Vinyasa Yoga: Guide to Building Real-World Strength and Focus
Yoga was something not in my world, and I had been thinking about it all the years. I imagined silence, tricky poses, and a concentration on stretching which my tight hamstrings simply could not manage. My workout plan was centered on weights, running and running after a pump.
In this post, I’m going to break down Vinyasa yoga from my perspective. I’ll cut through the fluff and explain why it’s become a non-negotiable part of my training regimen. We’ll look at what it actually is, the key poses that build a powerful practice, the differences between hot Vinyasa and Ashtanga, and I’ll answer the questions I had when I started.
This post will take a dissection of Vinyasa yoga in my view. I will avoid all the sugar coating and tell you why it is now a non-negotiable aspect of my training regime. We will examine what it is, the most important poses that make up a strong practice, the variations between hot Vinyasa and Ashtanga, and I will provide the answers to the questions I used to have at the beginning.
What is Vinyasa Yoga? The Art of Movement of the Breath of the Linking.
Take away with you, however, out of this whole article, one thing, and that is this, Vinyasa, is to place in a special way. This in practice means to connect your breathing with your movement. Every movement is triggered by an exhalation or an inhalation. It is an easy idea, and it transforms it all.
I describe it to my lifting buddies in the following way: Visualize your bench press. You count down on the bar (that’s your inhalation), you count up on the bar (that’s your exhalation). Vinyasa implements the same principle of rhythmic movement, breath-controlled movement to a whole series of bodyweight exercises.
An average Vinyasa practice, also known as a flow, resembles the following on the breath:
Inhale: Reach your arms up.
Exhale: Fold forward.
Inhale: Lengthen your spine.
Breathing: Breath in to a Plank Pose.
Breath in: Bend forward into slight backbend (Upward-Facing Dog).
Breath in: Strain Back in Downward-Facing Dog.
It is the essence of Vinyasa. It is between poses that are more static by connecting tissue. The speed may be insane–a slow, meditative process, or an intense, sweat-saturating exercise. The anchor to me is the breath. Whenever I have a challenging pose and my muscles are on fire, I find concentration in the breath that follows the pain to give me something to concentrate on other than the pain. It is realistic mind practicing.
The Poses That Create an Intense Vinyasa Practice (My Staple Arsenal).
Vinyasa is a creative and hardly repeatable style of classes. Nevertheless, there are some poses that you will always come across. These have been the most influential to my development of functional strength that I apply in the rest of my life.
Plank Pose (Phalakasana)
This is your foundation. Plank may appear easy, but an appropriate plank is a whole-body workout. I have also learned that it is not the duration of holding it, but the perfect form. Wrists above shoulders, body taut, legs active. It develops the stability of the core and shoulders, which is directly transferred to improved push-ups and the increased overhead press.
Chaturanga Dandasana (Four-Limbed Staff Pose)
This is technically the Vinyasa variant of the triceps push-up, and it is a monster. You come down out of a Plank, making sure that your elbows stick to you all the way up till your shoulders are at the level of your elbows. The majority of the people (including me when I got started) drop their shoulders or hunch their hips. Chaturanga is the life-saving, shoulder-strengthening exercise I have mastered compared to any other isolation exercise. It trains your body to be one, integrated entity.
Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)
Vinyasa is located here at home. It is a pose of rest, as well as a pose of strength. It is not only lengthening out my hamstrings and calves, but also developing intense upper body and shoulder endurance. I concentrate on lengthening my spine by pushing my hips behind and up. It gives the body a complete chill between more difficult sequences.
Warrior II (Virabhadrasana II)
Well, when there is a pose that seems strong and masculine, it is this one. You are in a position of open hips, your front knee is a 90 degree angle, and your arms are spread out. It develops tremendous power and muscle tone in knees and buttocks. With Warrior II in my hands, I am solid and strong as though I am about to take any direction. It is a real quad burn and I like it.
Triangle Pose (Trikonasana)
It is the opposite of the small power of Warrior II. It is a long, lateral position that tests your stability and exposes your hips and chest. To me, it is a reminder that being strong does not necessarily mean having power, but also having the extent of movement and control of your extremities.
Hot Vinyasa Yoga: Heat It up (My experience)
Hot Vinyasa how it is called, literally speaking, is Vinyasa flow in a room heated up to approximately 95-105degF (35-40degC) with humidity. My first class made me feel intimidated, however, I went there with a plan, to hydrate myself crazily the day before and simply to survive.
The Reality Check: Perseverance Case Study.
I can recall my first lesson very clearly. In half an hour my bed was a slide. The heat had drained my normal strength. My thoughts were crying out at me to get away. but I held fast to my anchor: the breath. I made it one pose by one pose, one breath at a time. I posed like a child when I had to and without being egocentric.
