There are a lot of cults emerging in the arena of seasoned yogis today. Some cults pursue complex asana as a means to tap the higher self. Other cults dethrone asana in favor of the sanctity of the practice, and the transformation it brings. Because yogis have finally realized that trying to fit into a fixed shape is not very enlightening the trend of the asana junkies is dwindling and the practice has shaped itself as a quest for inner truth. But despite the different approaches that are trending in the advanced asana domain, the form of the practice hasn’t changed much to address these new fashion. The Vinayasa sequences all peak to a complex pose, while flowing through numerous Sun Salutes and “vinyasas” that neutralize the pallet between the sides. A lot of us wonder whether “to vinyasa” or “not to vinyasa”. And if we choose not to, how do we sophisticate the sequencing so we don’t fall into an automatic mode.

For me the secret of advancing the yoga practice has always been in refining the fluid art of transitions –so they become so seamless, that you end up morphing from one pose to the next gracefully and organically. Over the years my practice has taken me through highs and lows – guiding me into a dance that integrates all the aspects of my being. I have been tempted to create a functional Vinaysa flow that optimizes transitions with minimum weight shift and mirco tilts, contractions and twists. The subtle dance through the poses depends on the economic weight transfer and guided energetic and anatomical alignment dictated from the synergy of all body parts.

Our bodies are so magically connected and synched up, that every joint, muscle, tendon or fiber is in its place and exists, only because it is hugged and supported by the other body parts. When we adhere to the natural biomechanical rules of this flawless structural integration everything fits in with no effort. My quest for an effortless practice has led me to discover incredible, sometimes very unorthodox ways to transition in and out of poses – mostly by shifting weight and alleviating the leg that had a bearing function, so the other side could take over. It is in a way synching up the roles of the agonist, antagonist and synergist and fixator. When you alternate these roles you get an active side that is generating the movement and then the counter energy that creates the push and pull. In addition to that there is a synergist that stabilizes the joint and a fixator that holds the muscle that originates the movement. When you put all of these anatomical synchronicities in play, you get stabilizing, emerging, opposing and gluing agents that allow the body to glide elegantly through the flow.

And if you heed these correspondences while you are transitioning between complex poses, the flow becomes a concert of all these actions and body parts humming together to create coherent movement. Then the practice doesn’t necessarily and only peak into one pose. It winds through a variety of poses and states of being. It’s so rewarding not to be in pursuit of a pose or two, but in pursuit of happiness and meaning. Your path is not linear, it is winding, undulating and curved and it takes you through the different learning curves with grace and ease. Then, the cult of the asana junkies or the asana rejectionists becomes the quest for being happy, healthy and free. And everything synch ups – in between the poses, and in between the stages of your life.

Advanced Yoga Flow: Synch Up

This advanced yoga routine emphasizes the importance of fluid and graceful transitioning. It takes seasoned yogis into a Vinayasa adventure through innovative transitions and positions that combine all pose types in a single, dynamic flow.