You\u2019ve likely heard that\u00a0yoga\u00a0can help you burn calories,\u00a0build strength, sculpt your body, and\u00a0relieve stress.<\/p>\n
If so, chances are you\u2019ve also heard about the discipline within it called vinyasa yoga.<\/p>\n
The terms \u201cyoga vinyasa,\u201d \u201cvinyasa yoga,\u201d \u201cvinyasa flow,\u201d or \u201cflow yoga\u201d are all essentially synonyms for one method that can help you achieve your fitness goals among many other mindfulness benefits.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s dive into the definition of the practice, its pillars, traditional poses, and sequences, as well as benefits and precautions.<\/p>\n
Vinyasa yoga is a form of yoga that sequences poses in a fluid, continuous way, assigning an inhale or exhale to each movement of the body.<\/p>\n
Traditionally, vinyasa means \u201clinking breath to movement.\u201d<\/p>\n
The priority placed on continuous movement in vinyasa yoga distinguishes it from other styles like the more restorative\u00a0yin yoga, which emphasizes long, static holds in a single posture.<\/p>\n
The steady and easeful breath characteristic of vinyasa yoga is intended to create a state of effortlessness, or flow, which is meant to slow fluctuations of the mind in what is designed as a moving meditation.<\/p>\n
Vinyasa is used to describe an array of methods and modalities. Some argue that \u201cset sequence\u201d methods of yoga-like Mysore ashtanga, Bikram, or power yoga aren\u2019t vinyasa.<\/p>\n
Others disagree, noting that these are step-by-step sequences that emphasize the breath, which is characteristic of vinyasa yoga.<\/p>\n
In vinyasa yoga, you flow from one posture to the next as a way of focusing your energy on your breath, ideally abandoning your conscious mind and tapping into subconscious patterns, emotions, and habits.<\/p>\n
This has resulted in, for many, a transformation of the mind to match that of the body.<\/p>\n
The practice isn\u2019t about getting a particular pose \u201cright\u201d \u2014 as it is in, say,\u00a0hatha yoga\u00a0\u2014 so much as it is about the flow between poses.<\/p>\n
Subsequently, vinyasa yoga is also about learning how to surrender, to find steadiness, ease, and pleasure in your body and mind through the breath.<\/p>\n
When you link breath and movement, you have the foundation for a vinyasa sequence. While that leaves plenty of room for creativity, there are a few vinyasa yoga poses that are sacred and unchanging.<\/p>\n
Vinyasa can refer to a small subset of postures, like a mini-sequence, or it can describe a whole class.<\/p>\n
For example, among the various vinyasa yoga poses is the sun salutation, or\u00a0surya namaskara\u00a0sequence. Surya namaskara A and surya namaskara B are two hallmark vinyasa sequence subsets found in almost all vinyasa classes.<\/p>\n
The surya namaskara A and B sequences are said to date back to the\u00a0Vedic period<\/a>\u00a0as a means of worshipping the sun.<\/p>\n These were practiced as a ritual to honor the life-giving energy, known as\u00a0prana, that made crops and food grow.\u00a0Surya means \u201csun\u201d and\u00a0namaskara means \u201cto bow\u201d or \u201chonor.\u201d<\/p>\n