All
  • All
  • Products
  • Articles
  • Videos
  • Galleries
  • Conversations
  • Social

Vinyasa

How to Do a Vinyasa
Yoga

The Yoga Link Between Poses: How to Do a Vinyasa

A vinyasa is a short series of movements done between the longer poses of a yoga sequence to help link everything together.
by

A vinyasa is a short series of movements done between the longer poses of a yoga sequence to help link everything together. Think of it as a mini Sun Salutation. Moving through a vinyasa helps make transitions more fluid, graceful, and active. If you're ready to get serious about yoga, it's time to get serious about doing a vinyasa correctly.

Four-Limbed Staff Pose

  • How you start your vinyasa will differ depending on the last pose you were in. If you're coming from a seated position, then on a big inhale, plant your palms firmly next to your hips, and bend your knees up to your chest. Cross your right leg in front of your left just below the knees, engage your abs, and lift your feet and hips off the ground, jumping back into Chaturanga Dandasana, or Four-Limbed Staff Pose.
  • If you're coming to Chaturanga from a standing pose, then plant your hands at the top of your mat and either step or jump both feet back (so you're in a push-up position) and bend your elbows straight behind you. As you lower into Four-Limbed Staff on an exhale, your elbows should be brushing against the sides of your body and end at a 90-degree angle.
  • Keep your body parallel to the ground and your shoulders parallel with your elbows. Draw your navel toward your spine to protect your lower back.

Upward Facing Dog

  • On an inhale, scoop your chest forward, balancing on the tops of your feet and your hands, coming into Upward Facing Dog. If it's too much on your lower back, then rest your hips and thighs on the mat. You'll still reap the same benefits of the pose.
  • If it feels comfortable, then lower your head back between your shoulder blades. Roll your shoulders open, and actively release them down away from your ears, stretching through your chest and throat.

Keep reading to learn how to

Types of Yoga Explained
Yoga

Choose a Yoga Class That Fits Your Personality

You might hear non-yogis say, "I always wanted to take yoga but it's way too hot," or, "I could never do yoga because it's way too slow."
by

You might hear non-yogis say, "I always wanted to take yoga but it's way too hot," or, "I could never do yoga because it's way too slow." The thing is, there are so many different types of yoga that whatever your personality, one style will be right for you. If you've always wanted to try a yoga class, check out the chart below to see which kind of class would best fit your personaility.

Type of Yoga Personality
Ashtanga Type A, competitive with yourself, high energy, can't sit still, strict, rigid, likes order, likes knowing the right and wrong way to do things, needs to move in order to de-stress
Anusara Scientific, spiritual, interested in body alignment and how your body moves internally, introspective, creative, likes to use props, in touch with your emotions
Bikram Type A, extreme, over the top, needs discipline, loves heat, loves to sweat, craves order and strictness
Iyengar Strict, rigid, interested in body alignment, likes to be told the right and wrong way to do things, likes to use props
Kripalu Easy-going, slow-moving, meditative, spiritual, introspective, needs calmness to de-stress
Kundalini Meditative, slow-moving, spiritual, likes to be physically and mentally challenged, likes to focus on breath and chanting, interested in the chakras and awakening the energy (kundalini) that resides in the base of the spine
Jivamukti Spiritual, meditative, creative, likes to move, likes to be physically and mentally challenged, likes to chant
Vinyasa Creative, spontaneous, up for a challenge, likes to move quickly, likes to sweat

Kristin McGee Interview About Vinyasa Vibes
Yoga

Yogini Kristin McGee Dishes on Bethenny Frankel's Fave Pose and Getting Ready For Beach Season

I was lucky enough to take a class taught by Manhattan-based yoga teacher Kristin McGee right here in San Francisco!
by

I was lucky enough to take a class taught by Manhattan-based yoga teacher Kristin McGee right here in San Francisco! Although one busy lady, Kristin traveled across the country to teach Vinyasa Vibes (a new offering at The Sports Club/LA), a flow-based, powerful yoga sequence enhanced by music. The most musical part of the practice? During Savasana, the class culminated in a live sax solo by Grammy-nominated musician Dave Koz. After class, Kristin and I chatted about her yoga journey, getting ready for bikini season, and what it's like working with one of her famous clients, Bethenny Frankel.

