We’ve launched! – we’ve added three new BodyART classes per week to our timetable. You might tag it Yoga with A Pulse, or Martial Arts inspired sort of groovy Yoga.
BodyART is very smooth and slinky practice, while being strengthening at the same time. It gets you feeling really flowy inside which feels great. When the body flows, the mind can enter its own state of flow too. And it all ties in nicely with what I have been doing a lot of lately off the mat – My world has become very monkey bar foccussed as both my children discover the delights and challenges of mastering them. I reckon I have watched about a hundred different children at various monkey bars. Their faces have been delightful to watch. Eyes wide-wide open and gaze uplifted, searching for that next bar to grab safely as the momentum carries them. Mouth agape, tongue out (and usually cutely to the left!). Their focus is powerful and beautiful to witness as the monkey bars demand strength, co-ordination and courage from them. When I see their complete absorption in the present moment, and their ecstatic feelings on successful completion, it makes me think of the classes we offer at the studio and how we help you get into your own state of flow. We know that when you can achieve the flow state on a regular basis you’ll feel happier.
In positive psychology the concept of flow states has become popular thanks to research by Mihaly Csikszentmihályi and his colleagues. The flow state is an experience of deep focus and rapture while you are performing an activity. This experience where you have full involvement and enjoyment of the activity is also known as being in ‘the zone’. It’s a pleasurable state where you have complete absorption and time flies. You might already have your own regular special ‘thing’ you do which is conducive to the state of flow. You can experience flow many places: During study, at work, while playing music, making love, playing sport and during certain exercise.
There are some ingredients to promote getting into the zone. First you want to choose something that is enjoyable to you. Then it’s about tinkering to find the right level of challenge for your own skill in that activity. This is because the flow state sits right between a certain arousal and the sense of being in control. If the challenge is too hard then your lack of control will create rising anxiety which will deflect away any ecstatic flow state. If the activity is too easy and boredom or apathy will result so the required arousal will dissipate. It needs to be an activity that requires complete concentration so that all those other everyday mundane thoughts switch off. As bodyART gives us certain repeated patterns, you can develop a relaxed sort of confidence so it can layout the platform for you to find your state of flow. you need to allow a little time to get into the state of flow too. It might take 15 minutes (which is a lot of monkey bars!). Yoga is well known to score high in ‘flow’ rankings when compared to other sports activities in general. For all the above reasons and also for the following: Self-consciousness will stop you achieving the flow state. The idea during your yoga and bodyART practice is for there to be a loss of self-consciousness as your ego state softens. you any fear of failure melts away. As our bodyART classes offer a new way of moving, we will in fact be keeping the same base routine for the next 8 weeks so that you all can start to feel the moves in your bodies and develop the comfort that comes with mastery. Then the state of flow can embrace you and when it does, it feels great!
So we welcome you to try out this terrific new class. If you enter bodyART through the doorway of having attended any of our other classes, you will have a leg up. And you will get to discover some new ways of moving too, like the signature deepwork segment of each bodyART class. (check out the sizzle reel for a preview.)
Can’t wait to see you in class getting fabulous and flowy!
– Christina