Vinyasa Yoga

The term Vinyasa Yoga comes from the union of the two Sanskrit terms vi, that is “in a special way” and nyasa, “to place / to do”. This style’s characteristic is a strong coordination between movement and Pranayama, in which the holds of the asanas and the passage between one pose to another one are matched with the breath.

Characteristics of Vinyasa Yoga

This style differs from the slower and more meditative styles, such as Hatha Yoga, as it is centered on a fluid and dynamic flow of movements. With “Vinyasa”, traditionally, we refer to a sequence where the central section is the Sun Salutation, with the passage from the Downwards Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) to the Low Plank (Chaturanga) , to the position of the Upwards Facing Dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana), with a final return to the starting point. The sequence described is often used in Vinyasa to pass between different asanas or as a warm up.

Origins of the style

The origins of this style are due to Krishnamacharya (1888-1989), which is considered the progenitor of modern forms of Yoga and teacher of the three yogis who have most contributed to the dissemination of this discipline in the West: Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, B. K. S. Iyengar and Indra Devi.

Krishnamacharya, during his research, put his attention on the passage from one asana to the following one, focusing on the transition between the positions, in synchrony with a specific breathing that allows a continuous flow.

Yoga Vinyasa, due to its fluidity and vitality, is also known as Yoga Vinyasa Flow or Dynamic Yoga. This style does not involve the execution of predetermined sequences, indeed the classes are varied and always different, stimulating the body with multifaceted imputs and exploring all the possible asanas that Yoga offers.

The regular practice of Vinyasa allows you to fully develop your physical abilities, rediscovering the dormant potentialities of the human body.

Benefits of Vinyasa Yoga

The benefits that can be drawn from the Yoga Flow are many: the energetic movements allow you to gain strength, flexibility and agility, increasing the muscle resistance, while the emphasis on breathing helps to manage the balance during twists, bends and holds.

The attention put on the asanas, moreover, ease the tensions on the entire spine, relieving the back and neck disorders.

The positive influence of Vinyasa Yoga does not only involve the physical level: the deep sense of relaxation and the inner calm infused by the practice allow to effectively fight psycho-somatic pathologies, such as migraines, constipation, gastritis, insomnia and irregularity of the menstrual cycle.

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