Vinyasa Flow

Here is a great article from Om Shanti: A Yoga Blog, that describes Vinyasa Flow. I thought I would share. At the bottom is a link for the full article. --Josette--


So what is it? Well, one way to describe vinyasa flow is in terms of the physical workout. In a vinyasa flow class, you can usually expect to sweat your butt off. Sometimes teachers even heat the room, which almost guarantees that you’ll be literally dripping with sweat by the end of class. Is it a hard workout? Well, that depends on your teacher. A really hard, advanced vinyasa flow class will, I promise you, be the hardest workout you’ve ever had. It’ll involve intense cardio and strength-building exercises, as well as some core work, a handful of asanas to increase flexibility, and some wildly fun acrobatic stuff that is reminiscent of Cirque du Soleil. There is quite possibly no better overall workout than a really strong vinyasa flow class. In fact, NFL and NHL teams are now incorporating vinyasa flow yoga into their training programs, not just because of the flexibility you gain from yoga (it is, by the way, a HUGE misconception that yoga just about flexibility), but because of all of its physical benefits. As one yoga website describes it, “vinyasa flow is a workout that will change your life, if you can survive it.” Now, to be perfectly honest, not all vinyasa flow classes are super difficult physical workouts. I’ve been to vinyasa flow classes where I didn’t even break a sweat. Needless to say, I never went back. But it is true that you need some considerable degree of flexibility and strength in order to do the harder asanas, so if you are new to yoga, you may have to spend a year or two in easier, less rigorous classes in order to build up the foundation of flexibility/strength necessary for the more difficult asanas.
Another way to describe vinyasa flow yoga is in terms of the mental workout, so to speak. Many vinyasa flow classes incorporate some kind of meditation before and/or after the class. Moreover, the practice itself is often considered a “moving meditation”. So, it’s not usually considered appropriate to talk during class, just as it would not be considered appropriate to talk during, say, a church sermon. And, indeed, many yogis, including myself, take the yoga practice as a kind of quasi-religious experience, and don’t appreciate it when people are disrespectful of the practice by talking unnecessarily during a yoga class. So what are we meditating on when we do vinyasa flow yoga? Initially, when you first start yoga, all you can think about is how much pain you are in and how much your muscles burn. But, in time, you may learn to simply observe the sensations and thoughts that pass through your body and mind. This neutral observation process is meditation. In observing the movements and fluctuations of the body and mind throughout the asana practice, we learn to see that our bodies, physical sensations, and even our mental activity are not things that are integral to our true selves. Our true selves stand outside of these temporary things, and, as we come to learn and experience this firsthand, we learn how to be calm and peaceful in the midst of great challenge. A pretty useful life lesson, I think. Even if we don’t buy into this stuff about inner peace and our “true selves”, at the very least, it’s fairly well established that vinyasa flow yoga does effectively promote overall mental health, lower stress, increased focus and concentration, and better sleep.

http://yogaisforlovers.wordpress.com/2007/01/10/what-is-vinyasa-flow-yoga/

UPDATE

First off, what a beautiful April we are having here in Arizona!!

I wanted to give an update on the 200 Hr Yoga Teacher Training Intensive. There are only two more spots available in the May teacher training. So please contact 5th Element to reserve one of these last spots.

Go to http://5thelementyoga.com/200-hr-level-yoga-teacher-training-program or call 001-480-784-7944.

See also the September training dates.

Wishing you all a blessed and peaceful day.

Josette



OHIO – MICHIGAN – WISCONSIN – OREGON – WASHINGTON – VANCOUVER – GERMANY – MINNESOTA – ILLINOIS – FINLAND – WINNIPEG – VIRGINIA – MONTANTA – HOLLAND – COLORADO - SWITZERLAND

Tensegrity

The Wikipedia definition: Tensegrity is a portmanteau of tensional integrity. It refers to the integrity of structures as being based in a synergy between balanced tension and compression components.

So how does that apply to our body? Well, it is the synergy between compressional strength, or pushing strength and tensional strength, or pulling strength. Just like the connective tissue and bones of our body. Bones give us our compressional strength. They are strong and solid, like beams in a building. While our connective tissue uses tensional strength, like the connecting cables of that same building.

Tensegrity is a great principle for describing the relationship between the skeleton, muscles and connective tissue in our bodies. There isn’t a horizontal surface in the skeleton that provides a stable base for anything to be stacked upon it. Weight applied to any bone would cause it to slide off its joint if it wasn’t for the tensional pull of connective tissue (i.e. ligaments) to hold it in place and control movement.

Any dysfunction in this model causes the other components to be affected and this will take away from the structures stability. For example, tight pectoral muscles will cause medial rotation of the shoulders.

So proper adjustment of length and tension in connective tissue is important to the distribution of gravitational forces throughout the body.

Think about this concept and how yoga helps us keep our balance through strengthening the muscles and lengthening both muscle and connective tissue. Keeping that tensional strength healthy and balanced.

For a visiual aid, there are plenty of tensegrity models available on the web and in stores.

Meditation for Beginners

Throughout each stage of our lives, we all experience habitual mental patterns, as well as our own versions of trauma. Notice I used the word ‘own’ (we will come back to this in a moment). After each experience, our miniature super computers store them as memories to be used and compared, at a later time, to new experiences. In the practice of yoga, we refer to these memories as samskaras, or imprints upon either the conscious or subconscious. While some experiences are extremely useful and even necessary, others may be harmful and even prevent us from recognizing a truly new experience or opportunity. If we are constantly comparing a situation to a past experience, are we in the present?

One of the most effective ways to address habitual mental patterns and break free of them involves the mindful meditation of witnessing the thoughts. Taking just a few minutes out of each day to simply watch or ‘witness’ the thoughts as they enter the mind (without passing judgment) allows us to recognize habitual mental patterns and slowly dissolve them. We no longer have a need to ‘own’ them when they can no longer serve us. It is ‘owning’ them that sets them deeper into the subconscious.

This method is also the quickest way to quiet the mind when we cannot sleep, are stressed, or are trying to quiet the mind for meditation. The trick is not to follow the thoughts you are ‘witnessing’ and let the mind wander. In your mind’s eye, just sit back and watch them as if you were sitting on your lawn, watching the traffic go by. Eventually, your self awareness of unnecessary patterns will begin to creep up on you outside of your practice. With recognition of these patterns, they will gently fall away.