Vinyasa Yoga
Like any culture, yoga is seen to
have its own set of beliefs, values, and religions. Some of the main goals of
yoga is to clear the mind and not to get attached to the body. Within the
culture of yoga, there are a numerous amount of subcultures embedded in it.
Each style is unique and practiced differently. For this assignment, I chose to
focus on the culture of Vinyasa yoga. This specific type of yoga focuses
intensely on the importance of breathing while holding each pose longer than
one normally would. Through my experience of practicing Vinyasa yoga, I was
also able to become familiar with the meaning and theories behind this
wonderful style of yoga.
When
deciding which site I should go to for this assignment, I initially had two or
three places in mind. The real issue I had was choosing which one would be the
best choice for this assignment. After much research into each of the sites, I
decided that the Karma Yoga Studio in Harvard Square would be the best fit for
me. What initially drew me in was that
it is located in a great area, and their website really gave a great overview
of how each class was structured.
The Karma Yoga Studio is located in
three different areas. There is a studio located in Harvard Square, the South
End, and Allston. These studios focus on looking at fitness as a whole. They
provide individuals with either private or group classes taught by experienced
and certified instructors. The population that these studios serve are mainly
teenagers and adults. There are many special offers and discounts for students
around the area.
The Karma Yoga Studio’s main goals are to allow individuals to find
enlightenment, clear the mind, and alter one’s body or “sarira”. They work to
improve our planet through acknowledgment of issues within humanity, animals,
and our environment.
Also, they believe that care for one’s
self as well as care for the environment is the key to good health. These
studios offer an eclectic group of yoga styles. They offer Anusara yoga,
Forrest Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Kundalini Yoga, Yin Yoga, Power Yoga, as well as many
other styles. In addition to yoga, they also offer Bollywood dance classes and
Chi Kung, a Chinese exercise similar to yoga that incorporates breath work, and
meditation while in a standing position.
The style of yoga that I focused on
was Vinyasa flow yoga. In this class, every level of experience was welcomed.
The class incorporates various amounts of breathing exercises while
transitioning from pose to pose. Between each pose, one is to go into Downward
Facing Dog, which is seen to be the “resting pose”. Within each pose, one is
encouraged to hold it for a longer time than a standard pose should be held.
This is done with the motive to improve one’s balance and help with one’s
configuration of the body. It is also seen to help with posture and flexibility.
In addition, it can also strengthen one’s body by the use of muscles that aren’t
regularly used. This can leave an individual feeling re-energized by the end of
the practice.
After experiencing my first class of
Vinyasa yoga, I felt inspired to find some background information on what
exactly this branch of yoga is, the history behind it, and how it has developed
to be so popular and still practiced today. While doing some research, I found
that this branch of yoga originated from the sacred Yogi, Sri Ramamohan
Brahmachari. This Yogi spent much of his life living inside a cave in the
Himalayas and only had fruit as his form of nutrition. He was one of the many
Hatha Yogis of the 19th century that had been chosen to teach about
Hatha yoga. Sri Tirumala Krishnamacharya, a well-known Guru spent about seven
years studying with Brahmachari.
In the duration of this time, he
perfected the skills in this branch of yoga as well as gaining powers that were
seen to be incredibly unique. After a couple of years had passed,
Krishnamacharya was given a spot in one of his friend’s palace to teach yoga to
others. It was through that experience that different branches of Vinyasa yoga
began to be introduced and taught to individuals. It wasn’t until about forty
years later when it was known to be a form of yoga in the West.
I also found that the word vinyasa is seen to have four basic
meanings. It is understood to be the connection between the breath and the
movement of the body, the breath work in between each posture, creating an
individual purpose or meaning for one’s self throughout the practice, and
lastly, a type of yoga practice that is widely taught. When breaking up the
word vinyasa it can be seen into two different parts. Vi means, “in a special way” and Nyasa means, “to place”. Some of the most common poses in this
practice are the Twisted Hip Pigeon Bow, Warrior 2 Side Triangle, and the
Scorpion
Vinyasa.
