This entry was posted on Mar 26, 2025 by Charlotte Bell.
Vinyasa (aka circulate yoga) has been the preferred type of asana observe for some time now. Primarily based on ideas launched by Ashtanga Yoga, vinyasa incorporates a yoga “routine,” a flowing motion sequence. In hottest lessons, college students circulate by the sequence at a fairly good clip. Shifting shortly from one pose to the subsequent raises the center charge. In some lessons, academics flip up the warmth, which induces sweat. This is sensible for Western practitioners.
Within the West, train has virtually at all times included these two components, amongst others. In order yoga has built-in into Western tradition, it appears to be like like a mixture of asana observe and Western train. Placing collectively a novel yoga circulate provides academics a chance to flex their artistic muscle tissues. Surya Namaskar (Solar Salutation) has taken all types of enjoyable and progressive flights of fancy within the creation of vinyasa’s reputation.
However a few of us, old-school yogis and extra meditative varieties, like to chill the temperature. I get pleasure from linking poses in a sequence, however I desire to gradual my circulate. For me, yoga observe is a time to calm my nervous system by aware motion. I desire weight coaching and strolling in nature to construct muscle and lift my coronary heart charge. What I like about yoga asana is its skill to foster mindfulness. Slowing my circulate fosters the body-mind connection.
Right here’s Why You Ought to Attempt Slowing Your Circulate Yoga
- Unfolding: Whenever you spend time in every pose, your physique has an opportunity to unwind tender tissue resistance. It takes time to maneuver into stillness in a pose. Our our bodies and minds want time to regulate to every new place, and it’s solely once we can calm down into the pose that yoga’s “magic” can unfold. That magic is the mixing of physique and thoughts, by letting go of effort. Keep in mind that “mastery” of asana within the yoga sutras is outlined like this (in Alistair Shearer’s translation): “It’s mastered when all effort is relaxed and the thoughts is absorbed within the Infinite.” Taking your time in every pose, means that you can make changes so to calm down effort.
- Mindfulness: One of many key parts of working towards mindfulness is slowing down. Training gradual circulate yoga provides us time to tune into the ever-changing course of of each asana. Slowing down permits us to really feel the method of respiration, how the breath strikes our our bodies, and the method of letting go of effort in order that we are able to “be” the pose relatively than “doing” the pose.
- Props: It’s fairly difficult to include yoga props into a quick circulate. By the point you’ve set your props up, the remainder of the category has typically gone on to the subsequent pose. Yoga props assist us observe with structural integrity. That structural integrity permits us to let go of effort and be the asana.
- Transitions: That is most likely my favourite manner of slowing the circulate. I consider every vinyasa as one lengthy asana. Relatively than seeing circulate yoga as a succession of poses, I make the transitions between poses simply as necessary because the formal asanas. Slowing down makes this simpler. Attempt giving equal consideration to the actions between the formal poses. This promotes mindfulness in movement.
Your Particular person Circulate Apply
If a fast-paced yoga circulate is your favourite observe, by all means, proceed. However typically, you may wish to attempt slowing it down. Get to know every asana another way. Really feel the transitions. Slowing your circulate observe at occasions may enrich your quick circulate observe.
About Charlotte Bell
Charlotte Bell found yoga in 1982 and started instructing in 1986. Charlotte is the creator of Conscious Yoga, Conscious Life: A Information for On a regular basis Apply and Yoga for Meditators, each printed by Rodmell Press. Her third ebook is titled Hip-Wholesome Asana: The Yoga Practitioner’s Information to Defending the Hips and Avoiding SI Joint Ache (Shambhala Publications). She writes a month-to-month column for CATALYST Journal and serves as editor for Yoga U On-line. Charlotte is a founding board member for GreenTREE Yoga, a non-profit that brings yoga to underserved populations. A lifelong musician, Charlotte performs oboe and English horn within the Salt Lake Symphony and folks sextet Pink Rock Rondo, whose DVD received two Emmy awards.
