We may be familiar with the word "vinyasa" or the style of yoga that has been labeled "vinyasa" but do you know what it means? For me, learning the root (foundation) of this phrase opened my eyes to see how expansive the yoga practice can be if we are open to it. “Vinyasa” is derived from the Sanskrit term nyasa, which means “to place,” and the prefix vi, “in a special way”—as in the steps along a the beach, or the linking of one asana to the next. "Krama" translates as a "step-by-step" approach or a sequence or method an approach to go from point A to point B. So if you think about it everything we do in life, when we are paying attention, can be considered a Vinyasa Krama. I mean everything....washing the dishes, folding laundry, riding a bike or walking on the beach. Yoga isn't about touching your toes, its about experiencing and witnessing the ground under your feet, the sun on your face and the breath as it flows in and out.
Yoga finds us when we allow it to shape and move us off the mat and into our everyday life. Where can you experience a Vinyasa Krama in your everyday life?
For most of us we find yoga by getting on our mat and there is everything right about that. Now don't get me wrong moving from one asana to the next was the way I was introduced to my mat and to the physical practice. Here is some inspiration of that step-by-step approach, Vinyasa Krama, of Surya Namaskara (Sun Salutation) A and B.
Playful in nature, informative by design feel free to uses these versions of Surya Namaskara to inspire and learn the meaning of Vinyasa Krama for yourself.
