Vinyasa the Old, Vinyasa the New

A few years ago I started a New Years Eve tradition of practicing 24 vinyasa Sun Salutations.

The first December 31st I did this was 2010.  It was an unseasonably warm day, almost Springlike, and I unrolled my mat on the back deck.  By the last salutation I was in a tank top and feeling really great.

It works like this; the first twelve vinyasas are for the year ending and the last twelve are for the year to come.  Each repetition is dedicated to a month, for example my first one salutation tomorrow will focus on January 2013 and my last one will have December 2014 in mind.  I think of the first twelve as reflection time and the second twelve as projection time, projecting the grace, calm, and happiness I’d like to bring to the year ahead.

I’m sharing this idea, this tradition, today in hopes that maybe some of you would like to join me tomorrow in vinyasa-ing out the old and vinyasa-ing in the new!  You can practice whatever variation on a Sun Salutation you know and/or like.  I will probably do a pretty simple, fast paced, flowing “B” variation for most of the vinyasas.   This can be a great opportunity to practice yoga without the aid of a video or teacher if the idea of a home practice has been intimidating to you in the past.  This is how I cultivated a home practice, years ago, just by starting with a few vinyasas and recognizing the beauty of truly going at my own pace, with my own natural breath pattern.

Happy vinyasa-ing!