What is Vinyasa Yoga?

Rishi Vamana is credited with creating Vinyasa Yoga. A vinyasa can be thought of as a shortened Sun Salutation (Surya Namaskara).The idea was to simultaneously involve the different facets of yoga: Japa, mudra, meditation, pranayama, meditation, and asana.

Everything you Need to Know about Vinyasa Yoga

Vinyasa yoga is a style of yoga where one movement appears to move seamlessly to another without any pause. Breath is the only difference, and then it’s only a slight movement at that. In this form of yoga, no two classes are alike because it offers such a wide range of postures and movements within this practice.

Vinyasa is a philosophy and a practice yoga. Vinyasa recognizes the temporary and constant change of life and the temporary nature of all things. This yoga represents this philosophy of life by entering a position, being there for just a time and then leaving for a new posture.

Positions and Practice

This variable of posture leads to help develop a more balanced body, and help prevent injuries caused by repetitive motion. Because this yoga moves through many positions, it helps the muscles have the needed well-rounded strength.

People who enjoy this yoga explain their reasons as “Vinyasa yoga is a more complete type of class because it moves through various asana categories in a single session.”  These are the groupings of postures such as standing, sitting, bending, etc.

Vinyasa is about grace and fluidity, harmony and balance. The practice is supposed to remind those who do this form of yoga that we are all new to the practice of life, even if we are older, a lifetime isn’t that long as compared to the universe. Every class will end with (Savasana), the final relaxation posture.

Popularity of Vinyasa Yoga

The positions are basic yoga positions and most people are able to do them. Participants love this form of yoga because they feel like they are getting an incredible workout and they are gaining more control over their body. There are three main reasons people flock to Vinyasa classes:

1. Vinyasa yoga is easy to teach and easy to learn

An average Vinyasa class may have anywhere from 20 to 50 students in the class. The Vinyasa teacher only needs the 200 standard yoga class hours and may or may not have had any kind of mentorship or prior experience.

The most skilled Vinyasa teachers know the routines and have had extensive time in other yoga classes to work on routines. The routines are varied but not a lazy hap-hazard conglomeration. There is a reason for their flow and sequence. There are so many Vinyasa classes you can find the perfect class for you.

2. Vinyasa yoga is both aerobic and athletic

In Vinyasa, people sweat, move, and raise their heartbeats so that the blood is pumping. When people complete this yoga routine they feel they have had a good workout. The pace may be slower, but the workout is great for cardio.

3. Vinyasa yoga is fun

People practice Vinyasa for the joy and the fun of the workout routine. This yoga pushes you to your limits and yet is great for beginners. A good instructor will tell you when to inhale and exhale during each pose.

Prevent Injury

To keep your muscles and body safe, you have to know how to stabilize yourself in motion. You may have the strength to hold yourself in a position for a few moments, but it’s an entirely different action when the pose turns into another pose, and into another pose without stopping. You have to let go of one muscular action and move to another seamlessly as you are challenged by gravity, load, and other forces.  Avoid uncontrolled fledgling around, which may happen when you are beginning. It is far better to sit down or gently fall down than to get yourself into an uncontrolled state of flailing about.

Is Vinyasa Yoga for You?

Vinyasa’s popularity and strength lies in it’s variety of routine. If you like for your yoga to be diverse and less predictable, then perhaps this is for you. Vinyasa varies with each instructor so if at first you don’t find one that you click with, try it at least once or twice more with a different yoga instructor before you decide if you like it or not.

When choosing a Vinyasa class, the yoga teacher becomes more of a deciding factor than with other yoga practices. The instructor will choose a variety of routines unique to the teacher and their practice. Different instructors have different personalities that shine through in their style. You will probably choose Vinyasa yoga initially based in part on the instructor. Once you get a love for this yoga practice, you will know what you are looking for in a Vinyasa teacher.