Yoga is a very ancient form of exercise that has come into vogue these years because increasing numbers of people are realizing that it is a very powerful tool to beat stress and to maintain health. Yoga is also very effective at regularizing various processes of the body and also at delaying the onset of aging. There are various types of Yoga that you could practice and they all have very different emphasis and therefore different effects on the body. In case you have to choose between Hatha Yoga and Ashtanga Yoga, you do have to know more about each type of Yoga before you proceed.
Hatha Yoga dates back to the 15th century and it is this type of Yoga that is most familiar to people in the United States as regular Yoga. Yoga consists of lots of asanas or positions that a person has to follow in addition to doing regulated breathing exercises. This combination of breathing and stretching exercises is essential to regulate blood circulation and metabolism, and this in turn helps you to control high blood pressure and diabetes.
Hatha Yoga places a lot of emphasis on spiritual development in addition to maintaining the health of the body. It is a very sedate form of Yoga that involves a lot of Yoga meditation and spirituality. It is not uncommon to hear Hindu devotional music in the Yoga classes while you practice the asanas, and there is usually some time apart for chanting in Sanskrit.
If you are looking for a fit and toned body that is the envy of others, then Hatha Yoga is definitely not what you should be practicing. The kind of Yoga that Hollywood stars and other celebrities practice is Ashtanga Yoga. This is a variant of Hatha Yoga that uses pretty much the same asanas, but it is done very rapidly, and there is no emphasis on spirituality. Ashtanga means eight limbed, and the term is easy to understand given that this type of Yoga is to be done in a progressive sequence of asanas unlike in Hatha Yoga where you have to wait after finishing one asana before starting another one.
Ashtanga Yoga is a very intense form of exercise, and you have to synchronize your breathing with each movement in order to increase the level of physical workout. This form of exercise is very physically demanding and this is a very effective way of toning your body and losing weight.
Both types of Yoga are very different from each other and they have different uses. In case you have never tried Yoga before, it would be best to start with Hatha Yoga. Once you get the hang of it you can try out Ashtanga Yoga courses to tone your body. You could also go on Yoga retreats occasionally in order to give yourself a wellness holiday. It is considered to be best for you if you can practice various types of Yoga in order to get the maximum benefit from it.