Yoga timetables are written for people who already know what the words mean. If you are new, "Vinyasa Level 2" and "Yin 75" tell you nothing useful about what you are walking into.
Here is what each style actually feels like.
Hatha - the slow one
Hatha holds postures for several breaths and moves deliberately between them. There is time to hear the instruction, look around, and adjust before the class has moved on.
It feels like: a proper stretch and a workout, but never rushed.
Book it if: you have never done yoga, you are returning after a long gap, or you find fast classes stressful rather than energising.
Vinyasa - the flowing one
Vinyasa links posture to breath in a continuous sequence. One breath, one movement. Classes build heat quickly and keep moving.
It feels like: a dance you are learning as you go. Cardiovascular. You will sweat.
Book it if: you want movement and effort, you get bored holding still, or you are reasonably active already.
Be warned: in a first Vinyasa class you will be a step behind for most of it. That is normal and everyone in the room has been through it.
Ashtanga - the demanding one
Ashtanga is a set sequence, performed in the same order every time. That structure is the point: because the sequence does not change, you can measure yourself against it over months.
It feels like: disciplined and physically hard. Strength as much as flexibility.
Book it if: you like structure, repetition and a clear sense of progress, and you are prepared for it to be difficult for a while.
Skip it if: you want variety, or this is your first ever class.
Yin - the still one
Yin holds a small number of seated or lying postures for three to five minutes each, with muscles deliberately relaxed. Rather than working muscle, it loads connective tissue - fascia, ligaments, joint capsules - which responds to long, gentle duration rather than effort.
It feels like: almost nothing for ninety seconds, then quite intense, then a release. Mentally, it is the hardest of the four for most people, because there is nothing to do but stay.
Book it if: you are stiff, you sit at a desk all day, you are wound tight, or you struggle to slow down.
Pair it with: Vinyasa or Ashtanga. They complement each other well - one builds, the other opens.
Acro - the shared one
Acro yoga is done in pairs: one person bases, one flies, and a third often spots. It is playful and involves a fair amount of laughing and falling.
It feels like: less like a yoga class and more like learning something with another person.
Book it if: you are coming with a partner or friend, or you want yoga to be sociable rather than internal. You do not need a partner to attend - pairs are arranged in class.
So which one?
If you have never done yoga: Hatha, then try Vinyasa once you know the basic shapes.
If you are fit and want a workout: Vinyasa, or Ashtanga if you like structure.
If you are stiff and stressed: Yin, and do not be tempted to start with something harder.
If you want something to do together: Acro.
If you are recovering from injury: talk to us before booking anything, and expect the answer to involve private sessions before group classes.
A practical note on first classes
Arrive ten minutes early and tell the teacher it is your first class and about any injuries. Every reasonable teacher wants this information and will adjust for it.
Then ignore everyone else in the room. The person folding themselves in half next to you has probably been practising for a decade, and comparing your first class to their tenth year is not a useful measurement.
You may be sore two days later rather than one. That is normal.
Rise Flow Heal runs Vinyasa, Ashtanga and Hatha classes, and Yin Yoga & Reiki energy healing, at our studio in Tabaris, Beirut, in groups from $15 or privately at $45. Classes are taught in English, French and Arabic. If you are not sure which to start with, message us and describe your situation.