These days everyone and anyone has a style of yoga named after them, and it can be hard to know where to start. One solution is to trace yoga's roots back to ancient India. Alongside the spiritual paths of selfless work (karma yoga), divine devotion (bhakti yoga), and scriptural study (jnana yoga), a fourth path known as Raja Yoga was developed. Raja Yoga includes two sets of ethical guidelines, physical exercises, breath work, sense withdrawl, concentration, meditation and eventually enlightenment.

For those who have a separate spiritual path or a more secular life, the physical exercises and breath work of Raja Yoga can be practiced as Hatha Yoga. Many other styles have been derived from this starting point, some in the spirit of innovation and others more driven by novelty and commerce. The proven effectiveness of the classical Hatha style has kept it thriving in today's world.

In the 1900s Pattabhi Jois re-used the term “Ashtanga”, which is another word for Raja Yoga, to name his style of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga. This style choreographs the transitions between poses and syncs them up with the breath. The emphasis on breathing, which is also part of proper hatha yoga, helps increase one's meditative focus. Ashtanga vinyasa is more vigorous than hatha yoga because it has far fewer relaxation points; this is a tradeoff that allows lactic acid to build up in one's muscles and create stiffness and soreness. Nonetheless, it's a popular and enjoyable style of yoga.

There are, of course, many more styles of yoga available today. Iyengar Yoga uses props to make hatha yoga accessible to everyone, regardless of their beginning level of fitness. Bikram Yoga uses heat to overstretch muscles and promotes rather unhealthy weight loss through water loss. Finally, Sivananda Yoga uses a sequence set by a modern guru, Swami Sivananda Saraswati, to share a diverse set of benefits drawn from the ancient style of hatha yoga.

At Full Lotus Yoga, the classes are founded on the classical yoga tradition. Each class includes several warm-ups, breathing exercises, inversions, forward bends, backward bends, twists, balances, standing poses and relaxations. Modifications are given to suit each student's level, and alignments are corrected with knowledge and care. The focus is on creating a safe, fun and peaceful environment where everyone can experience the joy of a great yoga session, and carry its benefits off the mat and into the world.