Yoga Vinyasa: Which one is right for you?

When you think of yoga, you probably first think of poses that emphasize self-awareness and flexibility.

You can, though, link the poses from a series called yoga vinyasas.

In these vinyasas, the poses are performed in a fluid sequence that complements your overall yoga experience.

While your yoga teacher is training to create vinyasas for you, there are also certain existing sequences that you can do yourself if you know what poses they include.

Two of them are especially popular in the West: Salutation to the Sun and Warrior II.

salutation to the sun

One of the most popular sequences is known as the Sun Salutation. This is a single stream of 12 different yoga poses.

With each, you should inhale to accompany the stretch and exhale as you contract or flex your body.

This particular vinyasa is designed to build your strength and increase your overall flexibility.

As with most vinyasas, you can find variations on this depending on what style of yoga you are using, but there are a few basic poses and a flow that is fairly constant among the variations.

For the Sun Salutation, you go through the current twice to complete one round. Do this once for the right side of the body, and another time for the left.. If you don’t have enough time, still try to do at least one. Even this half sequence will help you feel refreshed..

The sun salutation starts from the mountain. From there you go with your hands up, head to knees, lunge, plank, and stick. Still flowing, you go up dog, down dog, and lunge.

In the end, the sequence ends with the head on the knees, hands up, and mountains again. As you can see, Sun Salutation is naturally circular like many other yoga sequences.

Warrior 2

Another popular sequence for yogis in the West is called “Triangle”, or Warrior 2. This particular vinyasa emphasizes your breath..

While it’s generally recommended to try this movement between positions in time with your breath, you can experiment with different types of breathing to see what works best for you and how each one affects you.

In fact, this ability to experiment freely is what has made this vinyasa so popular.

The sequence for Warrior II works through four poses. You will use Mountain, Triangle, Warrior II and standing yoga mudra.

Moving in this order, you will go through the sequence in time with your breath. This particular sequence will tend to relieve stress and help your flexibility.

Be confident, like all yoga, pay close attention to your breathing while remaining focused on yourself.

Conclusion

Once you start learning a range of yoga postures, you can start experimenting with vinyasas on your own or with a teacher.

They allow you to not only work in the poses but also keep both physical and mental flow going as you do your daily yoga.

Additionally, you can find other yoga sequences that match your skill level, need, and yoga style.

Overall, Vinyasas are a part of yoga that can help you see and feel results faster and more consistently.