The term Vinyasa is referred to as “to place”. Technically, it means “sequence of consciousness”. If you think Vinyasa yoga and power yoga are the same, you are wrong. People often confuse Vinyasa yoga with “power yoga”. They are not the same but power yoga is a subset of Vinyasa. Vinyasa yoga concentrates on the flow of your body. It is one of the difficult styles of yoga.
There are classifications of this “flow” yoga namely, Power Vinyasa, Slow Flow Vinyasa, Ashtange, Baptiste Yoga, etc. They show a difference in the breath and flow of your body. If you are a beginner, you can start with Slow Flow yoga and gradually start learning others. You can benefit a lot from Vinyasa Yoga. To know more about Vinyasa yoga benefits, read through this article.
How does it flow?
If you attend any Vinyasa yoga classes, you will notice that no two classes will be alike. What I mean to say is, they are not a structure of poses or sequences like the other styles of yoga. They are an unstructured sequence of a variety of postures. Maintaining the postures, you move from one to another, using your breath. It links two different consecutive postures through the breath. Hence referred to as “Flow yoga”.
You always initialize with your breath. Connect your breath with the movement. You inhale and exhale even in stillness. The breath flow is practiced in a rhythmic manner through your nose. They move through all the famous asanas from different families. You can stay highly focused and absorb your surroundings.
Postures and its benefits
As earlier mentioned, there are different postures of this style. Vinyasa yoga benefits can be astonishing to hear about all the wonders it does. If you are new to yoga, always find a yoga class, and get trained. This is “no-rule” sequence performance. Anyhow, it is always better to begin with a trainer’s instructions. They help you maintain the flow along with the movements.
Though Vinyasa you can sound or seem easy, you should put in physical strain to achieve the flow initially. You will sweat a lot while doing this. Thus Vinyasa yoga benefits are equal to that doing Cardio. But still, it’s more fun than Cardio. You need to begin from scratch to move to an advanced level.
Here are the basic poses the beginners. While doing Vinyasa yoga, you start from Plank and end with Downward dog pose, filling the sequence with different postures.
Plank
Plank position is a very basic beginner sequence, called Khumbakasana. It strengthens your arms and tones your body. Place your elbows under your shoulders and inhale when you come to a high push-up position.
Cobra
Bhujangasana: Place your elbow and palms underneath your shoulders and raise your body facing upwards as much as you can. It stretches your abdomen and gives a glow to your face.
Knees- Chin-Chest pose
Ashtanga Namsakara: Lie on your front body facing the ground. Lift only your hips. Keep your chin and chest attached to the floor. Exhale as you lower your knees.
Downward dog pose
Adho Mukha Svanasana: Standing in a dog position, exhale as you lower you hunch your belly and inhale the vice versa. It reduces body fat in the abdomen region. This position can create a calming effect on your body.
Yoga builds heat and strength in your body. It increases flexibility to your body and finds calm in your mind. Feel the body flow along with the movements.
Sounds easy? Tell so only after you try it.
Vinyasa yoga benefits
Are more endless and mainly helps in balancing your mind and breath. Following are the asanas apart above the basic step. Since there are different postures, I have taken research and listed only the popular ones.
The Mountain pose asana called Tadasana, helps you to focus on things better. It balances and maintains your attention on point. You will have to make your abdomen region shaped like a mountain by bending your upper body.
The Chair pose that you make is called Utkatasana. This asana is very simple that you need to just stretch your hands forward and pretend to sit on a chair. Give this asana a minute and it will, in turn, give you a good deed in return. It strengthens your legs, upper back, and shoulders. You need the patience to make this asana work because initially, they can make your thighs feel hard.
Side Plank Pose, technically called Vasisthasana, is a very effective pose for burning side fat. It may look simple but it tests your balance. It takes a lot of practice to stand it for a decent time period. Make sure to keep your body straight in this pose. It strengthens your arms because your body weight will rely on your single arm.
What you gain from Vinyasa yoga?
Body-soul-mind
Vinyasa yoga relieves stress from within and relaxes your body. When you think of yoga, you know it is meant for relaxation. Vinyasa yoga benefits takes a step forward and soothes your mind. All of the physical, emotional, and mental states of your body is made to work. You could feel the connection between them through your breath flow. You can sleep well at the end of your day. Always keep your breath in control to avoid any cramps. It enhances your immune system.
Stress Reliever
It also soothes the nerves of your central nervous system. This is achieved by concentrated inhaling and exhaling of the respiratory system. You get relieved from stress in this process. You can understand that yoga is not only for physical changes, but heals all sort of body-related problems. Thus acts as a stress reliever.
Controlled breath flow
Since you concentrate on the breath flow, the risk of breathing difficulty is low. Vinyasa follows the Ujjai method of breathing. It removes all the toxins from the lungs and allows clean flow for oxygen to the lungs. Having a proper breath flow helps in reducing the risk of two specific types of diabetes. Diabetes usually targets people above the age of 40. If you fall under this category, learn Vinyasa techniques from a trained instructor to maintain your breath.
Cardiovascular benefits
The article has already mentioned telling the Vinyasa yoga benefits by comparing it with cardio activities. Many postures in this yoga will make put in your full potential to face the force of gravity. You will use a lot of energy to attain this. This works on the muscles of your body, where building your muscles will result in calorie burn. It is extremely beneficial as the other muscle exercises and gives attention to all the muscle groups. Also, the connection of the breath with the body increases heart rate. This saves you from cardiovascular diseases.
Sleep
The current generation suffers from a disturbed sleep pattern. Doing Vinyasa yoga can help you maintain a proper sleep routine with its exclusive postures. The inhale/exhale flow of oxygen relaxes your mind and puts you down to sleep.
Detoxification
The heat produces inside the body helps in detoxification of impurities. They clean the blood and maximize the blood flow. You will not feel any difference in the initial stage. It costs a regular practice and focus. Since the oxygen flow is in contact with muscles, it loosens them all up. This stretches your muscles and promotes flexibility.
Joint problems
If you are suffering from joint pains or ligament issues, yoga is a great solution for them. It helps you to cure them and also prevents you from these problems in the earlier stage. Metabolism activity will be regulated in your body. All the organs in your body will work with their full potential. This will keep your body active the whole day.
Proper Time to attain full Vinyasa yoga benefits
The proper time to achieve Vinyasa yoga benefits is either early in the morning when the positive vibration is at its peak, or in the evening before/during sunset. It is recommended to do Vinyasa yoga in the early morning to attain its benefits completely. You can also do this in the afternoon, but it is not that advisory. Whenever you practice, practice with your full potential. Do not half-complete any pose and expect for its complete result.
Whenever you practice yoga, end the session with Savasana, the corpse pose. It is as simple as water. You just need to lay down on the floor with your back completely flat. Feel the flow in your body as you rest with your eyes closed. You must be able to feel the flow in each part of your entire body.
You can also include meditation with the yoga session which is an extra beneficiary for your mind. Just meditate and try to control your mind for five minutes or as much possible.
Take a 30-day yoga challenge to see how you feel the change in yourself. But remember, you need more practice for your body to go with the flow of the postures. Yoga is all about feel and practice that you should follow to achieve it.