Thinking of joining a Baptiste yoga class? Before you do, get to know more about it. Most of all, learn how it differs from other types of yoga.
Over my recent posts, I talked about the different types of yoga. For any person who’s thinking of doing the practice, it’s always nice to be given choices, right? So I thought, “Why don’t I continue with it?” So I spent a good amount of my time yesterday thinking about which topic to write. It took a while, but then it hit me: Baptiste yoga.
Baptiste Yoga | How Is It Compared To Other Yoga Practices?
Going Beyond Meditation and Sun Salutations
It’s the best time to talk about Baptiste Yoga since I’ve been reading a lot about hot yoga, and some of my fellow yoga instructors are enrolled in Baptiste yoga teacher’s certifications. In fact, I called them up for a short chat to get more information about it, and this is what I came up with. As it turns out it shares a number of similarities with other forms of yoga you and I may already know, but it also holds its own uniqueness. Find out below:
Founder
Founded sometime in the 1940s, Baptiste yoga is not exactly new. The Baptiste family had always been involved in yoga with the couple Walt and Magana considered as one of the pioneers of the practice in the country, particularly in the West Coast. They opened the first yoga studio sometime in the 1950s.
So it didn’t come as a surprise their son, Baron, followed suit. In fact, his exposure to different styles of yoga came very early, when he was barely 10 years old. To date, Baptiste yoga is usually attributed to Baron, the usually-bandana-wearing instructor who conducts retreats, offline and online classes, and teacher’s certifications, as well as writes books about the practice.
Style
Because of his exposure to different types of yoga, Baptiste yoga is a lot of things. It is influenced by Ashtanga, which means it’s vigorous and requires a lot of discipline. It also has traces of Vinyasa, as well as power yoga, so asanas are performed at a faster pace than in a traditional Ashtanga or Vinyasa class. It is also Hot yoga, which some claim to have been influenced by Bikram yoga.
However, at 90 degrees max, a typical Baptiste class is not as hot as Bikram. Also, it doesn’t have a very regimented series of postures to follow.
Unleashing Full Potential
What many people don’t know about yoga is it is done for a long list of reasons. I do yoga to improve my health, breathing, lung capacity, and stamina. I do it to help me deal with everyday stresses of life such as raising children.
The implied objective is to make you a better person on or off the mat. Although it still has meditations (you will end a class with savasana, om chants, and a namaste), the postures are all about unleashing the full potential of the individual, including one’s creativity and passion. It also cultivates a culture of love, acceptance, and support through strategic teaching techniques, which will be shared to instructors during certification programs. Simply put, although a class can have many students, Baptiste yoga becomes unique for every person.
Classes and Studios
Unlike traditional yoga classes, those of Baptiste yoga are eclectic. They can be fun with some music to help the yogis stay motivated. They can also vary in terms of length, which may range from 60 to 90 minutes. Moreover, studios can provide different classes according to the difficulty level (beginners to advanced), so yogis can feel like there’s room for growth.
As a rigorous, sweaty type of yoga, Baptiste yoga will include a lot of asanas for core building and strengthening, muscle toning, detoxification, and stretching, along with breathing control and meditation, which are hallmarks of virtually all types of yoga.
Get yourself some Baptiste yoga action right in your living room! Try this 75-minute power yoga class from marshayoga:
I think what sets Baptiste yoga apart from the other types of yoga is its versatility, which makes it easier to fit a person’s fitness level and intention. I like the way it encourages yogis to bring with them the lessons of focus, strength, and power outside the mat and apply them when dealing with everyday stressful situations.
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Featured image via baptisteyogasf