Vinyasa retreats in Southern Maalhosmadulu Atoll

Vinyasa is a flowing style of yoga where you move from one pose to the next in time with your breath. Instead of holding each shape for a long time, you link them into sequences, so the class feels like a moving rhythm rather than a series of stops.

You get warm, a little sweaty and pleasantly tired within an hour. Tying each movement to an inhale or an exhale gives your mind something to follow, and many people find the inner chatter quiets once the rhythm takes over. Over a few weeks, the repeated sun salutations build strength in your arms, shoulders and core, and the flow starts to feel familiar in your body. No two classes are quite the same, so it rarely gets boring.

Most classes run 60 to 90 minutes. You usually start with a few minutes of breathing, build through sun salutations into standing poses, balances and perhaps backbends or arm balances, then wind down on the floor and finish with a few minutes of lying rest (savasana). The facilitator calls out poses and breath cues, demonstrates now and then, and often walks around offering adjustments. Music is common, anything from ambient to hip-hop depending on who leads. The studio is usually at normal temperature, but you generate your own heat.