Vinyasa Flow Yoga - A Beginners Guide to getting started
I’ve been practicing vinyasa flow for 20 years, finding the continuous link between movement and breath highly meditative and relaxing. As someone who has lived with anxiety my whole life, I find this practice has taught me to go with the flow both on and off the mat. It has been hugely advantageous for my physical and mental health. It has helped me get physically strong and feel more focused and balanced. I have been teaching this style for over a decade. In my latest blog I offer beginners tips on how to start a vinyasa flow practice.
Similarly to the advice I gave in my beginners blog, I’d suggest that you do some research and find a vinyasa flow teacher who resonates with you. Vinyasa is a type of yoga that links movement and breath to balance body and mind. From the Sanskrit “to place in a special way,” vinyasa aligns a deliberate sequence of postures with the breath to achieve a continuous flow. Inhalation is usually connected to upward, open movements, while exhalation is often tied to downward movements or twists.
Because vinyasa practice puts a strong focus on sun salutations, most vinyasa flow classes will focus on this sequence. It’s important to note that individual teachers will have different paces and it’s important to find what’s right for you. For example, some will lead a slower paced, intuitive flow, whilst others may lead a hot, sweaty and strong practice.
Prior to trying a vinyasa flow class, it may be beneficial to attend a beginners yoga class to get used to foundational postures and become familiar with sun salutations. It may also be useful to practice common transitions such as stepping through to lunge from downward dog, navigating your way to the top of your mat from downward dog, stepping back to plank from lunge, moving from a standing sequence such as warrior into a “vinyasa”
“Take a vinyasa” or “Go through your vinyasa” has become shorthand for completing a sequence of poses leading from the Sun Salutation, and includes plank, chaturanga dandasana upward-facing dog, and downward-facing dog. It is important to note that there are different options you can choose whilst engaging in these movements and a skilled yoga teacher will be able to layer their class in such a way that you can do this. For example, if chaturanga to up dog doesn’t work for your body, you can try dropping your knees to the floor or lower all the way down to the ground and opt for cobra instead.
At my beginners class on a Tuesday evening, we are currently linking foundational movements to breath and exploring transitions. The class is also learning the basics of pranayama, through breathing techniques such as abdominal and diaphragmatic breath.
