The First-Timer's Guide
to the Right Class

By Rachel Grumman

Match your goals with the right form of yoga

Iyengar

What It Is: Purist yoga named after founder B.K.S. Iyengar. Props—blocks, straps, harnesses, and incline boards—are used to get you more perfectly into positions. That’s why Iyengar’s nicknamed “furniture yoga.”
Best For: Learning the fundamentals, which builds a superior foundation for other styles. Plus it systematically works every part of your body, giving you great muscle definition, not mass.  
Best For: Patient perfectionists. Detail-oriented folks who want to “do it right” rather than “just do it” will get the most from it, says Roger Cole, Ph.D., a certified Iyengar teacher in Del Mar, California.
Need To Know: If you’re straining to reach the floor, place one of those Styrofoam or wooden blocks so it meets your hand partway. Remember, there’s no shame in this.
Cheat Sheet: These teachers are sticklers for alignment. Wear fitted clothing so they can check your form.
Famous For: Andie McDowell’s rocking 47-year-old figure and Iyengar’s Light on Yoga, the 1966 bible of this discipline.


Anusara

What It Is: Iyengar with a sense of humor. Created by the aptly named John Friend, it’s meant to be humorous, heartfelt, and accepting. “Instead of trying to fit everyone into standard cookie-cutter positions, students are guided to express themselves through the poses to their fullest ability,” says Rama Patella, a certified Anusara teacher at Yoga Mandali in New York City.  
Best For: Mood enhancement, via upbeat vibe; practicing when out of shape, because you won’t be pushed too far; and learning proper alignment to prevent injuries—in all exercises, not just yoga.
Who’s Gotta Have It: Nervous Newbies. It’s nonthreatening and the workout is less intense than Ashtanga or Bikram.
Need To Know: You may be asked to partner with strangers and clap for your classmates, so if that makes you cringe, better to avoid.
Cheat Sheet: Anusara definitely has a spiritual side. As a class you offer yourself “to the light,” or the goodness inside of you. Just go with it. You do have goodness, right?
Famous For: Being the fastest-growing, trendiest yoga du jour, with over 1,000 teachers worldwide. Plus, the Deadhead-like following on Friend’s Mystical Merry Band Tours of the United States.

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