Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy
What Is Vinyasa?
Vinyasa is a name for a style of yoga that you will hear about more often and Joyflow is using this name to describe what we do here. It is a flowing yoga defined by the creative blending of a variety of influences in modern yoga. In this article I hope to give you a sense of what vinyasa means, what it can do for you and what influences from which it originated.
Vinyasa is the Sanscrit word for "flow". This refers both to the flow of breath and movement in a continuous linking of postures and to the flow of energy, or "prana" generated by this practice. Probably the most familiar flow, or vinyasa, in classic yoga is the Sun Salutation. The Vinyasa style of yoga builds on the basic concept of the Sun Salutation. A brief history of the development of yoga in this country will give you a clearer picture.
One Indian teacher, Krishnamacharya, was very influential in that three of his students came to the West to establish very distinct and popular styles of yoga. B.K.S. Iyengar became a master at analyzing the postures scientifically and therapeutically. This appealed to our Western minds and brought a new degree of accuracy and legitimacy to modern yoga. Thus, the well known Iyengar style focuses on precise alignment and involves using a variety of props that allow everyone to experience the perfection of alignment. The idea is that when the body is aligned in a posture, the energy will flow fully through the body. My first teacher, for at least ten years, was Janie Strickland, is a certified Iyengar instructor who now owns the Triangle Club in Jackson, MS.
The next important wave on the Western yoga scene was Ashtanga, the "grandfather" of all vinyasa. Patabhi Jois, another of Krishnamacharya's students, supposedly discovered an ancient scroll detailing sequences of postures, which he named Ashtanga. (There is some confusion here, because Ashtanga also refers to the 8-limbed path of classical yogic philosophy of the Yoga Sutras.) Patabhi Jois's students were mostly young energetic boys and this practice became very aerobic and athletic. It found a home in the West because of its emphasis on cardiovascular and muscular strength, as well as the traditional benefits of flexibility and mental focus. One of his students, and one of my favorite teachers, Beryle Bender Birch, made a big splash with the athletic community of New York, calling the practice Power Yoga to demystify it. There are Ashtanga purists who have found that the repetition of the series gives them a strength and consistency to their practice and to their lives. There are at least 7 series; most students have only practiced the Primary or first series; only a few have practiced the second.
There are other teachers who appreciated the energy of Ashtanga but varied it according to their needs and inspiration. This became popularly known as Power yoga. Some Power yoga is virtually the basic Primary Series and some is quite different. Aspects of Ashtanga, such as the building of internal heat, the dynamic Ujjayi breath, the importance of energetic locks (bandhas) during practice and the use of focal points (drishti) have become important aspects of a vigorous vinyasa practice. Some of my favorite Power Vinyasa teachers are Baron Baptiste, Brian Kest, White Lotus, Jivamukti, Shiva Rea and Sean Corne.
Another influential teacher was Krishnamacharya's son, Desikacharya, who emphasized breath, emotional healing and gentle movement, instead of alignment or vigorous vinyasa. He worked with his students one at a time, customizing the practice for each individual's needs. His style, named Viniyoga, has influenced the world of yoga by bringing a deeper awareness of the importance of breath in each posture. A deeper awareness of each posture can be gained by moving in and out of it on the breath. On each inhale, the movement is to open and expand; on each exhale the movement is to contract, fold or exert downward movement. Gary Kraftsow is the most well-known Viniyoga teacher in this country and I have been influenced by his teaching through workshops and his books. Several of my favorite teachers, Eric Schiffman, Alan Finger of Yoga Zone and Rod Stryker, appear to have been influenced by Viniyoga as well.
So what will you expect to get at Joyflow? At Joyflow you will notice the influences of Iyengar alignment and Viniyoga breath awareness, primarily in our Basics classes. We also introduce the basics of Ashtanga: the Ujjayi breath and the bandhas, or energetic locks. We teach the basics of vinyasa flow through the various Sun Salutations. In the Vinyasa class we put it all together in a flow, slowly, using breath to link postures and also to move in and out of one posture. In our Power Vinyasa class we step up the pace and the heat; students are required to have mastered the basics and to know how to modify the postures for their own needs. In this class sometimes we closely follow the Ashtanga Primary Series and sometimes not. Since vinyasa is a creative and always changing practice, you may also notice other influences in our classes: the gentle, meditative introspection of Kripalu yoga or the transformational kryas of Kundalini yoga.
Since there is no official leader or head of Vinyasa yoga, it is an always evolving practice. Some will say that this will dilute the purity of the important lineages from which Vinyasa draws. But I believe that Joyflow is part of a valuable evolutionary process. By letting ourselves be guided by Divine intuition and inspired by our experiences, we keep the spirit and practice of yoga alive and meaningful.
As a former musician, an analogy that I think explains Vinyasa is that it is like playing a piece of music. After you've practiced your scales and arpeggios, like learning the alignment of the postures and the basics of breathing, you get to play music. The music can be slow, lush and gentle or fast, driving and difficult. There are a million variations a composer can come up with in creating music. So a vinyasa practice can be designed in infinite ways to accomplish a variety of needs. You can focus on one part of the body or one posture, creating heat and muscular memory, or create an all-over experience. The pace and energy can be slow and calming or challenging and vigorous. The focus can be more physical or more spiritual. I have encouraged the teachers at Joyflow to use all of these techniques and to interpret them in their own creative ways. Therefore, I invite you to join our music, sample all of Joyflow's teachers and ask for what you want. I promise that our classes will never be boring and my hope is that you will always learn something new about yoga and about yourself. Come and join in our music.