The Amazing Benefits Of Vinyasa Yoga

When you think of yoga, you think of peace and flexibility. But, in reality, yoga encompasses a lot more than a little stretching and a few breathing exercises. There are many forms of yoga, and each has its own set of benefits. Vinyasa Yoga is a powerful form of yoga that is said to break you into a sweat just as much as you would if you were in a sauna. Your heart gets pumping, and your muscles get thumping. Science has also begun to recognize the various benefits of yoga on the mind, body, and the spirit. Let us first get to answering the big question.

What Is Vinyasa Yoga?

Vinyasa Yoga branches out from Hatha Yoga, and the postures flow with the breath in this type of yoga. Based on the Ashtanga practice, which is powerful and regimental in itself, this form of yoga can be quite challenging for beginners. When Vinyasa Yoga is done at a fast pace, it becomes Power Yoga.

When you practice Vinyasa Yoga, the key is to focus on how you inhale and exhale as you move from one posture to the next.

The Benefits Of Practicing Vinyasa Yoga

Vinyasa Yoga is said to work on your mind and body to give you a full body experience. It is one form of yoga that also helps you tone up and lose weight. Let us weigh the many benefits of Vinyasa Yoga.

1. Offers Strength Training

This form of yoga works on strength training and helps you build lean muscle mass throughout the body. Yoga of this kind helps you build resistance in the body as you stress and work out the muscles while you practice the backbends, arm balances, inversions, and standing poses. Vinyasa Yoga is extremely beneficial as a lean muscle mass builder as it gives equal attention to all the muscle groups. This creates a balanced strength throughout.

2. Improves Flexibility

Sedentary lifestyles lead to stiff muscles, which are not only uncomfortable but also make it difficult to move. As you indulge in the Vinyasa flow, continuous movements help you stretch each muscle and strengthen it simultaneously. This increases your range of motion as well as mobility. Also, since your breath is in sync with the movement, fresh oxygen fuels and loosens up all the muscles. When the muscles are flexed, the stress is released and reduced from the ligaments, joints, and tendons. This prevents injuries, tears, and muscle pulls.

3. Relieves Stress

Vinyasa Yoga is said to work at the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual levels, thus helping to connect the mind to the body. This helps relieve anxiety and stress. When you mindfully practice Vinyasa Yoga, it allows you to shun the static thoughts running through your mind. As you focus on inhaling and exhaling, your central nervous system is calmed down. It has an extremely positive effect on your being.

When your mind is relaxed, you tend to lose more weight. Vinyasa Yoga is also called a moving meditation. It steadies the mind and shifts your focus from the external to the internal, which is in itself a great feat.

4. Inculcates Proper Breathing

When you practice Vinyasa, you are forced to concentrate on your breathing for the duration of your session. This means that you practice with full awareness. The Ujjayi method of breathing, which the Vinyasa Flow adopts, not only allows you to fill your lungs with oxygen to its full potential but also removes toxins. The breathing calms your mind and also reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart diseases, and high blood pressure. Your organs are healed, and they begin to work to their full potential. Metabolism is regulated. You sleep better and lose weight.

5. Gives You Cardiovascular Benefits

Vinyasa Yoga is a fast-paced practice as compared to the other forms of Hatha Yoga. It gives your body a cardio workout. Many postures require you to support your body against the force of gravity, which uses up lots of energy. This also works on many muscle groups, and the building of muscles results in burning of calories. The link between the breath and the movement increases your heart rate. There is a whole lot of heat generated in the body, which, in turn, results in burning of calories. It is said that in a fast-paced one hour Vinyasa class, you can lose up to 450 calories.

6. Detoxification

The heat created in the body while you practice cleans the thick, impure blood and makes it thinner. This helps improve blood circulation throughout the body. Even as you breathe in and out, you eliminate toxins through your breath, thus inducing a total body detox.

With regular practice, you will notice that you get less tired and feel more energized and alive throughout the day.

What You Must Keep In Mind

Vinyasa Yoga is a great form of a workout. It truly helps your body maximize its potential. But, despite its many benefits, Vinyasa alone isn’t enough to help you lose weight if that is your goal. You need to combine your Vinyasa practice with cardio activity and also keep a check on your diet for your body to get into the weight loss mode.

Yoga helps your body in numerous ways. Vinyasa Yoga is a great fast-paced practice. Indulge in its benefits.

Was this article helpful?

Author

Shirin MehdiHealth & Wellness Writer

 

Shirin is a health and wellness writer with three years of experience and specializes in writing articles on yoga and has extensive knowledge about the postures of the asanas. Prior to joining Stylecraze, she interned with an advertising firm as a copywriter and as an editorial intern for a luxury fashion magazine.

Read full bio of Shirin Mehdi