Core Elements Of Vinyasa Yoga Postures

The core elements of Vinyasa yoga postures are Sun Salutations.

A sun salutation is a fluid sequence of poses done in succession so each pose flows into the next The pace of the flow and how long each pose is held may differ between people and classes, but one thing is consistent: movement is done in accompaniment with breathing, not the other way around.

This article will run through a number of the Vinyasa yoga postures that make up sun salutations, to give you a better idea of what Vinyasa yoga postures involve.

Tadasana (Mountain Pose)

This Vinyasa yoga posture helps get your body into line and is harder than it sounds!

1. Stand with the big toes touching
2. Lift your toes, fan them out then drop them again to create a solid base. If your ankles knock together, you can separate them.
3. With your feet rooted into the floor, draw your quadriceps up; this will cause the kneecaps to rise.
4. Rotate both your thighs inwards. This will widen the sits bones, which are literally the bones beneath your buttocks.
5. Draw the stomach in a little, and widen the collarbones
6. Try and align your shoulders and pelvis

Urdhva Hastasana (Raised Hands Pose)

This Vinyasa yoga posture is great for freeing up the shoulders

1. From Tadasana, lift your arms out to the sides and upwards
2. Press your palms together, straightening the arms and gazing up towards your thumbs
3. Slide your shoulder blades back and down
4. Make sure you maintain your alignment

Uttanasana (Standing Foward Bend)

- A Vinyasa yoga posture that's great for your upper legs

1. From the previous pose, reach the arms out to the sides while folding forward
2. Make sure you fold from your hips rather than your back
3. Line the fingertips up with the toes, pressing your palms to the floor
4. Engage your quadriceps; the more you use them, the looser your hamstrings will get.
5. Bring your weight into the balls of your feet; your hips should stay over your ankles
6. Hang your head

Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog Pose)

- One of the most well-known Vinyasa yoga postures

1. Lower yourself to your hands and knees, with your wrists and knees underneath the shoulders and hips respectively
2. Curl your toes under, pushing back to raise the hips and straighten the legs.
3. Spread your fingers, bearing down from your forearms to your fingertips
4. Broaden your collarbones by rotating your upper arms outwards
5. Hang your head, moving your shoulders towards your hips
6. Rest in this pose by engaging the quadriceps, thereby taking the weight off your arms
7. Inwardly rotate your thighs, letting your heels sink to the floor. You can check whether you have the correct distance between your feet and hands by continuing into a 'plank' position; these two poses require the same distance between hands and feet.
8. From adho mukha svanasana (downward facing dog), draw your torso forward until your shoulders are directly over the wrists with the body in one straight line. In this position, you should look as though you are about to do a push-up.
9. Firmly press the hands and forearms down. Without letting your chest sink, press through your heels.
10. Make sure your neck is in line with your spine, and broaden your shoulder blades.

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