Vinyasa Yoga Guide: Explore Vinyasa Poses and Characteristics

Vinyasa yoga, also known as flow yoga, is a style of yoga that focuses on transitions between poses and linking breath to movement. Instructors teach other more static styles of yoga, like Bikram, Hatha, and yin yoga, with an emphasis on each posture, while the Vinyasa practice is all about flowing from one pose to another.

A typical Vinyasa class will begin with Surya Namaskara, or sun salutations. However, no two Vinyasa classes are alike, and the sequencing will be unique to each class and instructor. Some teachers design the class along a more traditional path, using Sanskrit terms for each pose and emphasizing breathing techniques. Contemporary teachers will use the English names for poses and allow the students to be responsible for their own breath and practice.

Vinyasa yoga stems from the Ashtanga-Vinyasa yoga style—based on the teachings of Krishnamacharya, known as the “grandfather of modern yoga.” In the early twentieth century, Krishnamacharya taught students and teachers in Mysore, India. Two of his students—Pattabhi Jois and B.K.S. Iyengar—brought some of the most popular styles of yoga to the west. Pattabhi Jois developed and helped introduce Ashtanga-Vinyasa yoga to the west, while B.K.S. Iyengar, the founder of Iyengar yoga, helped popularize yoga as an exercise in the Western world. Iyengar also wrote Light on Yoga, an anthology that many yogis cite as the modern yoga bible.

Modern Vinyasa yoga doesn't follow a fixed series of postures like Ashtanga yoga, which focuses on a sequence of advanced yoga postures performed in a specific order that emphasizes the flow and breath between movements. Every Vinyasa class has a different theme and set of postures that are a great source of cardiovascular exercise.

Here are some characteristics that distinguish Vinyasa yoga from other styles:

1. 1. Ujjayi breathing: In Vinyasa yoga, breath precedes movement and comes in and out through the nose. Yogis make a loud sound in the back of the throat on the in-breath and out-breath when performing ujjayi breathing, also known as “ocean breathing” or “victorious breath.”
2. 2. Transitional poses: Vinyasa features graceful transitions between each posture, focusing on breath quality and mindfulness with each small movement.
3. 3. Moving meditation: As a result of linking poses during physical asana (pose) and focusing on Pranayama (breathwork), many students feel they have come into a moving meditation during a Vinyasa class. The practice can help free the mind of distractions as movement comes naturally and coordinates with their breath.
4. 4. Savasana at the end of class: While there is a variation of poses in the middle of a Vinyasa class, yogis always practice Savasana, or corpse pose, at the end of the sequence to integrate the benefits of the postures into the cells of the body and as a final relaxation.

While there can be thousands of variations of sequences in a Vinyasa class, there are some common poses that yogis repeat regularly in this style. Here are some of the most common poses in a typical Vinyasa class:

1. 1. Surya Namaskara A: Also known as a sun salutation, this pose acts as a warm-up to kick off a Vinyasa sequence. Start in Tadasana (mountain pose), standing with toes together, heels slightly apart, and arms at your sides. Inhale and lift the arms over the head, bringing the palms together and down to the heart on the exhale. Inhale and lift the arms overhead again, exhale and open the arms sideways, swan-diving forward with a flat back into a forward fold. Inhale and halfway lift, hands grazing the floor or touching the shins, keeping a flat back, exhale and forward fold. Inhale into a halfway lift, then exhale and step or hop lightly into a high plank.
2. 2. Standing splits: Inhale and lift the back foot forward, balancing on the front foot for a breath. Exhale and release the hands to the ground and lift the back foot high above the head. You can reap the benefits of an inversion in this pose as long as your heart is higher than your head.
3. 3. Half-moon: With your hands on the ground, pivot the weight to one hand and lift the other hand high, opening up through the whole body to face one side with the back leg still lifted high. Take a deep inhale, hold for a few seconds, exhale, and hold the pose for a few breaths before moving into warrior II.
4. 4. Warrior II: On an exhalation, lower the back foot down and come into warrior II. Keep your arms wide, eyes gazing right above the front hand's middle finger, bending your front knee to a ninety-degree angle, with your back leg strong and straight. Take a few breaths before moving into humble warrior.
5. 5. Humble warrior: On an exhalation, interlace the hands behind the back and bow gracefully on the inside of the front leg to come into humble warrior. Again, take a few breaths and see if you can come down a little lower.
6. 6. Reverse warrior: On an inhale, rise and reverse your warrior, bringing your arm down your back leg and your front arm high above the head, opening up through the side body and the intercostal muscles, and feeling the slight backbend.

Proper form and technique are essential to ensure the safety and effectiveness of a yoga practice. If you have a previous or pre-existing health condition, consult your physician before practicing yoga. You can modify postures based on your individual needs.

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