A newcomer choosing between yoga styles faces names that suggest ancient distinct lineages. Most of the physical styles taught internationally descend from a comparatively recent and narrow set of sources.
The physical practice was substantially reorganised in the twentieth century
Postural yoga as practised in modern classes took its present form relatively recently, developed by a small number of teachers in India whose students carried it abroad.
Those teachers drew on older textual traditions and also on physical culture, gymnastics and military exercise systems circulating at the time.
This is why classes bear little resemblance to what the classical texts describe, where seated posture occupies a small portion of a mainly contemplative system.
Divergence came from different students of the same teacher
Several of the best-known international styles trace to students of a single influential teacher, each of whom emphasised a different aspect of what they had learned.
One line prioritised precise alignment and the use of props, another a fixed vigorous sequence linked to breath, another adaptation of practice to the individual.
The styles are therefore siblings rather than separate traditions, which explains why the postures overlap almost entirely while the method of teaching them does not.
Pace is the most consequential difference for a beginner
Some styles move continuously with one movement per breath, producing a session that is cardiovascularly demanding and difficult to modify mid-flow.
Others hold positions for extended periods, which shifts the demand towards sustained tension, or in some styles towards connective tissue and relaxation.
These produce very different sessions from the same postures, and mismatch between expectation and pace is the most common reason people abandon a class.
Props changed who could practise
The systematic use of blocks, straps and walls made positions accessible to people who could not otherwise reach them, and it turned adaptation into a formal part of teaching.
Styles that adopted props tend to attract people managing injuries or limited mobility, while those that did not tend to assume a baseline of flexibility and strength.
This is one of the clearer practical distinctions between styles and is more useful for choosing a class than the name is.
Heat and setting were later additions
Heated rooms, music and studio formats were introduced comparatively recently and are commercial and experiential choices rather than lineage distinctions.
They alter perceived flexibility and how demanding a session feels, and heated practice carries additional considerations around hydration and overheating.
Anyone with a cardiovascular condition, who is pregnant, or who is unsure how a format will suit them should raise it with a teacher and a doctor before starting.