Vinyasa Flow Yoga is more a description of how you practice this style of yoga rather than a single yoga practice. Examples of yoga schools included in the Vinyasa family are: Ashtanga, Jivamukti, and Baptiste Yoga and is also sometimes called Power Yoga, Power Flow, Vinyasa Flow, Vinyasa Yoga, or Flow Yoga.

 

The basis of Vinyasa is the traditional Hatha Yoga postures (asanas), but there is a difference between the two that is contained in the name. The word "vinyasa" derives from Sanskrit and approximately translates to "to place deliberately, in a special way".

 

Poses are sequenced to be performed one after another, and you breathe deliberately in and out with particular movements or whole postures. In this way, postures and breath are combined into a dynamic flow. As such, the common denominator for Vinyasa yoga practices is moving deliberately not only within the postures, but also from posture to posture, combining breathing and movement into a flow.

 

What sets Vinyasa Flow apart from particular schools such as Ashtanga is the postures and sequencing of the class are up to the instructor. The only limitation is the class must be a flow of Hatha Yoga postures in harmony with breath. As a result, Vinyasa Flow is excellent for those looking for a dynamic yoga class with lots of variation and movement. However, there are a few flows that are generally included in a Vinyasa class. One is the "vinyasa", which is the sequence of high-plank to low-plank (chaturanga dandasana), upward-facing dog (urdvha mukha svanasana), or cobra (bhujangasana), finishing in downward-facing dog (adho mukha svanasana).

 

The other is the sun salutation, which has a few variations, but usually includes mountain pose (tadasana), upward salute (urdvha hastasana), forward fold (uttanasana), half forward fold (ardha uttanasana), followed by a vinyasa (as described above).

 

At Yolistic Integrative Wellness, instructors create Vinyasa Flow class sequences after their own interests and expertise, which offers variation among the classes. In other words: there is a Vinyasa Flow for every occasion and mood!