Viniyoga Tradition and the 3 Stages Of Life

The large demographic of yoga practitioners today are in what we would call the midday stage of life.

This is an image used in Viniyoga...sunrise being the first 25 or 30 years of life, midday being that long period extending up into the mid 70s and then the sunset stage of life usually after the age of 75.

The teaching from the tradition is that in the surise stage of life asana can be a major focus in our practice.

But in the midday stage of life asana is there but is adapted in service of developing more pranayama in practice – that is the breath control.

It would be the equivalent of asking a young person what's more important your teeth or your gums.

And as they get older many young people realize teeth are important but the gums are MORE important.

In the same way that we can talk about teeth and gums we can ask the question which is more important your hamstrings or your liver?

Although the hamstrings are more important I think it's obvious to most people as they get older that the condition of their liver is far more important in the big picture of things.

And this is the metaphor of the movement of asana to pranayama.

Asana are very important but as we get into this midday stage of life the tradition says that pranayama is more important than asana.

Again I repeat we use asana but we adapt it more in the service of pranayama.

Yoga practice ceases to be asana practice in a rigid flavor.

We use the asana to help deepen and develop the respiratory rythms and we use pranayama which is very important in metabolic and physiological wellbeing or health.


Sunset stage of life in this tradition emphasizes much more meditation and preparation for the inevitable transition from life to death.

Reaching the end of life with a sense of fulfillment and happiness rather than resentment and fear.


Viniyoga Asana Pranayama and Meditation

The idea in viniyoga is we really see who we're working with. It's not a one-size-fits-all approach.

Asana is important but it's usually adapted in the service of pranayama and meditation.

If someone's orientation is purely self development at a structural level of course we can develop strong and powerful asana practice.

If somebody's interested in creating stability in their structure and more immunity – and I think immunity will become progressively more important as we move forward in time right now in the world – pranayama becomes a very important part of this process.

To help that development of the immune system to help us sleep better to help us have more efficient digestion and then to feel better about ourselves emotionally.

In the service of that Viniyoga offers a lot of methods of self reflection and meditation.

So Viniyoga is a wholistic approach geared to each individual including technical understanding and use of asana, the use of repetition and stay, the adaptation of the form of a posture, the development of the breathing as the core of movement in asana and the science of sequencing.

And the overall perspective that yoga practice is far more than simply asana and should include breath practices and meditative practices and possibly even song or chanting practices.

And these practices should be used in an integrated way to serve the unique needs of the people that we work with.


3 Keys To Viniyoga Practice

I think the first thing is to become clear about WHY you're practicing and what you're trying to achieve with the practice.

That will help shape the choices you make in the practice.

With that in mind the second point is that it's very important when you're practicing to be fully present – not distracted or thinking about other things.

And in the service of that point the third point is to learn how to control your inhale and exhale and how to use exhalation to mobilize your spine.

How to use exhalation in pranayama and how to use inhalation and exhalation to create the stillness in mind that is required for meditation.

So just to review these three points.

Be clear on your INtention.

Master your Attention so that you're focused during practice. Be present at what you're doing.

And let your breath serve you in that goal as a means to activate the process of transformation that is the promise of yoga.