vinyasa.

And now there is Yoga Therapy, or so you would think. But nothing is less true. Yoga Therapy is how originally yoga started, as a method to connect to one self and improve body and mind through movement and breathing. You will often also see yoga therapeutic approaches during a yoga class. Styles like Hatha, Yin and Restorative can have some therapeutic aspects. Yet it is very difficult to give yoga therapy in a group. This is mainly due to the fact that the exercises are tailored to the individual and that is usually not possible in a group class. Exceptions are, for example, group classes for like-minded people such as women with breast cancer or people with a burnout.

As a yoga therapist you do everything you can to support the client as well as possible during a personal situation. This can be physical but also emotional (often it is both). Because we work individually, we can focus our attention much better and set up our exercises much more personalized. Often the client in question also needs this attention because usually we do not receive such attention in daily life. Especially clients who are seriously ill or with a diversity of physical issues, can benefit greatly from individual sessions. The combination of strengthening and relaxing the body is beneficial for both body and mind.

As you may have noticed, we are talking about clients here. This is another difference between yoga and yoga therapy. In yoga (classes) we speak of students. Below you will find an overview where the main differences are highlighted.

If you would like to know more about Yoga Therapy you can read about it here.

And also, we have teachers talking about their sessions here.