Have you ever taught (or taken) “Slow-flow”? Or perhaps seen a promotion for it and thought “Hmmm, looks interesting”, wondering what it’s like? The form has popped in many yoga studios in recent years. I have personally found it to be quite a relaxing and soothing, yet energizing and motivating, kind of asana practice.
It’s sort of a halfway point on a spectrum between Vinyasa and Restorative practice - a Yin/Yang “in-between". Yet “Slow Flow” is not a common part of most teacher training programs. So, we ask, how does one create such a practice - what are the tools and qualities? Let’s look at some!
1. Keep it continuous, but nothing fast.
For instance, match movement to a steady, full and deep flow of breath. Cue “Thread-the-Needle” from Tabletop, but before resting down guide students to “re-thread” a few times - raising that arm to the sky, then re-threading (but not resting back down until the last time). Try “guitar swings”, rolling through the shoulder’s full range of motion (so that the arm makes a large circle) in standing poses. A third to try is flowing from Half-Split Pose (Ardha Hanumanasa) to Low Runner’s Lunge (Anjaneyasana), three to four times.
For an idea of speed at which to take these movements, when I do these flows in Slow Flow classes, the movement shifts slowly enough for me to cue (talk through) the movement while it’s happening. Two other tips for making this approach: first, prepare (trying it out in your body, then writing it down - or whatever you find is your best way to prepare); second, adapt in the moment by observing how your students receive what you’re offering (as we ideally always do in our teaching!).
2. Keep it more grounded than standing, and challenging, yet not rigorous.
Most Slow Flow classes I’ve taken, and then went on to teach in the mode of, were also more gentle than most Vinyasa classes I’ve taken, yet not as gentle as most Restorative classes (or even Yin). Compared to Hatha, it does not have the same continuous flow, and is less rigorous as well (as Hatha offers intensity through holding and refining poses). When sequencing these classes, think about keeping things mainly grounded - for instance, feel free to include Sun Salutation As, with variations such as backbends, sidebends, and twists.
But cue “low” as opposed to “high” lunges (with the back knee dropped and toes untucked, yet also offering an option to take a “high” lunge version if students may prefer). Feel free to include a balance section, for all of the benefits these poses offer. Yet keep it relatively simple and accessible - such as a Tree Pose (Vraksasana), Single Standing-leg Balance, and Airplane Pose (Dekasana).
Think about keeping a majority of the class grounded on the mat - “low” lunges and variations with them, with seated, kneeling, prone, and supine poses. Perhaps save your skills at teaching more complex inversions and arm balances for your intermediate to advanced Vinyasa classes.
Come with a frame of healthy, balanced, whole-body movement and stretching - rather than a “workout” (yet that might happen for some students, and that’s just a plus!). “Core work” might happen through moving through poses, but it doesn’t fit as a primary goal in this form. That’s a beautiful thing about this form, I do think - that sense of balance, moderation, and inclusion of diverse offerings - in truth, the yogic way!
3. Follow your instincts, and let students follow their own.
A difficult thing about learning to teach this form is its openness; there’s no set form, such as with Bikram or Ashtanga, or common convention such as with Vinyasa (warm up, “Sun As” and “Sun Bs”, balancing, grounded poses). It’s something to learn through taking classes, collaborative discussion with other instructors and studio administrators, and building your experience teaching the form.
A good thing about all of that, however, is actually that same openness; unless doing something counter to yogic teaching, anatomical science, your best judgement, and the like, you can’t be “wrong". The same goes for your students practicing under you. Guide them to the best of your ability, but beyond that, their practice is theirs and not yours (as it is in teaching any other form!).
Given the openness, and relative newness (as compared to yoga practice at large) of Slow Flow, allow space for mutual learning and collaboration for all involved parties. Hatha and the (much broader) yoga practice evolved thousands of years ago through a group of people combining their wisdom and discoveries, and so on through time - allowing for the practice to adapt to changing conditions of the world at large, yet still maintain its essential essence. Through exploring and refining this “Slow Flow” form, we can part of that development. Namaste.
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