Vinyasa yoga:The body, the breath and the mind

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Full, deep inhale, complete exhale and step back with the right foot. Drop the back knee, point the toe and breathe in crescent lunge. As you exhale, drop into the hip socket more as you feel a stretch in the psoas muscle and go back with the left foot into plank and move through your vinyasa.”

This is what you might typically hear when you walk into my vinyasa flow yoga course. You might also see many students rhythmically streaming with differing asanas with a concentrate on a relationship to the ‘breath’ while they begin to sweat. As a vinyasa flow educator in Mumbai, I’m frequently faced with the question, “Exactly what’s flow yoga?”

It isn’t just a static, slow-moving practice although at times you’ll hold an asana for an extended time period, it isn’t even a busy athletic exercise– it’s both of these and more. Vinyasa flow is a yoga design that includes continuous dynamic movement from one asana to an additional with the breath as the link in between the body, mind and spirit. Each movement in the practice is accompanied by a full breath– breathing in and breathing out. The asanas aren’t composed a dealt with position for long and they typically flow with a rhythm. Although the practice is physically requiring, the flows are imaginative and therapeutic for the mind along with the body. Vinyasa flow is awareness in movement.

What it can do for us

I like to describe vinyasa flow as a design of yoga where first the body moves, then the breath flows, and finally the mind follows. The practice of vinyasa flow brings awareness of the breath as a bridge between the mind and body. There’s an undeniable relationship between the breath and the body. The breath introduces prana or the energetic life force into our body. As the prana awakens and the breath and body start streaming, an internal heat is generated in the core. With the increase in the heat of the core, all the systems of the body benefit. This body heat works to purify the organs and detoxify the body. The worried, lymphatic and respiratory system all become promoted and healthier from regular vinyasa flow practice. There are other considerable benefits to vinyasa yoga too:

• The increased body heat also stimulates blood flow, important nutrients and oxygen within the body. With increased heat in the core, the metabolic rate increases, aiding the body in toning and weight reduction. An individual practising vinyasa flow yoga can burn from 400 to 600 calories an hour.


• Vinyasa flow yoga can benefit individuals dealing with various aliments and injuries. The graceful motions and heat generated in the practice help stretch and extend the muscles while they’re being reinforced, permitting greater mobility and array of motion. Various other types of yoga, such as hatha or iyengar, need that you hold the asanas for a longer amount of time, which can be uncomfortable for tight muscles. In vinyasa flow, the continuing stream of movement, tied to the breath, allows for oxygen to fuel and loosen muscles.


• Flexibility in the muscles also takes tension off the joints, tendons and tendons and assists prevent injuries like muscle pulls and splits. Those struggling with arthritis, slipped disc and spondylitis can improve durability and decrease discomfort through regular practice.


• Symptoms of diabetes, asthma, high blood pressure, stress and anxiety and depression can all be decreased with yoga.

Many people, including myself, have experienced the recovery benefits of yoga first-hand and it’s never late to start exercising yoga. There’s a style of vinyasa flow for everyone from newbies to innovative practitioners. Since focus is put on awareness of the body and breath, practitioners are motivated to listen to their own bodies and take a rest whenever it’s needed.

Getting started with Vinyasa

Here is a description of a typical vinyasa to warm-up the body and create heat in the core. Don’t forget to synchronise your breathe with each motion. Find your roots and center the body, breathe and mind. Pay attention to your body and rest in youngster’s position [balasana] and continuing with the vinyasa. Begin on the right side and total 2– 3 vinyasas for each side.
Standing at the top of the mat [samasthitihi]

1. inhale: arms overheard, palms touch lean back slightly


2. exhale: fold forward hands to ground [uttanasana]


3. inhale: flat-back gaze forward with hands on shins


4. exhale: hands to ground step back with right foot


5. inhale: crescent lunge [anjaneyasana]


6. exhale: release hands to the ground step back to plank and lower [chaturanga dandasana]


7. inhale: upward facing dog [urdhva mukha svanasana]


8. exhale: downward facing dog [adho mukha svanasana]


9. hold down dealing with canine for 3– 5 long, deep stomach breaths


10. inhale: step forward with right leg crescent lunge [anjaneyasana]


11. exhale: launch hands to ground and advance with left leg


12. inhale: flat-back look forward with hands on shins


13. exhale: release hands to earth [uttanasana]


14. inhale: open palms large conference above your head


15. exhale: hands to heart center in prayer


16. Repeat with the left leg

Continue practicing with variations depending on what areas of the body you opt to focus on opening throughout your practice. Bear in mind to breathe, find your flow and smile.

Roots and origins

If we break down the word vinyasa into its Sanskrit roots, nyasa might be interpreted as ‘to place’ and vi as ‘in an unique means’. Therefore, by combining these words and utilizing the modern interpretation, vinyasa can indicate to place a particular series of asanas and the breath in a special means. Likewise, following the contemporary analysis of vinyasa as it describes a yoga style, it can also imply to stream and link the body, breath and mind.

The style of vinyasa flow yoga is affected and inspired by all various other types of yoga but asserts no expert or true origin of source. People may use the label of vinyasa flow to cover many designs such as ashtanga, jivamukti and anusara, but in truth it’s a mix of all designs. Each practice is open to interpretation. This makes vinyasa flow a difficult, special and playful style of yoga. When someone gets in a yoga studio to begin a vinyasa flow course, they couldn’t know exactly what to expect from the practice since every teacher and class are different. Some contemporary yoginis such as Seane Corne and Shiva Rea can be credited with bringing the vinyasa flow design of yoga into worldwide appeal. Today, people from India, China, Europe, Africa and North and South America have made vinyasa flow a celebrated form of yogic expression.

Although vinyasa flow yoga declares no lineage, Sri Krishnamacharya was the first yogi to present the idea of using the breath as a bridge in yoga practice to connect the mind and body.

Srivasta Ramaswami, author of The Full Book of Vinyasa Yoga and a direct disciple of the fabulous Yoga instructor Krishnamacharya, yields the essence of vinyasa in asana practice in the following way, “Just as music without appropriate pitch [sruti] and rhythm [laya] won’t provide joy, yogasana practice without the regard of vinyasa won’t provide wellness. Yogasana [yogic positions], pranayama [yogic breathing exercises], and mudras [seals, locks, gestures] have actually been practiced with vinyasa from time immemorial.”

As mentioned in its title, vinyasa flow makes use of the vinyasa as a base for flowing postures and a balanced breath made to develop heat and energy in yoga practice. Each position connects to the next with an inhale and exhale. Each motion ends up being a prayer to your body temple and brings awareness to the divine energy within us all. With a concentrate on deep abdominal breathing, physical and psychological benefits in the body increase. The addition of the spirit in this practice ends up being a reflection of our grace and a divine expression of self on the journey we call yoga.

Vinyasa yoga:The body, the breath and the mind