Which yoga class should you start with
Last updated October 2026
For most beginners the answer is hatha. It is slow, postures are held rather than flowed through, and the pace gives you time to understand what your body is doing while the instructor has time to correct you. Avoid fast flow classes and hot yoga for your first few visits, not because they are bad but because learning the shapes and the pace at the same time is unnecessarily hard.
Why the names are confusing
Because they come from different places. Some describe a pace, some a lineage, some a room temperature, some a piece of equipment. There is no single system behind the naming, which is why a timetable can be genuinely baffling the first time you read one.
The styles, in plain language
Hatha. Slow. You move into a posture, hold it for several breaths, then move on. The most commonly recommended starting point. Good for learning what you are doing.
Vinyasa. Each movement is linked to a breath, so the class keeps moving. Warmer, quicker, more cardiovascular. Better once the shapes are familiar.
Yin. Very slow. Seated and lying postures held for two to five minutes, working into connective tissue rather than muscle. Physically easy and mentally demanding. Good for stiffness, hard if you dislike sitting with your own thoughts.
Restorative. Fully supported with props, nothing held under tension, the aim is to do as little as possible. Good when you are depleted.
Gentle. Low impact, supported, slow transitions. Good for older bodies, stiff backs, recovery, or anyone finding other classes too fast.
Ashtanga. A fixed sequence practised in the same order every time, physically demanding. Rewarding, but not a first class.
Iyengar. Precision focused, heavy use of props, long holds, detailed alignment instruction. Excellent teaching, slower progress, good if you have an injury.
Hot yoga. Any style in a heated room. The heat increases how far you can move but it does not make you more flexible, and it makes it easier to go past your actual limit. Not ideal when you are learning where that limit is.
Pick by what you want
If you have never done this before. Hatha or gentle.
If you are stiff from sitting all day. Gentle or a mobility focused class.
If you want to sweat. Vinyasa, once you know the shapes.
If you want strength. A strengthening or core focused class.
If you cannot switch off at night. Restorative, yin or an evening class.
If you are recovering from injury. Gentle, iyengar, or one to one.
If you want to move as little as possible. A sound bath.
What we run at Svastha and where each one fits
Hatha Yoga. Classic hatha. Slow, held, breathwork and a closing meditation. Our most run class and the one most people start with.
Gentle Hatha. Slower again, focused on balance and feeling steady.
Asana Basics. Built specifically for first timers. Each posture broken down and explained.
Moola, back to roots. Our slowest class. One idea from yoga philosophy to open, then an hour of breath led practice.
Flex & Flow. Hatha based flowing movement. Beginner friendly.
Hatha-Vinyasa Fusion. The steadiness of hatha with the linked flow of vinyasa.
Morning Mobility. Joint health and range of motion rather than postures.
Core & Form and Core Flow. Strength and posture work.
Strengthening Yoga. A genuine workout. Not a first class.
A practical suggestion
Book three classes rather than one, and make at least two of them the same class. The first time you are mostly working out where to put your mat and what the words mean. The second time you actually practise. A single class tells you almost nothing about whether yoga suits you.