Vinyasa Yoga means to Flow with the Breath, connecting each pose together through the use of breath as a bridge to create graceful transitions, which frees us from holding too tightly onto form, revealing the transitory nature of all things. Another meaning is "to place in a special way", implying an intentional, attentive awareness to the body in space, in otherwords a movement meditation. Not all of the practice is physical movement, however. We explore still meditation with an attention on the movement of breath and energy in the body and the internal rhythms of our heart, organs, muscles, bones, energy body and mind.

 

"Alignment-based" carries multiple meanings:

• Consciously lining up our bodies, bones and muscles and organs, and training them to reside in their proper physiological places.

• Synchronizing our breath with our movement. Deepening the breath to unite with the body.

• Lining up our intentions with our actions.

• Aligning our selves with our higher Selves, purpose, & inner truth.

 

"Heart-based" refers to the Inner Wisdom of the Heart.

Cultivate Love and Compassion for Self and Others.

Recognize Other as Self, and Self as Other: The unified light in all things.

In this way we experience whatever we find in our practice with equanimity, free from our habitual stories, and therefore can come into Truth.

All of these are tools for Opening and Awakening.      
Strong body, Strong mind, Strong spirit.

It is not necessarily about "achieving" the "perfect" pose (this is why it is called a "practice" and not a "perfect").

The ultimate goal is to recognize the flowing movement of the journey towards the pose, into the pose and out of the pose, as a representation of the flowing Journey through Life... so by finding whatever we find with grace and ease in the transition spaces in between, we can integrate and apply this wisdom during our time off our mats, out in the world.