And by the time I was finished, I felt even more worn out than I do after any long run. But I had a great sense of achievement. The intensity makes me have a certain mental concentration I did not require during a normal class. The physiological gains are also visible:
Greater Flexibility: Since your muscles are warmed overall and thoroughly by the heat, they can move more deeply and expand, as well. I was finding myself going farther into folds and lunges.
Cleanse: you will perspire. A lot. A 2017 article published in the Journal of Environmental and Public Health affirmed that one of the major ways of eliminating heavy metals such as cadmium and lead is through sweating. It’s a systemic cleanse.
Cardiovascular Challenge: The practice is more of a cardio-intensive workout as your heart works harder to cool your body.
My verdict? Hot Vinyasa is an effective weapon. I follow it once a week as a way of challenging my mind and body. I do not do it on a daily basis but it is an awesome test of my fitness.
Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga: The Disciplined Discipline.
Ashtanga is the more disciplined and older brother of the freer flowing Vinyasa you commonly find in gyms. I was wondering what the difference was, so I went ahead and dedicated a month to a typical Mysore-style of Ashtanga practice (where you are taught a fixed set of postures at your own pace).
Here’s what I discovered:
It is a Progressive Series: Ashtanga consists of six series of poses and you master them one by one. The Primary Series never changed. There is no deviation. To a person who is structure oriented, this was attractive. I did not need to think, I needed to perform.
Concentration on Tristhana: This is a three-fold base concentration on position, breathing and gaze point. The breath (Ujjayi breath) is loud and rhythmic and the gaze(Drishti) in each pose is fixed upon a certain point. This makes a very strong moving meditation.
It is Pushing: The Primary Series is made to clean is and reorient the body. It is an intense, monotonous workout which creates unbelievable central power and training.
Although personally I am liking the creativity of a typical Vinyasa, I am now immensely respecting the purity of Ashtanga. It taught me about discipline and learning the basics then proceeding. What I have come to learn is that Vinyasa reminds me of jazz, creative and improvisational. Ashtanga is similar to classical music- it is exact, organized and deep in tradition.
The Ones I Actually Had Frequently Asked Questions.
I’m not flexible at all. Can I still do Vinyasa?
This was my biggest hurdle. The response is a yester yes. Vinyasa builds flexibility. You apply your strength to get safely in and out of poses. The instructor will never stop giving you modifications. I began bending my knees heavily in forward folds. No one cared. Concentrate on the movement and breath, and the flexibility will come.
What is the number of calories that Vinyasa yoga burns?
This depends on the intensity. An American Council on Exercise study revealed that an average person of average size can burn 350-450 calories in a 50-minute power Vinyasa session. That can be taken even further by a hot Vinyasa class because of the greater cardiovascular load. In my case, I am not concerned with the calorie burning but rather the metabolic energy and more muscle tone.
Is Vinyasa yoga a workout?
It depends on your goals. No, it is not a substitute for heavy lifting in the case that you want to become a competitive powerlifter. But when you want overall functional fitness, resilience, mental dexterity and a lean strong body, it is, by all means, a full-fledged workout. It develops strength, endurance, flexibility, and balance all at a time.
What do I need to start?
Very little. A bed (I began with a cheap mat available in a sporting goods store) and clothes that one can move around in. Cotton shirts do not work; they get heavy with sweat. An athletic shirt and synthetic shorts are ideal that are synthetic. The willingness to give a chance and the non-judgmental approach toward yourself is the most crucial thing you come to the party with.
I’m a guy. Is this really for me?
This was the question that I have been keeping in my mind for years after years in silence. The yoga room may look like a foreign ground. The thing is this: there are men with strong and well-built bodies who practice Vinyasa and are some of the strongest and most balanced athletes I know. It develops the type of functional power that cushions your joints, enhances your performance in other sports, and overcomes the tightness created by sitting at a desk or seeking weight gain. The practice comes to meet you at the point where you are. It is not about being the best in the room and being better than you were yesterday.
My Final Take
I ceased thinking of Vinyasa yoga as a workout many years ago. It’s a practice. It is an inspirational meditation that has also strengthened me not only in my body, but in my mind. It has taught me to breathe despite pain, to concentrate when things are tough, and to enjoy the things that my body is capable of.
I do not do it to replace weight lifting; I do it to improve the weight lifting, running with improved form and to move through my daily life more gracefully and with less pain. On the fence, I would like to dare you to find a Vinyasa Flow 1, or an All Levels, class, and try it. Don’t worry about keeping up. Just focus on your breath.