What is Vinyasa?

  I teach a Vinyasa class and I love it! I love designing classes where the poses flow from one posture to the next. Between the different posture series a 'Vinyasa' is completed, throughout my class I will give the instruction "Flow through a Vinyasa or rest in Down dog" and there have been a number of students who become confused about what a 'Vinyasa' is. So I am going to explain in some detail.

  "Vinyasa” originates from the Sanskrit term nyasa, which means “to place,” and the prefix vi, “in a special way”— Linking one Asana to the next. A Vinyasa class is a progressive, unfolding class, where each posture (Asana) is linked to the breath, stitched together with the breath. Ashtanga yoga is by far the most well known, and popular forms of Vinyasa Yoga. Without going into too much more detail I am going to talk about my Vinyasa classes specifically.

  I deign classes which links poses together to build up to a peak pose, in between the specific asana sequences I have stitched together I encourage my students to practice what I call 'a Vinyasa'. In this case I am referring coming forward to a high plank, lowering down through Chatagrunga, lifting up to an upward facing dog, then rolling to a downward facing dog.

  Here are a few importing things I would love to encourage when practicing a Vinyasa:

  Be strong in your plank, make sure the body remains in a straight line, many people make the mistake of lifting the hips up high, or dropping them down low. If you feel that you don't have the strength lower the knees down onto the mat, keeping the torso straight.



  When lowering down in Chaturanga Dandasana keep the body straight, never allow the shoulders to drop below the below the elbows. I see a lot of below drop down, the hips hit the mat followed by the chest, if you feel like you do this I would recommend dropping the knees down until you build the strength.

  Roll up into Upward Facing Dog on an inhalation, if coming to upward facing dog push into the mat allowing only the hands and top of the feet to be in connection with the mat. If this is too uncomfortable in the back, or strenuous in the arms it is perfectly fine to come to a cobra and work up to an upward facing dog from there,
  Roll back to Downward facing dog.
*A little tip, I roll over my toes to increase the flow

  These demonstration pictures are from Sherin Bual!

  Happy Practicing Yogis and Yoginis 

  Namaste