VINYASA
Nyasa= ‘to place’
Vi= ‘in a special way’
To place your awareness in a special way
Vinyasa yoga is a flowing style of yoga where the breath and movements are linked together. The movements are initiated and inspired by the breath. In a yoga sequence expansive, opening and rising movements are initiated by an inhalation. Contractive, closing and grounding movements are initiated by an exhalation.
Vinyasa yoga teaches us to cultivate an awareness around and within our transitions both in our practice and life. It’s a practice of being present in the space between poses, actions or places. It’s in the transitions, the flow in between, where the beauty and magic lies. The flow is a catalyst for shift and transformation.
Our breath is our best guide in our practice and life. When I teach a yoga class I always remind my clients that the most important thing is their breathing. We want our breathing to lengthen and deepen and we want our movements to mirror that. The movements and the breathing become one.
The movements tell us a lot about our breathing and state of mind. Our breathing tells us a lot about our state of mind. I believe just as our breathing can effect our movements, our movements can effect our breathing. The entire flow is to create harmony in body, mind, heart and soul.
It’s easy to put the main focus on the poses themselves, to rush through a transition just to get to the pose. The vinyasa flow gives us a beautiful reminder that everything is a process.
Namaste, Helén
