100 Hour Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Training

What is Vinyasa Yoga?

Vinyasa is one of the most popular yoga forms, that combines breath and movement. Some people also call it Flow yoga. Many proponents of yoga also call it the Ashtanga Vinyasa flow. However, it is a bit different from the stringent norms that were laid down by K. Pattabhi Jois, in Ashtanga Vinyasa. There is a lot of movement in Vinyasa Yoga, as opposed to the former’s static poses. The sequence is not the same, every time you would follow the practice. In Vinyasa Yoga, the main focus is not the pose, but the breathing, which connects to body consciousness. It will be best to describe it as a flow yoga, which does not have any specific lineage, or guru.

What will you learn in Vinyasa Yoga?

About Vinyasa Yoga

Vinyasa yoga is about the breath, that links one pose with the other. When you practice the same under the guidance of an eminent teacher, the poses just smoothly flow into one another. You simply do not break a pose, to come out of it and move on to the next one. The breath occupies primary position in this form practice. It decides the flow, the timing, and the rhythm as well. You can also get the benefits of a cardio-vascular exercise, through the practice of Vinyasa Flow. Moreover, no two classes are the same. So, a teacher is almost always necessary to guide a class that performs Vinyasa.  You can also call the practice, a form of moving meditation. Vinyasa yoga training India has gained a lot of popularity due to the above qualities. The Tristhana approach that constitutes the Ujjayi Pranayama, Bandhas, and the Drishti, is the basis of this yoga form.

Pranayama In Vinyasa Yoga

Ujjayi breathing is one of the primary forces behind the Vinyasa Flow Yoga practice. Engagement of the respiratory muscles is of prime importance in this form of yoga. Although exhalation, is a passive process in most breathing modalities, in the Vinyasa Flow, it is an active process. Ujjayi breath is also called Victorious breath or Ocean breath. This type of breathing mainly warms up the body in totality, so that you can go deeper in to the poses or asanas. By inhaling, you get the fresh prana and by exhaling, you remove any negativity, that may exist in your body. The Vinyasa flow yoga also facilitates the removal of emotional blockages and disease symptoms, in the same manner. You can hold the poses in Vinyasa Flow for five breath counts, as Ujjayi provides the connection between the poses. Listening to one’s breath is very important, in a Vinyasa class.

Asanas In Vinyasa Yoga

Some of the foundational poses in Vinyasa Flow are Tadasana, Uttanasana, Chaturanga Dandasana, Urdhva Mukha Svanasana, and the Adho Mukha Svanasana, to name a few. You have to start the sequence with the Surya Namaskar. The main posture is a standing one, which shows the way into the flow. You do not break out of any pose, to get into the next in Vinyasa Flow. Forward bending asanas and hip openers follow suit, after you are done with the standing asanas and related flow. Dandasana is the migratory pose, that facilitates the practitioner’s movement into seated poses. You can start practicing the backbends and twisted poses, sitting on the floor itself. As a beginner, you can navigate into the arm balances and inversions, at the end of the sequence as they can lower the heart rate. So, you will get the opportunity to move towards complete conscious relaxation in the form of Shavasana.

Drishti assumes a lot of importance in this form of yoga, as it guides your focus. It also helps in drawing your awareness within. You can focus your Drishti or gaze in the direction of your body movement, for maximum efficiency.

Mantra

You can also chant mantras as a part of the Vinyasa practice, so that you can achieve purity of mind. Mantras have the power to connect your mind and spiritual being with the universal consciousness or divinity. You can combine mantras with pranayama and meditation as well. These take on the form of sound healing.

Art of Teaching

As a teacher of Vinyasa Flow, you need three things – common sense, a disciplined lifestyle and attentiveness. You must not force yourself or any of your students, into any pose. Regular practice of shorter duration is more superior to short binge practices. Reflecting upon your practice after the final Shavasana can be a great way, to apply discipline. Your unconscious mind assumes a lot of importance in making your body work in between the sessions, whereas the conscious mind can link your practice to the unconscious, and multiply the positive effects.

The Vinyasa classes are mostly designed around a theme. So, teachers have to adjust sequences to go with the selected theme. However, there are no other set rules in a Vinyasa class. Creativity and freedom of movement assumes a lot of importance in the classes. The knowledge and anatomy and biomechanics can prove useful, if you intend to guide a Vinyasa class. Respect for the individual body is also important in any Vinyasa class. Shree Hari Yoga School can provide you with the much-needed guidance in their class.

