Viniyoga Approach to Yoga
When I started my yoga practice in 2011 going to classes in studios, I felt deeply that something was missing. I changed studios, teachers, and styles - many times…
At some point, I was on and off, more off than on, with my own practice and I couldn’t really connect to what I was doing. Today is clear to me that the missing feeling felt over the years was due to the lack of “a specific and continuous link or connection” to myself.
The term Viniyoga is a possibility. It is the way to connect. It is the drive of the process where the choice of action and its appropriate application, considering the context, plays a big role when connecting oneself to a goal. When applying the concept of viniyoga to yoga we bring the possibility of connection to self-transformation.
Viniyoga approach takes into consideration the individual as a unique being. This approach of practice essentially means that the practice should be adapted to the person and not the other way around.
It considers the individual needs, lifestyle, age, activities, goals, current circumstances, body and mind. It understands that we are not all in the same stage in life, we don’t have the same goals or needs, and we are in constant transformation.
It is not a style of yoga and there isn’t one particular way of doing things to everyone. “It depends”. It depends on whom, goals, capabilities, age, time of the day they want to practice, etc. Viniyoga of yoga has a holistic approach where the person is the center, and the practice is designed in a personalised way to support the “work in”, to look inside and awaken the parts in us that are asleep, to create the possibility of positive transformation by replacing old and not helpful patterns with new and appropriate ones.
This approach empowers individuals to deeply connect to their personal practice, and ultimately, themselves in their most genuine potential – including asanas but not only asanas (commonly known and practiced).
We use other techniques such as pranayama, meditation, prayers, mantras, rituals, counselling, and studies. It goes beyond the physical body – it links together the mind, the breath, the behaviour, the level of energy, and the perception of our environment. There is a process of co-creation and the practice design, even in a group class, will be focused on what is appropriate and beneficial to each person.
In conclusion, the viniyoga of yoga completely changed my understanding of yoga and my yoga journey. The approach resonates a lot with me, and I can feel that since I started my studies and dedicated myself to my personal practice, there is much more acceptance and compassion, rather than comparison and self-sabotage. To me, this approach has been inviting awareness, alertness, courage, discipline, unconditional self-love, and trust.
