Yoga Popular Types Introduction to Vinyasa Flow Yoga The Popular Style Links Movement and Breath By Ann Pizer Ann Pizer LinkedIn Twitter Ann Pizer is a writer and registered yoga instructor who teaches vinyasa/flow and prenatal yoga classes. Learn about our editorial process Updated on July 23, 2021 Reviewed Verywell Fit articles are reviewed by nutrition and exercise professionals. Reviewers confirm the content is thorough and accurate, reflecting the latest evidence-based research. Content is reviewed before publication and upon substantial updates. Learn more. by Sara Clark Reviewed by Sara Clark Facebook Sara Clark is an EYT 500-hour certified Vinyasa yoga and mindfulness teacher, lululemon Global Yoga Ambassador, model, and writer. Learn about our Review Board Print Vinyasa, also called "flow" because of the smooth way that the poses run together, is one of the most popular contemporary styles of yoga. It's a broad classification that encompasses many different types of yoga, including Ashtanga and power yoga. What Is Vinyasa? Vinyasa stands in opposition to hatha. Hatha classes tend to focus on one pose at a time with rest in between. In contrast, flow classes string poses together to make a sequence. The sequence may be fixed, as in Ashtanga in which the poses are always done in the same order, but most of the time vinyasa teachers have the discretion to arrange the progression of poses in their own ways. 1:27 Watch Now: How to Connect Vinyasa Poses Into a Flow In vinyasa yoga, each movement is synchronized to a breath. The breath is given primacy, acting as an anchor as you move from one pose to the next. A cat-cow stretch is an example of a very simple vinyasa. The spine is arched on an inhale and rounded on an exhale. A sun salutation sequence is a more complex vinyasa. Each movement in the series is cued by an inhalation or an exhalation of the breath. The literal translation of vinyasa from Sanskrit is "connection," according to Ellen Stansell, PhD, RYT, and scholar of yogic literature. In terms of yoga asana, we can interpret this as a connection between movement and breath or as the connection between poses in a flowing sequence. What to Expect Vinyasa allows for a lot of variety, but will almost always include sun salutations. Expect to move from pose to pose. Whether the class is fast or slow, includes advanced poses, or is alignment-oriented will depend on the individual teacher and the particular style in which he or she is trained. Some classes include warm-up stretches while others launch straight into standing poses. Some very popular yoga styles fall under the vinyasa umbrella, including Jivamukti, CorePower, Baptiste Power Vinyasa, and Modo. If a class is simply identified as vinyasa, it may use aspects of several different traditions. The one thing you can be sure of is the flow between poses. The rest is up to the teacher, but you can expect to go through any combination of the poses below. Going Through Your Vinyasa Verywell / Ben Goldstein When vinyasa is used as a noun, it describes a series of three poses that are done as part of a sun salutation sequence. When teachers say, "Go through the vinyasa at your own pace," they mean do a Plank, Chaturanga, and Upward Facing Dog (or their equivalent variations), using your breath to measure when to move on to the next pose. If you start to get tired and this affects the quality of your poses, it's very acceptable to skip the vinyasa and wait for the class in Downward Facing Dog. You can do a beginner or advanced version of the vinyasa. The beginner's version: PlankKnees, Chest, ChinCobraDownward Facing Dog The advanced version: PlankChaturanga DandasanaUpward Facing DogDownward Facing Dog Beginner's Version Verywell / Ben Goldstein Begin in a plank position. This is usually arrived at by stepping or jumping back from the front of your mat. If plank is too much for you, you can always drop your knees to the floor. Keep shoulders stacked over wrists and hips in line with shoulders. Lengthen forward through the crown of your head and out through your heels. Lower to Knees, Chest, and Chin Verywell / Ben Goldstein Exhale to lower your knees, chest, and chin to your mat. Your butt stays high in the air and your elbows point straight back along your sides. This pose is a good warm-up for backbends and helps you develop arm strength. Proper Form for Knees, Chest, and Chin Cobra Pose Verywell / Ben Goldstein Inhale and slide forward to a low Cobra Pose. Don't move your arms. As you lower your hips to the floor, your chest will come forward and lift up off the ground. Try to make this lift come from the strength of your back, not pushing down into your hands. Keep little to no weight in your hands while you anchor your pelvis and the tops of your feet to the mat. Downward Facing Dog Verywell / Ben Goldstein Exhale and curl your toes under as you straighten your arms to push back to Downward Facing Dog. You can come through all fours or a Child's Pose in transition if you want to. In Downward Facing Dog, your hands are shoulder-width apart and your feet are hip-width apart. Keep your spine long; press sit bones towards sky and heels towards floor. How to Do the Downward Facing Dog Pose Advanced Version Verywell / Ben Goldstein Now let's take a look at the advanced version, which also begins with Plank Pose. During a sun salutation flow, seasoned practitioners will sometimes jump back from Utanasana straight into Chaturanga. In that case, skip the Plank Pose. To prepare to lower from Plank, shift forward onto your tiptoes. Chaturanga Dandasana Verywell / Ben Goldstein Exhale and bend your elbows straight back to lower to Chaturanga Dandasana. Your body is in one straight line and your shoulders should be no lower than your elbows. It's a tough position to hold but try not to rush on to the next pose. Use your leg strength: Press the backs of your knees toward the sky and press into the balls of your feet to help engage the leg muscles. Upward Facing Dog Verywell / Ben Goldstein Inhale and straighten your arms, drop your hips, and roll over the toes to the tops of your feet into Upward Facing Dog. You can flip the feet one at a time if that works better for you. Press into your hands and feet to keep your thighs lifted off the floor. Keep your shoulders moving away from your ears. Downward Facing Dog Verywell / Ben Goldstein Exhale, roll over the toes and shift your hips up and back to Downward Facing Dog. Take several deep breaths before moving on. Do the version of the vinyasa that you are most comfortable with. Even if you have a very competent Chaturanga, it's nice to warm up with a few rounds of Knees, Chest, Chin at the beginning of class. Some flow classes have a lot of vinyasas. If you get tired and your form starts to slip, go back to the beginners' version or skip the vinyasa altogether. You can stay in Plank or Downward Facing Dog while you wait. Chaturanga is a tricky pose and injuries are more likely to happen when you're tired, so play it safe. Is Flow Yoga for You? Vinyasa’s strength is in its diversity. If you appreciate having things a little loose and unpredictable and like to keep moving, this style is definitely worth a try. In most cases, there is no single philosophy, rulebook, or sequence that teachers must follow, so there is a lot of room for individual personalities and quirks to come through. This makes it essential that you find a teacher you enjoy and can relate to. If your first flow class doesn’t rock your world, keep trying different teachers until you find one that's a better fit. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! If you've never tried it before, starting a yoga practice can feel overwhelming. Our email series can get you ready to roll out the mat. Sign up and get started today! Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit 6 Sources Verywell Fit uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Mróz A, Buśko K, Wit B. Changes in physiological and biomechanical variables in women practicing the Power Yoga system. Biomedical Human Kinetics. 2012;4(2012):61-65. doi:10.2478/v10101-012-0011-3 Huang F-J, Chien D-K, Chung U-L. 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