Our Favourite Yoga Styles For Mobility

Whether you’re looking to down regulate and reconnect, or work up a sweat and improve your mobility, there are yoga flows out there to suit everyone. What puts a lot of people off trying yoga is the outdated spiritual stereotype. However, today yoga comes in many different flavours, from those that are straight up workouts to classes that open up routes to a more spiritual connection.

There's a very good reason yoga continues to thrive. Increased range of motion, strength and conditioning, and meditation all contribute to better performance in our wider pursuits and activities, as well as helping us to access that all important flow state on the regular. Here, we share some of our favourite yoga styles and flows that can be accessed online. 

Ashtanga Yoga

Ashtanga is renowned for its energetic pace and uncompromising sequences. The primary series is a complex and meticulously thought out order of postures that take you through sun salutations, standing postures and seated postures. The flow is the same every time, at least until you progress to second and third series (which can take years).

However, the beauty of ashtanga is that you can easily see the gains you are making in mobility, strength and stamina. With online classes found all over Instagram, an introduction to ashtanga series is a sensible place to begin. If you have some yoga experience already, perhaps try a led half primary. New York’s Eddie Stern is a foremost authority and offers a whole range of Zoom classes for various abilities. 

Vinyasa Yoga

This is the most widely practiced yoga today, accounting for most classes found in gyms and yoga studios all over the world. This can be quite an athletic style of yoga and will vary every time you attend.

In vinyasa classes you don’t hold postures for very long and are constantly changing from pose to pose, flowing with the breath. This can be a great gateway into yoga as there is a lot to keep up with, meaning your mind becomes engrossed in the practice very easily, allowing you to drop into the flow state. YouTube’s Yoga With Adrienne is an all time favourite, but we also love the classes from Cornwall’s Lila Whiting (@yogawithlila).

Rocket Yoga

We mentioned before how ashtanga has a pretty uncompromising order of postures. Well in the 80’s Larry Schultz developed this style of yoga in an attempt to make ashtanga more accessible. Having studied ashtanga for nine years, Schultz started to bring sequences together that allowed people to access advanced poses without having to wait years to access them in the traditional manner.

Some of the more difficult postures are removed, and there is a lot more inversion and arm balances on offer. There are two formidable rocket teachers in London right now, Marcus Veda (@goodlordveda) who does his own classes online as well as through Triyoga, and Miles Mortenson (@milesmortensonyoga). Log on to one of their classes and prepare for liftoff. 

Yin Yoga

Yin yoga, restorative yoga and yoga Nidra are all forms of a more gentle approach to the practice. It’s here that you’ll hold poses for longer, use more support and props and tap into a more relaxed pace and practice.

However, do not underestimate the benefits from these styles of yoga. Holding poses for longer allows for some of the deeper muscle fibres to relax and soften, helping to ease tension and pain and unlock new range of movement. It’s a softer way in, and a perfect accompaniment to more energetic yoga or strenuous exercise. Certainly one to put in the mix.