When I teach a client to move, it first means explaining that you should always be connected with your body when you move. This comes as a surprise for some people, because we think of working out as something that we “do TO” our bodies. It is a huge misconception that the mind is somehow separate from our body. The two are inextricably linked.
In yoga and martial arts, it is absolutely critical to treat the mind and body as one interconnected unit. One cannot achieve a state of flow without syncing the two together. For example, the word “Prasara” means flow without thought. I find the most effective yoga and fitness practice to be intuitive and free flowing. Ideally, when you are in a state of flow, you are open to your your body’s innate knowing of what it needs move more fluidly.
An example of finding the flow for me happened when I did my 200 hour teacher training at the Yandara Yoga Institute. Part of our curriculum was to take 90 minutes and create our own yoga flow. We came to a studio overlooking the ocean and allowed our bodies to move, without any judgement or expectation of what asana should come next. Distraction free, light and easy combining of movements with no distinct stop and start point… this is the essence of flow.
One way I teach busy New Yorkers to find flow is by teaching them “Flow Fit“. It is a series of yoga-like movements that when combined make for a great cardio session. Flow Fit is fantastic because it takes the the body through all planes of motion while elevating the heart rate and creating heat in the body. The concept of priming the joints for exercise is prominent in the Circular Strength Training method, but has been lost in traditional strength training. Don’t mistake a 10-15 minute run on the treadmill or elliptical as being adequate for priming your connective tissue for a workout. You need more… You need to Flow into your Fitness!