The term vinyasa is a combination of two words. Nyasa has several meanings like “to place”, “special order”, “attention”, “and vi, which means “specially”. Vinyasa has many meanings in the Sanskrit language, however, in the context of yoga, Vinyasa can be best interpreted as
It is often understood as a practice with a theme or purpose consisting of poses linked and associated together.
A Vinyasa yoga practice connects individual poses or “asanas” with deep breaths or “pranayama” in a series of flowing sequences of movement.
Designed to progressively open the body, each sequence in a Vinyasa yoga class builds upon the previous, evolving into deeper, more advanced postures as the practice unfolds.
Typical components of a Vinyasa yoga class include a range of standing, seated and supine poses, twists, balancing postures, forward folds, inversions, back bends and targeted core strengthening. Some classes might offer guided meditation, chanting, or breathwork, and all classes end in a state of utter relaxation in Corpse Pose or “Savasana.”
Yogis can expect to experience increased flexibility, strength, stability, and overall calmness and clarity.