FitSugar: Some of the moves in Vinyasa Vibes are Ashtanga-influenced. Is that what your yoga teacher training background was in?
Kristin McGee: My original background was really eclectic because I started in the early '90s. I started taking [yoga] at NYU; some of my very early teachers were Jivamukti teachers who did study Ashtanga. Then I did study with Richard Freedman for a while, who is pure Ashtanga, and Cyndi Lee at OM Yoga. I wanted to get deeper into Iyengar classes and get into the alignment and the detail. Now in my practice I want to get more into Pranayama, more of the breathing, and maybe take some more Kundalini classes. I just feel like it constantly evolves.

FS: The Vinyasa Vibes class has live music during final relaxation. Can you elaborate on the experience of live music and yoga combined?
KM: In yoga practice, it’s a very intimate, immediate place. It's almost like live theater or live music where it brings you right into the moment. Music is a universal language, just like our breath is a universal breath. I think the second we're in this surrounding, in this environment with that live music and the intimacy of a live class, it brings it all together in one beautiful experience.

FS: You’ve collaborated with Bethenny Frankel on some projects. What's her favorite pose?
KM: Bethenny’s all-time favorite pose is Straddle Forward Bend because she says it feels like the weight of the world is falling off of her shoulders. Someone like Bethenny Frankel has a million things going on, and I don’t know how she does it! But I think you also noticed it in the practice tonight. Right when we finally got to that Straddle Forward Hang, it was kind of just like, "Ugh! Such a release!" You feel like you could stay there for quite a while.

Keep reading for Kristin's favorite snack before class and how to get your body ready for Summer.

Especially Relaxing Massage in Savasana in Yoga Class
Yoga

What Happens During Savasana in Your Class?

The final resting pose in a yoga class known as Savasana is so relaxing, but FitSugar reader bigestivediscuit shared an especially relaxing experience in the Yoga Stretch and Tell community group.
by Fit Community

The final resting pose in a yoga class known as Savasana is so relaxing, but FitSugar reader bigestivediscuit shared an especially relaxing experience in the Yoga Stretch and Tell community group.

Last night I had a nearly orgasmic moment on the train ride home when the breeze coming through the hot subway carriage's window made the China gel my yoga instructor had massaged into my neck during Savasana feel a-mazing.   The menthol cooled my neck and I breathed in the essential oils deeply, which was totally and utterly relaxing.  Even after I showered, a bit of the gel remained in my neck and shoulders, making me drift off into the most peaceful sleep ever.

I can't lie — having a mini neck massage after a particularly challenging Vinyasa flow class is like heaven.  Upon relating this to my best friend, she confessed that the reason why she returned to a certain instructor's class again and again is because he stood on his students' feet (I guess the soles of their feet were on the floor, with bent knees, so he stepped on the tops of the feet) for about ten seconds each during Savasana, which was insanely relaxing.

Some instructors guide their students through a meditation, light candles, play music or come by each student's mat to gently press their shoulders or hips into the floor.  What's your favorite part of Savasana and what does your instructor do during that time?

If yoga is one of your obsessions, then you'll want to check out the Yoga Stretch and Tell community group.

Guess Who Said It?
Yoga

Guess Who Said It?

Can you guess who said this about her vinyasa flow yoga class?
by Can you guess who said this about her vinyasa flow yoga class?

"It hurts so good, and I feel euphoric after."

Guess Who Said It?

Yoga Video: Jump Through With Blocks
How To

Yoga Video: Jump Through With Blocks

The jump through vinyasa is one of the toughest moves to master in Yoga, but it's an important move to learn since it brings an amazing sense of fluidity to your practice.
by

The jump through vinyasa is one of the toughest moves to master in Yoga, but it's an important move to learn since it brings an amazing sense of fluidity to your practice. If you've tried it a million times, and are constantly kicking your hands or crashing your booty into the ground, then you are probably frustrated.

Here's a trick to make your attempts successful and to strengthen your core muscles, which are vital for mastering the jump through. Check out the video.

Want a detailed explanation of how to do this? Then read more

Video

Yoga Video: Vinyasa to Cobra

When it comes to yoga, I'm a huge fan of the kinds that use vinyasas, like Ashtanga and Jivamukti, since the vinyasa keeps you moving.
by

When it comes to yoga, I'm a huge fan of the kinds that use vinyasas, like Ashtanga and Jivamukti, since the vinyasa keeps you moving. Vinyasas are movement transitions that link poses together making your practice like a continuous fluid dance.

I've already shown you how to do a vinyasa between seated postures. Now here's a video to show you how to do a vinyasa to get from a standing pose to one where you're lying flat on your belly, as in Cobra pose.