Anatomy and Physiology

The knowledge of the bones, muscles, joints, tendons, and ligaments assume prime importance in the context of yoga practice. Anatomical study gives the knowledge to the teacher, about how the poses affect different parts of the body.

Moreover, it is this anatomical framework that helps a yogi to perform the poses swiftly. It aids the teacher and the students, to understand the movements, facilitated from the joints, and also their range of motion. This knowledge enables the yoga teacher to guide the students through Vinyasa Flow, safely. You as a teacher, may have to suggest alterations and modifications as a part of the practice. It will facilitate all those who have injuries and chronic illnesses, to perform yoga without any repercussions to their health. Additionally, alignments are also important, as wrong ones can negatively affect the body. You will get a comprehensive overview of the same in the 100 Hour Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Training Course.

Philosophy

Vinyasa Yoga is a more modern form of yoga, in which the breathing guides the movement. It does not follow any separate lineage or school, as such. It may be considered an off shoot of the more conservative Ashtanga Yoga. You can also consider Vinyasa Flow as an authentic representation of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras.

Moreover, you can also connect it with the practice for ‘Grihasta’ people, rather than the sanyasis. The householders as the term means, do not have a lot of time, to spend in such holistic activities. Thus, the poses are held for a short duration of time, and points towards the changeable nature of things. The only constant in the practice is the breath. It is one of the four most important stages in a human’s life. So, once the ‘grihastha’ completes the stage, he can move on to higher spiritual practices. Sometimes, you may not be able to follow all the core Vedic concepts, so in that case Vinyasa Flow is what you can rely on. You can call this form an off-shoot of Patanjali Yoga.

The 100 Hour Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Training Course highlights such attributes of the course.

Sound Healing

Sound healing is available as a holistic modality in various forms. You can use mantras and songs to aid the practitioner of Vinyasa, to flow from one pose to another. Explore your movements while listening to the melodies that play in the background, in the form of gongs and bells, to navigate from one pose to another with ease.

Shatkarma (Cleansing)

You will also learn about the Shatkarma kriyas, which is an important part of yoga practice. The processes like Nauli, Neti, Basti, and Trataka cleanses the internal organs and paves the way for the energy to flow in full force, towards enlightenment.

Mudra and Bandha

You can utilize the hand gestures or mudras and the locks or bandhas at strategic positions in the body, to make the final impact of the pose or asanas. These produce a lot of stability in the pose and also increases the sensory impact of the asana on the mind. Whereas the mudras, help you to connect to the deep-seated nerves inside the body.

Yoga Alliance Standards We Maintain In Vinyasa Yoga

The 100 Hour Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Training Course is accredited by the Yoga Alliance USA. It is the governing body which sets the standards for the syllabus to be followed. An accreditation from the same, can lead to a RYT in yoga discipline. Moreover, you will be able teach globally, and also open your school. The 200-hour certification can be completed in two parts of 100-hours each, for ease of attendance for all those who are pursuing education or other careers. Shree Hari Yoga School is an accredited yoga school that follows all set standards.

Yoga Sequencing Classes (Practicum) For Vinyasa Yoga

There is no specific sequence of practicing Vinyasa. Every teacher follows his or her own sequence. Surya Namaskar sets the scene in a Vinyasa class, which is connected automatically from standing poses, to seated ones, and thereafter to reclined poses. The warm up assumes a lot of importance in the practice of Vinyasa Flow. On warm up, the students get a chance to move away from their conscious mind and get into the astral body. The classes start out slow and gain speed as the time progresses. The warm up also creates a connection of the body and the mind. Teachers often create blocks of poses that are seamlessly woven into one another, to aid in specific benefits for the practitioner. Shavasana is the final junction for all practitioners on any particular day.

Schedule Of  Vinyasa Yoga At Shree Hari Yoga School

The yoga class starts at 6.30 am in the morning and conclude on sunset. The teacher will guide you through mantra meditation, Pranayama, and sound healing. After you are done with these purification processes, the teachers will conduct led yoga classes. Philosophy and teaching pedagogy are also included in the syllabus. Anatomy, Ayurveda and TCM will also be a part of the course for better understanding of the internal body. You will conclude with self-study. Dinner follows after which you have to retire for the day.