The common root: Krishnamacharya and Ashtanga
All three styles come off the same tree. In the 1930s, at the Mysore Palace in southern India, T. Krishnamacharya taught a practice where poses were joined by transition movements timed to the breath. Those transitions are what the word vinyasa came to mean.
One of his students, K. Pattabhi Jois, shaped that practice into his own system, Ashtanga, and set up his institute in Mysore in 1948. In Ashtanga you learn series of poses in a set order and repeat them class after class. That's the point: the sequence stays put, so you can see yourself change against it.
Vinyasa: a flow that changes every class
When the idea of linking breath and movement left Ashtanga and became a studio class in the West, the fixed sequence got left behind. In a vinyasa class, each teacher builds their own sequence, and it changes from one class to the next.
What stays is the core idea: one pose leads into the next, and the breath tells you when to go. The pace runs anywhere from slow to intense, depending on the class and the teacher.
Power Yoga: Ashtanga, renamed for America
Power Yoga came from two of Pattabhi Jois's students at almost the same time, on opposite coasts.
In New York, Beryl Bender Birch, who had studied with Jois, started teaching vigorous vinyasa classes to runners at the New York Road Runners Club in the early 1980s. By the end of the decade she was calling them power yoga, a name Americans got straight away. Her book, Power Yoga, came out in 1995 and became a best-seller.
In California, Bryan Kest spent a year in Mysore studying with Jois from 1983, began teaching in Los Angeles in 1985 and opened Santa Monica Power Yoga in 1995. He's also credited with bringing donation-based yoga to the US. Around the same time, Baron Baptiste built his own version of the style.
Jois wasn't a fan of the name. In 1995 he wrote to Yoga Journal objecting to Ashtanga being tied to power yoga. Today the term covers a range of vigorous vinyasa styles, none of which is the same thing as Ashtanga.
Power Vinyasa: the middle ground
Power Vinyasa is vinyasa at Power Yoga's pace. You get a free-form sequence, built by the teacher, with the intensity of a class that makes you sweat. CorePower Yoga, the US chain founded in Denver in 2002, teaches the style in its 200- and 300-hour trainings. Mayra Lay, who founded Espaço Leve Alma, trained there, in Nashville.
On the deck, Power Vinyasa runs Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 8:00 to 9:00, and Saturday, 8:00 to 9:30. Breath tied to a moving sequence: enough to make you sweat, slow enough to stay a practice. The teacher tells you where to go easy and where to push.
Side by side
| Ashtanga | Vinyasa | Power Yoga | Power Vinyasa on the deck | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Origin | K. Pattabhi Jois, Mysore, India | Krishnamacharya, Mysore, 1930s | Beryl Bender Birch and Bryan Kest, US, late 1980s and 1990s | The CorePower Yoga line, US |
| Sequence | Series in a set order | Built by each teacher | Depends on the teacher's school | Built by the teacher, new every class |
| Pace | Steady, set by the breath | Slow to intense | Vigorous | Intense, with room to breathe |
| Suits | People who like repetition and tracking progress | People who want variety | People who want to sweat | People who want to sweat and keep the breath |
Which one to pick
- If you like routine and knowing exactly what comes next, Ashtanga is the most predictable.
- If you want variety and a pace that shifts with the day, find a vinyasa class.
- If you want to sweat, go for Power Yoga or Power Vinyasa. On the deck, that's the 8:00 class, four mornings a week.
- If you want the same flow with light weights in your hands, Yoga Sculpt is the studio's other class, on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Never done any of them? Read Can a beginner do Power Yoga? before you choose. The full timetable is on the classes page.
Questions
Do I need to know the names of the poses for Power Vinyasa?
No. The teacher talks you through each step out loud, and the names sink in over time.
Is Power Vinyasa good if I surf?
It suits the morning after a session: hips, shoulders and breath. It's also taught with options, for the days you're tired.
What's the difference between Power Vinyasa and Yoga Sculpt?
Both are flow and breath. Yoga Sculpt adds music and light hand weights, and runs Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:30 to 10:30.
How much is a Power Vinyasa class on the deck?
A single class is R$70. Class packs and monthly plans are on the prices page.