Yoga 101 // The Vinyasa Breakdown

Yoga teaches the body how to flow and balance, the essence of this is the Vinyasa, movements in unison with the breath. The noun Vinaysa essentially means four poses connected into one and they form the basis of our sun salutations - high plank, chaturanga, upward facing dog and downward facing dog.

As we 'move through our Vinyasa' we feel a connection between the body and the breath, the flow of the movements in our yoga practice. These four poses keep the heat in the body and the flow of life (the prana) high throughout the body and the practice. The Vinyasa can be challenging at first, just remember that yoga has a lot to do with muscle memory so the first time you come into a yoga pose the body may not like it. As you move your body over time, the new muscles you are working will begin to remember the way you moved. You will gain strength and flexibility.

So lets break it down...

High Plank

Bring your weight into the L shape of your hands, fingers spread wide. Heels of the hand underneath the shoulders, the body in one long line from the base of the neck to the heels of your feet. Core engaged and the ribcage knitting together. 

Chaturanga

On an exhale lower down slowly keeping the elbows into your sides.

Upward Facing Dog

Inhale placing the tops of the feet into the mat. Weight into your hands and feeling the backbend up through the spine, gaze forward. 

Downward Facing Dog

On an exhale engage the core, lifting the hips up and back. Hands are as wide as your shoulders, shoulders relaxed and neck nice and long. Feet are about hip width apart heels sinking energetically towards the earth. 

And just for you I have made a video putting it all together. Be sure to SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube channel for more yoga videos and how you can find your shine!