Vinyasa

The Sanskrit word means something like placing in a particular order, and that is exactly what the style does: postures are arranged in a sequence and the breath decides when you move from one to the next. One inhale, one movement; one exhale, the next. In a vinyasa class you will rarely stand still for long, and the room gets warm from the inside rather than from a heater.

What it is for is twofold. Physically it builds cardiovascular fitness, shoulder and core strength, and a lot of repetitions of the same transitions, which is how movement patterns become automatic. Mentally it works because the timing demands attention — there is no empty space in a flowing class for the mind to fill, which many people find easier than being asked to sit still and concentrate.

In a KEO session, vinyasa is the backbone of the Flow and Breath format. Ben teaches it slower than a studio class would in Bangkok's humidity, with longer standing postures and fewer fast lowerings, because a fast flow in 80 percent humidity stacks heat you cannot shed. Beginners are shown the knees-down version of every transition on the first day and encouraged to use it for weeks, not minutes.