Vinyasa yoga stands out among the various styles of yoga practice, for its great emphasis upon moving in sync with the breaths. Yoga postures (asanas) are linked in sequences, and we move smoothly in a flow that offers not only an enjoyable form of exercise, but a method for calming stress, training our focus, and improving balance. Basically, good breathing does it all.
If you are new to the practice of vinyasa yoga, you may find books and magazine articles to be useful supplements to enhance your experience. But just as nutritional supplements are no substitute for real food, book learning is best treated as just that—supplementary.
You are likely to find it is well worth your while to take time to shop around for a studio or instructor whom you “click with,” so to speak. And while practicing on your own in a private, quiet space can ultimately be the most rewarding experience for a yogi, it is always good to have the guidance of a teacher who can help one to avoid pitfalls and help one to progress.
If you are beginning to practice vinyasa yoga, you should develop familiarity very early on with a few essential techniques and themes (see below). I will not elaborate upon these at present, but your teacher should help you with these, and some I have touched upon briefly in the MyChoicesOnline video accompanying this article: Vinyasa Yoga with Daniel Dale.
Some major areas for exploration: