It takes three to six weeks for the body to become neuromuscularly coordinated to a new form of movement or exercise. So, that means the first few classes, the first few weeks, you may feel clumsy, awkward, sore, shaky, light-headed, etc. If any of these symptoms are severe talk to your therapist or doctor and let your instructors at Flow know that you have been experiencing these things. After that time, the practice will start to feel natural and will just flow for you. We recommend starting out your membership with the commitment of, at least, an 8-class package. You owe it to yourself to practice enough classes over 3-6 weeks to make a real sound decision about which classes and instructors are the best fit for your body right now in your practice.
Class Etiquette
Please arrive on time or early to class.
Wear comfortable, flexible clothing and bare feet
Yoga is best practiced with an empty stomach and bladder
Bring your own personal mat, or you can rent a studio mat for $3 (included with a drop-in class). If you commit to yoga, we recommend purchasing your own mat for hygienic reasons.
Wash yoga mats often to prevent odors
Please refrain from wearing perfume in consideration of the close space and fragrance sensitivities
Please come to the studio clean and without strong body odors.
“I’m not Flexible, I have an injury, I’m too old, don’t have the right body-type, etc.”
These are all common concerns that people use as excuses to not practice yoga. The truth is - you don't have to be young, in perfect health, have superman strength or ballerina flexibility to do yoga. You simply need to find the right style of yoga and instructor for YOU and your body. Allow yourself to practice at your own speed and within your physical limits. Yoga is a practice, and one that can be progressive and done in ANY body as long as you give yourself some grace in the process and allow for helpful modifications. At Flow we do our best to offer a diverse range of classes taught by instructors that are trained in sound alignment and biomechanics.
Yoga for Men
Men often are intimidated by Yoga. Interestingly, in India where Yoga originated it is primarily men who practice hatha yoga, similar to martial arts in other eastern areas of the world. We’ve had men say to us, “I cant do yoga, I’m not flexible.” Well, of course, that is the whole point. Men can, generally, benefit physically even more from yoga than women. Once men have the courage to try it, they are our most loyal members because the profound benefits to their bodies and minds surprise them. Men benefit the most by realizing that pure power will not bring them the greatest results. Men learn incredible mindbody, or kinesthetic, awareness in yoga that helps them to enjoy all aspects of their life more fully, especially outdoor fun that requires whole body functional strength. Men will practice being powerful while maintaining a soft full breath in a Warrior pose, as well as how to let go of all effort in a forward fold and allow the warmth and nourishment of the breath to physiologically send a signal to a muscle to relax and stretch. Women are sometimes more flexible than men, but not always. Women who are already very flexible, can benefit in yoga by focusing on good alignment, muscle balancing, and dynamic strength in the postures. Women who have always been very active, find yoga to be the perfect cross-training option–a great balance to stretch out muscles that have continually shortened over time. Women who have not been active at all, will find yoga is the perfect opportunity to awaken dormant muscles progressively (slow flow, gentle and basic yoga are good options in that case).
Can Flow Yoga prevent injuries and keep me pursuing the activities I love?
In addition to improved fitness and overall health, yoga has been shown to decrease stress and tension in the body and mind. Flow yoga allows us to find health, balance and joy in our lives. Community, relationships and loving support are incredibly important to a fulfilled life and you will find that environment here at Flow.
Flow Yoga is a blend of functional strength and functional flexibility practiced with the rhythm of the breath to bring about a greater awareness of muscular imbalances in the body. By bringing awareness to where our bodies are imbalanced, we can begin to correct those imbalances and feel and feel more freedom, strength and flexibility in our bodies.