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At the beginning of the 20th century, a number of inspired and influential yoga teachers emerged in India. They adapted the ancient asanas or postures to the Western world utilizing combinations of postures and breathing techniques, and emphasizing different aspects of the tradition. In the process, they transformed yoga from the domain of an elite few in India, to a practical regimen practiced by millions around the world. The process continues today as teachers and their students develop new combinations of the classic elements of yoga. The following describes some (but not all!) of the major yoga disciplines.

Ashtanga Yoga: Ashtanga yoga was originated in the 1940s by K. Pattabhi Jois at his school in Mysore, India. Also known as “power yoga,” Ashtanga links challenging postures together in a flowing set of sequences, synchronized with breathing techniques. Each series of poses must be mastered before embarking on the next. Ashtanga is a strength-oriented practice, with intense stretching in most of the poses. It produces internal heat and external sweating that detoxifies the body, improves circulation, flexibility and stamina.

Bikram Yoga: Bikram Choudhury, the founder of Bikram yoga, worked for five years with Western doctors to develop his own system of 26 classic postures. They are always practiced in the same order in a room heated to 95 to 105 degrees. The heat promotes flexibility, detoxification and realignment of the body. Bikram yoga is rigorous, but each posture is designed to safely stretch and open the body in preparation for the next posture in the sequence. When he came to the U.S. in 1972, the common belief was that Western society wouldn’t (and couldn’t) do yoga; however, Bikram believed that the U.S.—laden with chronic disease and stress—was the perfect place for yoga to flourish. In 1974, Bikram founded the Yoga College of India in Beverly Hills, California. His vision has proved correct as there are now over 500 affiliated Bikram yoga schools (visit www.BikramYoga.com).

There are a number of Bikram yoga studios in New York. See www.bikramyoganyc.com or call (212) 245-2525 for information and locations.

Integral Yoga: Brought to the U.S. in 1969 by Swami Satchidananda, Integral yoga, as the name suggests, aims to integrate the various aspects of the body and mind through a combination of postures, breathing techniques, deep relaxation, and meditation. Function is given preeminence over form. Integral yoga is taught at Integral Yoga International, headquartered in Buckingham, Virginia, and over 40 branches worldwide.

The Integral Yoga Institute of New York is located in a townhouse in the West Village. Open yoga classes (for beginners and advanced students) are scheduled throughout the day, with fees hovering around $13. Opportunities for advanced instruction are offered, but not just for yoga. Choose from a host of courses and workshops, ranging in category from mind and body health to cooking and nutrition, peaceful practices to specialized yoga instruction. A sampling of what’s available: a four-week course on Restorative Yoga ($65), workshops and courses on meditation and pranayama (yogic breathing), even a three-hour Introduction to Live Foods workshop ($65). Join the free group meditations in the afternoon (12:15-12:50) and late evening (8:30-9). For those on a tight budget, there’s the free “Happy Hour,” a 45-minute-long guided deep relaxation class every Friday, 5:30-6:15 p.m. For a schedule and course descriptions, visit the Integral Yoga Institute at 227 W. 13th Street (between 7th and 8th Avenues), see www.integralyogaofnewyork.org, or call (212) 929-0586.

Iyengar Yoga: Founded by B.K.S. Iyengar of Pune, India, this is probably the most widely practiced system of yoga today. Iyengar created his own method of yoga grounded in precision of body alignment and coordinated breathing. The postures are slowly moved into and held longer than in most other styles of yoga. Iyengar is also unique for its use of cushions, straps, blankets and blocks to assist in doing the postures correctly, enabling the less flexible, elderly and disabled to participate. Unlike other practitioners, Iyengar believes that form must be perfected before practicing breathing techniques and meditation (See www.bksiyengar.com).

The Iyengar Yoga Institute of New York offers more than 50 classes each week. A free introductory class is offered each month for those new to Iyengar yoga or the institute (pre-registration required); next ones are July 6th and August 3rd. Class fees range from $15 to $19. The Institute is located at 27 W. 24th Street (between 5th and 6th Avenues), Suite 800. For information, call (212) 691-9642 or visit www.iyengarnyc.org.

Jivamukti Yoga: Developed in 1984 by Sharon Gannon and David Life in New York City, Jivamukti yoga integrates chanting, asanas, music, meditation and practices of devotion into a vigorous physical practice with a foundation in the ancient mystic philosophies of the East. Jivamukti means “liberation while living,” which is the universal goal of the practice. It is a blueprint for incorporating the physical and spiritual aspects of yoga into our modern lives and awakens in the practitioner ahimsa or nonviolence, a reverence for the environment, the earth, and all the animals and plants that share it with us. Gannon and Life promote an awareness of animal rights and environmentalism in their students and encourage practitioners to adopt a vegetarian diet.

