What is Vinyasa Yoga?
Vinyasa is a Sanskrit word that is a combination of three different terms. Vi, Ni, and Asa together contribute to creating the term Vinyasa. The term Asa is the backbone of this word that means to place. The other two words that are Vi and Ni, are the prefixes that denote the pre and post-progression. Together three terms mean the structured placement of the body.
Many people confuse vinyasa yoga for physical exercise, which is not true. It is a more complex practice. In vinyasa, yoga asanas are just a small part, but there are other components.
There is a Sanskrit word thristhana which means a combination of three. So Vinyasa yoga is a combination of three different bodily elements. These three elements are the mental focus, breathing, and asanas. Lacking any of them while performing vinyasa yoga will expel you from reaching the divine of vinyasa.
The Flow of Energy in Vinyasa Yoga
Vinaya yoga does not follow any fixed pattern of asana. Rather it challenges the patience and mental focus of a person. The continuous flow of energy from one yoga asana to another yoga asana while having proper control over breath is challenging. The continuous shift and body moments improve the mental strength of the practitioner.
What are the Benefits of Vinyasa Yoga?
Vinyasa is the bridge linking two or more yoga asanas. You need a high focus and energy level to practice this form.
There are certain challenges to practicing vinyasa yoga, but the overall benefits are worth the challenges. Performing vinyasa yoga in perfect sequence can bolster many health benefits.
Let’s look up the particular vinyasa yoga benefits.
1. Boost Cardiovascular Health:
Vinyasa is an intense form of yoga. Unlike other forms that are static and do not require rigorous movements. In vinyasa yoga, you must constantly move your body in different positions. Your heart pumps blood to different regions and organs of the body continuously.
For a limited period, your heart works continuously, strengthens heart muscles, and increases its capacity. Thereby enhancing cardiovascular strength and health.
A 2018 study on vinyasa yoga by Myung Dong Choi provides evidence that vinyasa yoga significantly improves cardiovascular health.
2. Improve Overall Lung Capacity:
The main idea of vinyasa yoga is to control your breathing patterns. During this practice, we inhale and exhale several times. Sometimes we need to hold our breath in our lungs for a certain time.
This practice regularly increases your lung capacity and strengthens the region’s muscles. Light vinyasa yoga is great for people suffering from breathing and lung issues.
3. Enhance mental focus
You need to practice patience and focus on performing vinyasa yoga. There are certain yoga asanas that need intense focus. This practice improves your mental focus, which helps you in your overall life.
A good mental focus will help you remain calm and determined during life’s happy and sad phases.
4. Increased Flexibility
Practicing vinyasa yoga is the key to enhancing your body’s flexibility. Deep stretches during asana help your muscle to stretch and relax.
Apart from muscle, your joints, ligaments, and tendons also get stretched during this process. A continuous cycle of stretching and relaxing increases your overall flexibility.
Improved flexibility decreases your chances of getting injuries during yoga, workouts, and daily tasks. Besides avoiding injuries, a flexible body can cure injuries much faster than a stiff body.
5. Increases Muscle and Bone Health
A good overall muscle mass improves your strength and helps you become stronger. Certain vinyasa yoga asanas like Adho mukha svanasana and Setu bandha Sarvangasana enhance muscle mass.
These yoga asanas use your body weight and put certain pressure on muscles in your body. As a result, your muscle strength improves, and your body adds muscle mass in those areas.