If you’ve looked at a yoga timetable and wondered what the names mean, you’re not alone. The two styles I teach, Vinyasa and Yin, sit at opposite ends of the pace scale, and that’s exactly why they work so well side by side.
Vinyasa is the flowing one. Poses link together and each movement follows an inhale or an exhale. It builds warmth, wakes the body up and gives a busy mind something steady to follow. Choose it when you feel sluggish, stiff from sitting, or in need of a lift.
Yin is the still one. You settle into floor-based shapes, supported by props, and stay for a few minutes at a time. Nothing is forced. Choose it when you feel wired, tired or stretched thin.
In most of my classes you get both: we flow first, then slow right down. Effort, then ease. If you can only remember one thing, remember that you don’t have to pick a side.