200 • Part III: YOGa FOr EDUCatING FOr SELF-rEGULatION aND ENGaGEMENt CHaPtEr 9: YOGa aS EMBODIED SELF-rEGULatION aND ENGaGEMENt • 201
Viniyoga Viniyoga was disseminated by T. K. F. Desikachar, the son of the guru
Krishnamacharya (McCall, 2007). In the yogic culture, many find the lineage
of teachers important; that is, who studied under whom. This helps people
understand the emphasis, style, and general sense of the yogic culture a
particular style might manifest. For example, B. K. S. Iyengar and Pattabhi Jois,
two well-known yogis and founders of their own yoga methodologies, studied
under the guru Krishnamacharya (McCall, 2007). Viniyoga focuses on breath,
includes pranayama and chanting, and integrates pranayama techniques and
chanting into asana practice (McCall, 2007). Consistent with the belief that
yoga practice should be tailored to individual needs and challenges, yoga
postures are typically practiced one-on-one, in a gentle, therapeutic manner
(Kraftsow, 1999; McCall, 2007).
Vinyasa Yoga The Vinyasa style of yoga has its roots is Ashtanga yoga. This style of yoga
emphasizes flow, breath, and energy work. There are many different forms of
Vinyasa yoga. Seane Corn, a modern Vinyasa teacher who emphasizes self-
acceptance, self-love, energy work, spirituality, and activism, is one example
this type of practice (see http://www.seanecorn.com/about.php). As another example,
Shiva Rae created Prana Flow, an energetic, creative, full-spectrum approach
to embodying the flow of yoga. In Prana Flow yoga, practitioners learn classical
and innovative approaches to Vinyasa yoga and the state of flow drawn from
Krishnamacharya’s teachings, tantra, ayurveda, bhakti, and somatics. For more
information, see shivarea.com/about-prana-flow.
Yoga Nidra Yoga nidra means sleep in Sanskrit (McCall, 2007). Yoga nidra is a guided
meditation technique that involves a series of relaxation exercises beginning
with the body, moving to the breath, then to the mind, and to total relaxation
and meditation (Rybak & Deuskar, 2010). Yoga nidra is typically done while the
practitioner lies in savasana (i.e., lying down on the floor or mat, face up, with
the feet slightly more than hip distance apart and the palms a few inches from
the sides of the body, palms facing up. Eyes are closed). The instructor guides
you through attentional focus to different areas of your body (McCall, 2007).
For a step-by-step Yoga nidra practice, see Weintraub (2012).Source: Cook-Cottone (2015), informed by Baptiste (2003), Douglass (2011), Field (2011), Kraftsow (1999),
McCall (2007), Rybak and Deuskar (2010), and Weintraub (2012).
taBLE 9.4 Contemporary Styles of Yoga^ (continued )
SCHOOL-BaSED YOGa
Yoga in schools is a set of mind-body practices for well-being and student engagement:
postures, breathing, relaxation, and meditation (Butzer et al., 2016; Childress & Harper, 2015;
Cook-Cottone, Childress, & Harper, 2016; Serwacki & Cook-Cottone, 2012). The word yoga
means to yoke or integrate. Yoga in schools helps students develop and practice a set of mind-
body tools that support well-being (i.e., stress management, self-regulation, and enhanced
health) so that they are ready to engage in learning in the classroom (Cook-Cottone et al.,
2016a; Felver et al., 2015; Khalsa et al., 2012; Serwacki & Cook-Cottone, 2012). In fact, Horton
(2012) refers to yoga as a technology of consciousness.
The notion of mind-body tools can be traced to theoretical work in the field of educational
psychology (Cook-Cottone et al., 2016a; Cook-Cottone et al., 2016b). The concept of a men-
tal tool was most effectively introduced by Lev Vygotsky (1962) in his book Thought and