Why Practice Slow Flow Yoga?

Vinyasa (aka stream yoga) has been the preferred type of asana observe for some time now. Primarily based on ideas launched by Ashtanga Yoga, vinyasa contains a yoga “routine,” a flowing motion sequence. In hottest lessons, college students stream by the sequence at a fairly good clip. Transferring rapidly from one pose to the following raises the center price. In some lessons, academics flip up the warmth, which induces sweat. This is smart for Western practitioners.

Within the West, train has nearly at all times included these two components, amongst others. In order yoga has built-in into Western tradition, it appears like a mix of asana observe and Western train. Placing collectively a novel yoga stream provides academics a possibility to flex their artistic muscle mass. Surya Namaskar (Solar Salutation) has taken all types of enjoyable and modern flights of fancy within the introduction of vinyasa’s recognition.

However a few of us, old-school yogis and extra meditative varieties, like to chill the temperature. I get pleasure from linking poses in a sequence, however I favor to gradual my stream. For me, yoga observe is a time to calm my nervous system by aware motion. I favor weight coaching and strolling in nature to construct muscle and lift my coronary heart price. What I like about yoga asana is its means to foster mindfulness. Slowing my stream fosters the body-mind connection.

Right here’s Why You Ought to Strive Slowing Your Stream Yoga

• Unfolding: Whenever you spend time in every pose, your physique has an opportunity to unwind gentle tissue resistance. It takes time to maneuver into stillness in a pose. Our our bodies and minds want time to regulate to every new place, and it’s solely once we can chill out into the pose that yoga’s “magic” can unfold. That magic is the mixing of physique and thoughts, by letting go of effort. Do not forget that “mastery” of asana within the yoga sutras is outlined like this (in Alistair Shearer’s translation): “It’s mastered when all effort is relaxed and the thoughts is absorbed within the Infinite.” Taking your time in every pose, lets you make changes with the intention to chill out effort.
• Mindfulness: One of many key parts of training mindfulness is slowing down. Training gradual stream yoga provides us time to tune into the ever-changing course of of each asana. Slowing down permits us to really feel the method of respiration, how the breath strikes our our bodies, and the method of letting go of effort in order that we are able to “be” the pose relatively than “doing” the pose.
• Props: It’s fairly difficult to include yoga props into a quick stream. By the point you’ve set your props up, the remainder of the category has usually gone on to the following pose. Yoga props assist us observe with structural integrity. That structural integrity permits us to let go of effort and be the asana.
• Transitions: That is most likely my favourite method of slowing the stream. I consider every vinyasa as one lengthy asana. Slightly than seeing stream yoga as a succession of poses, I make the transitions between poses simply as vital because the formal asanas. Slowing down makes this simpler. Strive giving equal consideration to the actions between the formal poses. This promotes mindfulness in movement.

Your Particular person Stream Observe

If a fast-paced yoga stream is your favourite observe, by all means, proceed. However typically, you would possibly need to strive slowing it down. Get to know every asana otherwise. Really feel the transitions. Slowing your stream observe at instances would possibly enrich your quick stream observe.

About Charlotte Bell

Charlotte Bell found yoga in 1982 and commenced instructing in 1986. Charlotte is the writer of Aware Yoga, Aware Life: A Information for On a regular basis Observe and Yoga for Meditators, each revealed by Rodmell Press. Her third e-book is titled Hip-Wholesome Asana: The Yoga Practitioner’s Information to Defending the Hips and Avoiding SI Joint Ache (Shambhala Publications). She writes a month-to-month column for CATALYST Journal and serves as editor for Yoga U On-line. Charlotte is a founding board member for GreenTREE Yoga, a non-profit that brings yoga to underserved populations. A lifelong musician, Charlotte performs oboe and English horn within the Salt Lake Symphony and folks sextet Purple Rock Rondo, whose DVD gained two Emmy awards in 2010.