All You Want To Know About Vinyasa/Flow

Vinyasa/Flow is a yoga technique that includes a broad range of yoga styles. It is a general term which is used to describe many different types of yoga techniques. The literal meaning of Vinyasa is "breath-synchronized movement". And this is exactly what is expected from you in vinyasa technique - move from one pose to another in breath-synchronized movement. All the techniques in this yoga style have to be followed with the set technique for inhale and exhale. The technique is also referred to as flow because of the smooth movement with which the different postures are performed together. It actually looks like a dance sequence being performed. It is not very easy to attain the perfection in completing Vinyasa techniques as they can be quite intense. The simplest example of Vinyasa style is Cat-Cow stretch. And one of the most famous and a more complex Vinyasa sequence is the sun salutation (Surya Namaskar) sequence. Each and every movement in this complex sequence of 12 different poses is performed with an inhalation or an exhalation.

Vinyasa/Flow techniques have been incorporated in the some of the traditional styles of yoga such as Ashtanga (eight limbed yoga) and Kundalini (evoking the inner self and releasing the trapped energy) and some of the modern yoga practices such as Power yoga (combination of intense yoga techniques often resembles aerobic workout), Hot yoga (pioneered by Bikram Choudhary - classes being taken in a heated room with temperatures of around 40 degree Celsius), Anusara Yoga (uses positive strength that is derived from Tantra in combination with physical alignment) and Jivamukti yoga (emphasizing on chanting, meditation and spiritual side of yoga).

Another flow specific yoga style is alignment oriented that gives special stress on the exact way the body should be positioned in each yoga posture in order to get the maximum advantage from a particular posture. This also helps in avoiding injuries while doing yoga.

Highlight Of Vinyasa Session

Unarguably, a typical Vinyasa session would almost always start with Sun Salutation sequence. The vinyasa session consists of lots of movements and not just gentle stretching as compared to several other yoga style basics. Different instructors would design the session differently - some would make it fast and some would decrease the speed of certain movements, some would include chanting while others would stress on meditation or would like it to be highly alignment oriented.

Who Would Be Benefited The Most From Vinyasa/Flow Yoga?

The basic strength of Vinyasa lies in its variety as there is no set philosophy or guidebook to follow. This is the reason why there are many individuals who want to master this technique in their own way and then impart more knowledge to its practitioners. If you want to follow this yoga style, it is very important for you to find a teacher whose teachings and methods you would enjoy. You can keep on trying different yoga masters teaching vinyasa styles until you find the perfectly balanced mentor. People who enjoy novelty in their workouts and enjoy the different movements they perform with equal ease definitely benefit the most from Vinyasa/flow yoga style.