Music: Mountain Hare Krishna by Krishna Das

Are You Slipping on Your Mat? Try a Rug
Yoga

Are You Slipping on Your Mat? Try a Rug

Saying that Ashtanga, Bikram, and Vinyasa yoga classes are sweaty is a bit of an understatement.
by

Saying that Ashtanga, Bikram, and Vinyasa yoga classes are sweaty is a bit of an understatement. The room is heated (in Bikram can be over 100°F), and you're moving vigorously, so your body sweats profusely to cool you down. In the first 15 minutes, my entire outfit is soaking wet and little beads of sweat start dripping from my chin. The worst part is that my palms get really sweaty too.

That's great for your body, but not for your practice. There's nothing I hate more than trying to do Down Dog, while my hands and feet are slowly slipping away from each other. You can spend all your time trying not to end up lying flat on your belly, that you can't concentrate on following your breath. I have a solution.

You should try a cotton rug. You can continue using your regular sticky mat, you just lay the rug right over it. It makes a wonderful cushioned surface, which is awesome for poses where your bones are pressing into your mat. Rugs are 100% cotton, which means they are washable and biodegradable. Plus they come in tons of colors. Here are my favorites from Barefoot Yoga Company.

Fit's Tips: After a sweaty practice, be sure to let your rug completely dry out. Hang it over a door, because if it remains wet, it can start to grow mold which is really disgusting. Pop your rug in the washing machine at least every 3 practices, if not more.

Side Plank Pose
Yoga

Strike a Yoga Pose: Side Plank

I'm sure you all have your favorite yoga poses.
by

I'm sure you all have your favorite yoga poses. We love ones that help you stretch out and increase your flexibility. Or the ones that help us heal or rehabilitate injured muscles. We also love the ones that relieve tension and stress.

Then there are the poses are all about strength. They're challenging to do, so when you finally get into them, you feel confident, safe, and stable. Sage is one of those poses for me.

Sanskrit Name: (beginner's) Vasisthasana
English Translation: Sage
Also Called: Side Plank

  • Begin in Downward Facing Dog pose. Step both feet together so your big toes are touching.
  • Now move your right hand over to the left so it's at the center of your mat (still at the top of your mat).

  • Roll over to your right side and plant your right heel down so you are balancing on the outside edge of your right foot. You want your left foot to be stacked on top of your left foot with both feet flexed. If this is too hard, bend your left knee and place your left foot flat on the ground in front of your right leg for support.
  • Reach your left arm up above you and if you can, gaze up at your palm. Engage your right fingertips so you can take some pressure out of your wrists. Stay here for 5 or more deep breaths, trying to keep your core strong and the pose steady.
  • Now drop your left hand back down and place your right hand back where it was near the top right corner of your mat. Separate your feet so you are in a "top of a push-up" position (what I call Plank). Now take a vinyasa and come back to Downward Facing Dog. Then do the other side.
A Little Sanskrit Lesson: Animal Names
Yoga

A Little Sanskrit Lesson: Animal Names

When you take a yoga class (especially Ashtanga, Vinyasa, and Jivamukti classes), sometimes the instructor will call out the names of the poses in their original language, Sanskrit.
by

When you take a yoga class (especially Ashtanga, Vinyasa, and Jivamukti classes), sometimes the instructor will call out the names of the poses in their original language, Sanskrit. Here's a list of some animals in Sanskrit and the poses they're named after. Knowing these Sanskrit words really helped me to remember the names of certain yoga poses.

Baka - crow, crane or wading bird, as in Bakasana (Crow pose)
Bheka - frog, as in Bhekasana (Frog pose)
Bhujanga - snake or serpent, as in Bhujangasana (Cobra pose)
Gomukha - face resembling a cow, as in Gomukhasana (Cow Face pose)
Kapota - dove or pigeon, as in Salamba Kapotasana (Supported Pigeon pose)
Kukkuta - rooster or cock, as in Kukkutasana (Cock pose)
Kurma - tortoise, as in Kurmasana
Matsya - fish, as in Matsyasana (Fish pose)
Mayura - peacock, as in Pincha Mayurasana (Feathered Peacock pose, also called Forearm Stand)
Nakra - crocodile, as in Nakrasana (Crocodile pose)
Svana - dog, as in Adho Mukkha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog pose)
Simha lion, as in Simhasana (Lion pose)
Vatayana - horse, as in Vatayanasana (Horse pose)
Vrschika - scorpion, as in Vrschikasana (Scorpion pose)

Humans were not the first to do yoga. Way back in India, animals were observed in nature, and noted for their particular abilities and accomplishments. To imitate these qualities was considered a high sign of spiritual enlightenment, that's why so many yoga poses are named after animals. Check out this post to see animals doing yoga.