The Jivamukti Yoga Center is located at 404 Lafayette Street (between Astor Place and E. 4th Street), 3rd floor, and there’s one uptown at 853 Lexington Avenue. Single classes are $17; pre-paid “cards” are less. Pre-registration for classes is recommended. For beginners, there’s a free introductory class. For information, call (212) 353-0214 or see www.JivamuktiYoga.com.

Kripalu Yoga: Developed by Kripalvananda and his disciple Yogi Amrit Desai, Kripalu is a gentle, introspective practice that urges practitioners to hold poses in order to explore and release emotional and spiritual conflicts. Kripalu yoga has three stages. In the first stage, postural alignment and coordination of breath and movement are emphasized, and the postures are held for a short duration only. In the second, meditation is introduced into the practice, and postures are held for prolonged periods. In the final stage, the practice of postures becomes a spontaneous “meditation in motion.” The Kripalu Center in Lenox, Massachusetts, hosts almost 12,000 students and attendees each year (see p. 12).

Kundalini Yoga: Kundalini yoga was brought to the U.S. by Sikh master Yogi Bhajan in 1969. Before that, it was a secret, sacred teaching passed down only to a chosen elite in India. The word “kundalini” means awareness, and its purpose is to awaken the life force which resides at the base of the spine and allow the energy to flow through the body. Kundalini yoga combines classic postures with breathing, chanting and meditation, and is characterized by movement rather than form. Kundalini is known for its use of “Breath of Fire,” a rapid inhalation and exhalation, without pausing, through the nose, pumping the abdomen as a bellows. Yogi Bhajan believes that the body has a natural euphoric state that can be reached through yoga and meditation—without the use of any drugs.

“3HO” is a nonprofit organization that promotes the teaching of Kundalini yoga. Yogi Bhajan himself offers instruction and meditations at events held at Ram Das Puri, a 170-acre yoga campsite in the Jemez Mountains of New Mexico. The annual “Summer Solstice” brings together teachers and students from around the world for a week of yoga and celebration in late June. For information, see www.3ho.org, call (888) 346-2420 or (505) 753-4988, or email yogainfo@3ho.org. In New York, you can learn more and attend open classes ($15) at Kundalini Yoga East at 873 Broadway (between 18th and 19th Streets), Suite 614; see www.kundaliniyogaeast.com, or call (212) 982-5959.

Sivananda Yoga: Sivananda yoga is the creation of the late Swami Vishnudevananda, who established his first Western center in Montreal in 1959. In the Sivananda centers, Hatha yoga is taught in its traditional form as it has been practiced for centuries in the Himalayas. This includes a series of 12 postures, breathing, diet, chanting, scriptural study and meditation. Sivananda has trained over 6,000 teachers, and there are numerous Sivananda centers around the world (see www.sivananda.org).

The New York Sivananda Yoga Center welcomes beginners with a free monthly open house with an introductory lecture, two beginner classes and a vegetarian lunch (next: July 5th and August 2nd). They also offer drop-in “open” classes (first class is free) for a donation ranging from $8 to $12 (student and senior discounts also available). For information and a schedule, visit 243 W. 24th Street (between 7th and 8th Avenues), or www.sivananda.org/ny, call (212) 255-4560, or email NewYork@sivananda.org. Sivananda also has an ashram in the Catskills of upstate New York, offering two yoga classes and two veggie meals per day. Overnight rates range from $55 (weekday) to $60 (weekend). Cheaper rates for those who bring tents; and daily rates also available.

Viniyoga: Viniyoga describes the yoga taught by T. Krishnamacharya, which adapts yoga practices to individual characteristics and needs. As the teacher of yoga masters B.K.S. Iyengar, K. Pattabhi Jois, and Indra Devi, Krishnamacharya can be viewed as the father of the yoga renaissance in modern times. A descendant of the 9th century Yogi Nathamuni, viniyoga is firmly rooted in Krishnamacharya’s lifetime scholarship of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. Viniyoga works with what is called sequential process and teaches that the breath should actually lead the body into and out of each posture. The emphasis is not on achieving an external ideal form, but on practicing a posture according to one’s individual needs and capacity. Krishnamacharya’s development of yoga therapy came from his knowledge of India’s ancient school of medicine, Ayurveda, which he integrated with yoga practice. The American Viniyoga Institute is located in Hawaii: visit www.viniyoga.com or call (808) 572-1414.

Compiled by Catherine Clyne. Primary source material courtesy of the Yoga Expo’s website: www.yogaexpo.com.