All of these poses require great balance and composure as well as a steady,
calm breath.
With all of the theories of this style of
yoga, there are specific aspects that can be seen as the basis for the
practice. One of the most important key points Vinyasa yoga stresses is the
breath. Learning to tune out all distractions and focus on the breath moving
throughout the body allows one to be able to sit further into each pose they
are performing. Becoming internally aware of the pace of the breath can almost
be seen as a distraction from trying to perform the pose correctly. An ideal
breath pace is a steady, unrushed inhale and exhale. The breath should be calm
and relaxed. By doing this, it can further one’s development in creating a
strong connection to his or her body. This is also referred to as asana.
Having the opportunity to practice
Vinyasa yoga myself, I noticed a couple of differences from the Hatha yoga that
we practice in class. The Vinyasa class that I attended seemed to be incredibly
fast-paced, whereas in the in-class practices, I feel as though everything is
at a much slower pace, and there is much more meditation involved. I also feel
that the importance of breathing throughout the practice is stressed a lot more
throughout Vinyasa yoga.
One of the biggest things that stood out
to me throughout my experience in the class at Karma Yoga was that the class
itself was incredibly Americanized. I wasn’t sure if it was just the
instructors way of teaching the class, but it seemed as though the main purpose
or goal of that class was to get in shape or get a better body. The instructor
kept on
making comments on how to get a “tighter butt”, or how to tone certain parts of
the body throughout the practice. In the moment, I didn’t really find myself
noticing these things.
It wasn’t until after I left the class that I came to the realization that the
class didn’t seem to be properly executed.
I
suspect that the instructor may have possibly set up the class that way to make
it sound more appealing to individuals. This is because in our culture, body
image is everything. We see ad’s constantly promoting the newest fat burning
pills, or stick-thin models portrayed as having the “ideal body”. By describing
Vinyasa yoga as a great form of exercise to lose weight, it will more than
likely draw in a greater amount of people than if one were to say that this
style of yoga could result in forming a better connection between the mind,
body, and spirit.
Also, the class seemed to move at an
extremely fast past. When I was reading the class description, I was under the
impression that the transition from pose to pose would be slow. I may be biased
being a beginner at yoga, but I felt as though the class was more of a power
yoga class rather than a flow yoga class. With a couple other yoga classes that
I have gone to, one is allowed to go into Child Pose when needed, but with this
class, the instructor did not recommend or praise it. I believe this is what made
the class harder for me because I felt as though I didn’t really have any time
to rest or focus on my breathing throughout the practice because I was just so
focused on my exhaustion.
Overall, even though the class wasn’t
what I expected, I still enjoyed the experience. I was able to try out a new
style of yoga, and learn about the culture in addition to the practice. Being
able to learn the culture made me more aware of the different
forms of yoga that there are. It also made me appreciate how sacred the
distinctive cultures of yoga are seen to be to others. In the future, I would
like to try out another
Vinyasa yoga class. I’m curious to see if my second class will be taught the
same way as my first class, or it will be approached differently in a way that
I will gravitate more towards.
Class
Descriptions. (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.karmayogastudio.com/classdescriptions/
Gaspar,
L. (n.d.) The Many Nuances of Vinyasa. Retrieved from http://www.yogachicago.com/nov03/vinyasa.shtml
Giubarelli, M. (n.d.) History of Vinyasa Yoga. Retrieved from http://www.yogacards.com/vinyasa_yoga/history-of-vinyasa-yoga.html
Pizer,
A. (2010, May 14). Vinyasa. Retrieved from http://yoga.about.com/od/howtospeakyoga/g/vinyasa.htm
Pizer,
A. (2011, August 21). Vinyasa Yoga- Flow Yoga. Retrieved from http://yoga.about.com/od/typesofyoga/a/vinyasa.htm
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