Flow Study: The Yoga Off East Blog
Welcome to Yoga Off East’s Flow Study. This collaborative blog—written by studio founders, yoga teachers, and artists— explores Vinyasa flow yoga, artistic flow, and the intersection where art and yoga meet.
Why "Flow Study?”
When we decided to change locations—from Durham’s Ninth Street to Durham’s American Tobacco Campus—we didn’t realize what an artistic journey we were embarking on. Every choice we made in designing the new space was curated—from the community tea bar to the art on the walls. We considered everything, like where to position the practice room in relation to natural light and what type of furniture would be most welcoming and serene. We also worked closely with artists and designers, including Amanda Giacomini of Ten Thousand Buddhas and Elena Brower, to make the new Durham yoga space our own.
This process got us thinking about the deep connection between yoga and art. There's so much overlap when it comes to Vinyasa yoga and pretty much any creative endeavor—be it painting, writing, or dancing. Consider, for example, the following aspects of the creative process:
Focused attention. The practice of yoga, like sitting down to write or create a work of art, requires deep, attentive focus.
Losing yourself in the work. When we’re fully engaged in the practice of yoga or a creative process, we’re “in the zone," also called a flow state. Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi describes this as “a state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter; the experience is so enjoyable that people will continue to do it even at great cost, for the sheer sake of doing it.”
Committing to the process. The practice of yoga isn’t about arriving somewhere or achieving some perfect state of being. Rather, it’s about committing to a practice and reaping the benefits, joys, and lessons of the practice itself. The same is true for a writing practice, a meditation practice, or a painting practice.
Embracing technique. Learning proper techniques for getting into postures (or, for holding a paintbrush or writing a sonnet) are essential for fully engaging in the creative process. In fact, it’s knowing these techniques and building on them that allow you to make the practice your own. This is why no yoga pose looks the same in every body, and why one artist’s painting looks different from another’s, even if they are using a similar approach.
What can you expect from the Flow Study Journal?
The Flow Study Journal will explore the creative process of yoga and art. Here are a few of the kind of topics you can expect from the journal:
Yoga Poses: Each month, we’ll explore a different yoga pose (like Warrior II) or yogic technique (like box breathing, a pranayama practice).
Artists: We’ll also share profiles and insights from artists close to our hearts, like Amanda of Ten Thousand Buddhas, who painted the mural in our practice room.
Yoga + Art: Finally, we’ll share exciting moments where art and yoga meet, like what it feels like to practice art in a museum, or how to merge your yoga practice with your writing practice.
To stay tuned to the Flow Study Journal, follow us on Instagram and sign up for our weekly newsletter!
“Your breathing should flow gracefully, like a river, like a watersnake crossing the water, and not like a chain of rugged mountains or the gallop of a horse.”
