Vinyasa yoga is a popular, evolving form of traditional hatha yoga that focuses on integrating breath and movement, awareness and alignment, strength and flexibility, your practice with your daily life. Likened to a dynamic dance, postures or asanas are connected through the breath for a transformative and balancing effect.
Background:
Originates within the yogic teachings of Sri T. Krisnamarchya whose students are the head of three of the main forms of classical yoga today: Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga (Pattabhi Jois), Iyengar Yoga (BKS Iyengar), Viniyoga (T.K.V. Desikachar).
Definitions:
- Vinyasa "nyasa" to place and "vi" "in a special way".
- Vinyasa krama an intelligent organization of asanas progressing appropriately towards a goal.
- Flow to move or be moved freely in a steady, unbroken stream.
- Yoga to unify, the state of being unified, to yoke.
Principles of Vinyasa:
- Movement and breath are coordinated together.
- Start where you are and design a practice that is appropriate for your needs.
- Begin with the simplest poses and progress toward the more complex.
- Asanas or postures contain the two qualities of sthira (steadiness, alertness) and sukha (inner joy, ease) and reflect the hatha yoga approach of the union of opposites (solar/lunar).
- Use counterposes to balance the effects of each asana.
- Use modifications of postures for different levels and injury prevention.
- Listen to your body, always come out of a pose when your breath or equilibrium is disturbed or there is strain in the body.
- Cultivate a gradual progression/evolution within your yoga practice.
Basic Techniques of Vinyasa Flow yoga:
- Asana Postures: standing poses, balance poses, backbends, twists, forward bends, hip openers, inversions.
- Ujayi Pranayama "Victorious Breath".
- Drishti Gaze placement of the eyes for concentration and inner and outer balance.
- Bandhas- Three Bandhas (locks or gaterhing of energy): Mula Bandha,(root lock) Udyiana Bandha, ("to fly up" lifting of the lower belly ) Jalandhara Bandha (chin lock).
- Navigating the Flow: Questions to help connect the underlying evolution within a practice.
- Grounding/Stabilizing the Pose (Where is the anchor within a pose).
- Activation (Where is the pose activated/initiated from?).
- Elongation (in which direction is the spine elongating itself?).
- Relationship (what is the relationship from one pose to the next).
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