Yoga styles and practices

Hatha is the broad tradition most modern postural yoga descends from: postures held for several breaths, pranayama and relaxation. In Rishikesh it is the default — most teacher trainings start here — so a school listing Hatha tells you less than one naming a specific method.

Named often by Rudra Yog Peeth, Yoga Ashram, Rishikesh Yogkulam and Veda Spa & Ayurveda.

Ashtanga Vinyasa, as taught by K. Pattabhi Jois in Mysuru, is a set series of postures linked by breath. Schools teach it either led, with the room moving together, or Mysore-style, where each student works through the sequence at their own pace while a teacher adjusts.

Named often by Rudra Yog Peeth, Yoga Ashram, Rishikesh Yogkulam and World Peace Yoga School.

Vinyasa links postures into flowing sequences timed to the breath, and unlike Ashtanga the sequence changes from class to class. Expect more variety and a stronger cardiovascular element.

Named often by Vinyasa Yogashala, Rudra Yog Peeth, Yoga Ashram and Rishikesh Yogkulam.

Kundalini classes combine breathwork, repeated movement, mantra and meditation. The word covers quite different lineages in Rishikesh, from traditional teachers to the Yogi Bhajan system popular abroad, so ask which one a school teaches.

Named often by Veda Spa & Ayurveda, Swami Vivekananda Yoga & Meditation School Rishikesh and Veda Yogshala.

Yin holds passive floor postures for several minutes at a time, working the connective tissue rather than the muscles. It is slow and quiet, and usually taught alongside a more active style.

Named often by Rishikesh Traditional Yoga School, Nirvana Yoga School and Arohan Yoga.

A guided practice of deep relaxation done lying down, sometimes called yogic sleep. Many trainings include it as a module rather than teaching it on its own.

Named often by Nirvana Yoga School, Satya Yoga Ashram and Triguna Yoga Center Rishikesh.

Developed by B.K.S. Iyengar in Pune, the method emphasises precise alignment, longer holds and props — blocks, belts and ropes — so that postures can be adapted to almost any body.

Named often by Rishikesh Adiyogi, Aatm Yogashala and 8 Limbs Yoga School.

Postures performed with the support of a fabric hammock hung from the ceiling. A small specialism here, usually offered as workshops or short courses.

Named often by Rudra Yog Peeth, Yoga Ashram, Pancha Koshas Aerial Yoga and Arts School, Rishikesh, India and Swaastik Yog School Rishikesh.

The Sivananda sequence is built around twelve basic postures with breathing and relaxation between them. Several of the older ashrams in Muni Ki Reti follow Swami Sivananda's teaching.

Named often by Yoga Vini Rishikesh.

Meditation taught as a subject in its own right rather than ten minutes at the end of class. Some schools teach one technique; ashrams on the east bank often follow a particular tradition.

Named often by YOGA ESSENCE: Meditation Teacher Training Ashram, Mantra Yoga & Meditation School and Triguna Yoga Center Rishikesh.

Breath-control practices. Almost every course includes some; a few schools make it the focus, which is worth knowing if that is what you came for.

Named often by Triguna Yoga Center Rishikesh, Rishikesh Yog Sansthan and Yoganga Healing Rishikesh.

Chanting, kirtan and mantra, often part of the daily schedule at ashrams.

Named often by Triguna Yoga Center Rishikesh, Veda Spa & Ayurveda and Veda Yogshala.

The word covers two different things: the cleansing practices of Hatha yoga (shatkarma, such as neti) and, in some lineages, Kriya Yoga meditation. School websites rarely distinguish, so ask.

Named often by Triguna Yoga Center Rishikesh, Amantrhit and Kundalini Tantra Yoga Teacher Training Course in Rishikesh, India.

Insight meditation, usually taught on silent residential courses — ten days in the Goenka tradition. Only a handful of centres here list it.