Carefully sequenced postures are designed to ease the body into more difficult moves. Kripalu blends body alignment and sustained postures with meditation. A bit more physical than Viniyoga, it still emphasizes safety. Owner of the DancingHeartCenter for Yoga and the Art of Living on Capitol Hill, Hart says she puts emphasis on an interactive, social environment rather than a rigid, posture-perfect classroom. When an entire room chants together, God sounds like a hidden bass reverberating off the walls.
Integral yoga is a close cousin.
The main focus is on meditation and deep relaxation. Nonspecific yoga classes generally suggest the teacher will use a blend of postures and stretches to create her own style. There's a reason she doesn't call it Yogilates. That name's taken. In one more sign of yoga's commercialization, New York personal trainer and dancer Jonathan Urla trademarked the term in 1997.