Vinyasa Yoga

Background

In Sanskrit, yoga is a word that means "to unite". It is believed to bring people to the "ultimate reality" and to unify the individual with the universe. It is supposed to connect people with all life, and bring feelings of intense energy, fullness, and bliss. All of this is accomplished through a combination of meditation, breathing, movement, and focus. After practicing yoga for a long period of time, most students begin to feel an internal flow of energy and well-being. Yoga is also believed to make students not only physically, but emotionally stronger. Yoga keeps students calm and centered, and yields so much pleasure that students have an easier time overcoming pain and adversities.

Yoga is also linked to Hinduism. Hindus believe that yoga is a science, rather than an art form. The poses are carefully calculated and thought to benefit specific organs in specific ways. For example, Hindus believe that a pose called "the plough" not only increases flexibility but also positively affects the thyroid, liver, and spleen. Hindus also believe that those who practice yoga in one life, are more likely be reincarnated as a "Samadhi" in their next life . The mind of a Samadhi is thought to be still and concentrated, while remaining in state of consciousness. Samadhi's are thought to be superior to regular people, and constantly feel bliss and well-being.


The Class

We attended a yoga class at Equinox called Vinyasa Yoga. The class is an hour long, yet many students stay longer to meditate afterwards. Vinyasa means "breathing synchronized movement", meaning the students move from one pose to the next while focusing on breathing. At more advanced levels, Vinyasa Yoga resembles dance because the flow from movement to movement is so smooth and rhythmic.


Sarah's Take

I went in to the class expecting something very similar to Pilates Power Play. The descriptions of the two classes seemed similar as they were both a more "athletic" take to pilates and yoga. In the beginning of the class, the instructor told us to pick something that we wanted to release. For example, we could have released feeling the need to be perfect or the anger felt towards somebody. I thought that throughout the class, I would be able to keep the release in mind while focusing on my breathing through the exercises. And just like pilates, I was again proved wrong.

I didn't once think about my release or my breathing. I was so focused on trying to do the exercises correctly that the two thoughts never crossed my mind. I was too preoccupied with my lack of flexibility and balance. Vinyasa Yoga is known for flowing from one position to the next--which is next to impossible when you can't manage to get the first position right. To start the class, the instructor wanted us to bend our knees and sit on our shins while inhaling and exhaling, but I couldn't hold the position for more than 2 seconds. My ankles throbbed and felt like they were about to break, so I had to retreat to sitting on my butt with my legs crossed. After this, one position quickly flowed into the next, and I constantly lost balance and had to start over. Despite the instructor's reassuring comments about how it's okay to mess up, I felt pretty idiotic about my performance.

The class pushed me in ways that I've never been pushed before. I'm used to pushing myself harder when running, or in the 70th minute of a soccer game. I'm used to pushing myself during a wall-sit for an extra 5 seconds, or for an extra 20 crunches. I, however, am not used balancing on one foot, while my back is twisted and leg in the air. Simply put, the positions were hard. The instructor twice came to me and helped me keep my foot in the air while my arms were twisted in different directions. It was embarrassing that the rest of the class was so much better than I was, and that I couldn't do anything about it. I tried my hardest, yet still failed to do anything correctly. I hope that as we continue to attend these yoga classes my flexibility and balance will improve, so that I will be able to focus on my breathing and my release, rather than which dreadful position I will have to struggle through next.

Emma's Take

Our first pilates class, Pilates Power Play, made me realize that I'm both inflexible and weak. After that unpleasant realization, taking Vinyasa Yoga wasn't a huge confidence booster; this challenging class made me realize that I can't balance either. I should have known that I would have a hard time the moment we walked into the studio, when our instructor was nonchalantly holding a headstand in the corner of the room.

Over the course of the class, the instructor said phrases like "don't worry about it if you can't hold these positions, nobody's perfect" or "just smile and try again" at least ten times, and every single time I felt like he was looking just at me. He also made frequent trips around the room to correct students' posture, and I was a regular.

I'm not exaggerating when I say that I struggled with every single pose in this class. Sometimes the problem was that I couldn't balance on one leg, or maybe I couldn't twist my legs into a pretzel, or I couldn't support my entire body's weight using just one arm and leg. On top of all that, we were expected to flow from one impossible position to the next. For the majority of the class, I felt like I was just flopping around trying to keep up with my limber, strong classmates. Hopefully I can one day join their ranks, or at least get a tiny bit closer.