You know the expression (and the feeling!) ‚to be in a flow’ – when you lose a track of time and just do your thing. In yoga these flows can be just as pleasant, and what’s more – rejuvenating. There are Sun Salutations to begin with, followed by nice and energetic sequences of poses – they’re exactly that: vinyasas – meaning flows.
Vinyasa yoga is a style for those who enjoy the feel of flow: the sequence of postures that come one after another in dynamic coordination with deepened breaths. Breathing is a key here – when you find your rhythm, it’s guiding you, it’s your anchor and compass.
Here’s how Sun Salutation can look like:
Breathing is your anchor for wandering thoughts
Do you know this feeling when you are happy you finally managed to come to your yoga studio so you want to make the most of it and then… you’re on the mat, but you keep thinking about eeeverything but what you’re doing right now…? Well, I definitely do! What’s helped me A LOT was when my teachers reminded me to go back to my breathing – meaning: drawing attention to how I breathe.
Breathing is an activity and sensation that is always with you. 🙂
You can hold to it to keep your thoughts close to your current experience, so the mind doesn’t drift away to other matters – and that’s it!
Going back to your breathing helps to stay present in a moment, within your experience of moving your body and breathing in and out, setting and strengthening your body-mind connection.
If your body has got your attention, that’s when it can show you some more – you get more aware of your sensations, how you’re feeling and what you need most in the given moment. If you ever thought of practicing mindfulness as a stress reduction method, but you feel like your mind is super active and have 10 thoughts a second, mindful participation in a dynamic vinyasa session might do its trick on you.
Why not to start learning to stay focused by focusing on something actually quite dynamic and fun? 🙂
Vinyasa yoga is a good idea if you’d like to try gently encouraging your mind to focus on here and now, but what’s more and in my opinion super valuable – it helps to get to know yourself and your body better – it comes naturally when you do any physical activity: you turn your attention to how it feels (here I write more about experiencing rather than striving-to-achieve attitude in yoga). And from how it feels there’s only one step to: does it feel good? Is it good for me? What do I need now?
Knowing better what you need now, allows you to adjust your practice to your current needs (more about this topic here). It’s entirely up to you how much effort you put into your exercises: so sometimes it might be a gentle, subtle flow, and at other times you can get really sweaty!
Vinyasa yoga is an amazing opportunity to improve your fitness and strength, as well as to calm your mind.
So, is vinyasa yoga style for you? 🙂
THIS STYLE IS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE AS:
Not sure yet?
For Polish-speaking yogis: join this 5-minute yoga with me!
Namaste,
Karolina
Art of Yoga 