Yoga Girl

(WallPaper) #1

Vinyasa and Heart Openers


Vinyasa means łow, or a gradual movement that takes you


from one point and allows you to land in the next. Vinyasa is


sometimes described as breath-synchronized movement,


meaning movement and breath united as one. Ļe word


vinyasa is now used in yoga classes to describe the connection


between poses and can also be used as a collection of


movements, as the ones showed in this chapter. You’ll


recognize the vinyasa as part of the Sun Salutation from


chapter one. A vinyasa, as a noun, is usually practiced


repeatedly in styles of yoga such as Ashtanga and Vinyasa


Flow. Ļe vinyasa strengthens the body, opens the heart, and


creates and maintains heat when we’re practicing on the mat.


It’s extremely important that you learn how to practice the


vinyasa correctly and that you have good posture! Since we


repeat the vinyasa so often in class, you could injure yourself if


you practice a pose like Chaturanga incorrectly. Listen to your


body and adapt the poses when you need to so that you l·nd a


variation that’s perfect for you.


Backbends, or heart openers, do exactly that: they open the


heart. Physically and emotionally. When you open up the back


of the heart and across the chest, you create space for the heart,


which is both valuable and liberating! When you are practicing


backbends, you must try to distribute the space as evenly as you


can throughout the spine, and focus on the right part of the


back. Ļe lumbar area of the spine, the lower back, is usually


very łexible, and we generally need more strength here than

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