What is BodyFlow?

If you read the previous two posts, “Can Christians Practice Yoga?” Part 1 and Part 2, you know I’m a big fan of yoga. However, my experience with it does not typically take place in your traditional yoga classes.

Sure, I’ve taken a couple hot yoga classes when they worked into my schedule (which is unfortunately not as often as I’d like), and I’ve done some at-home yoga practice in the past, but most of my “yoga” comes from Les Mills BodyFlow.

BodyFlow is a full-body workout based on tai chi, yoga, and Pilates intended to leave you feeling long, strong, calm and centered. Les Mills is a New Zealand-based fitness giant that also creates programs like BodyPump, BodyAttack, BodyCombat, RPM, etc. As with every Les Mills class, they roll out new moves and music every 3 months.

Many people don’t realize we instructors do not just make this stuff up on our own. We used to receive a CD, a DVD, and a choreography book (now they are all digital downloads, of course). But everything is marked out to the exact 8-count.

A typical 60-minutes class follows the following format:

1. Tai Chi Warm-Up (fluid, focusing, increasing heat)
2. Sun Salutations (down dogs, up dogs, lunges, crocodiles, planks, etc)
3. Standing Strength (warrior poses, lunges, great leg strengthening!)
4. Balance (tree, dancer’s pose, aeroplane, etc)
5. Hip Openers (deep stretching around the pelvis)
6. Core – Abdominals (crunches, planks, Pilates-based moves)
7. Core – Back (diagonal pointers, prone swimming, bridges, etc)
8. Spinal Twists (rotating through the vertebrae)
9. Forward Folds (hamstring stretches, releasing)
10. Relaxation/Meditation (dark room, eyes closed, lying still)

You can watch, Dr. Jackie Mills, program director, preview some of these moves in the videos here. (Plus, it’s fun to hear her New Zealand accent!)

The beautiful thing about a Flow class is that it can be quite challenging or more relaxing depending on your effort and choice of modifications. My husband (among many others) was more than surprised by the difficulty of the workout initially. I love how this class can balance the most intense exercisers as well as benefit the aging population as well.

But, I will say, it doesn’t suit everyone. Just last week, a guy from CXWorx class said he had been interested in trying BodyFlow. I told him I would be teaching it in a few minutes in a different studio, and he decided to come.

As he walked in, I saw his eyes darting nervously from corner to corner. And, oh my word! The look on his face when I told him we typically took off our shoes and socks for class… (I explained there was disinfectant spray for the mats if he was a germophobe (or mysophobe, as we know now…), but that didn’t seem to help the situation.

We stumbled around awkwardly in conversation for a few minutes while I tried to specifically determine his concerns. I suggested that he just give it a try since he was already there, but ultimately he decided to leave because “it just wasn’t what he was expecting.”

No harm, no foul. Maybe he’ll work up the nerve to give it a real chance one day. We’ll see….

I do encourage people to try it at least three times though before they make a real opinion about class. Each time is a little different; Each teacher is a little different.

I’ve got to say, the first time I took a BodyFlow class, I thought it was a little strange too. If I remember correctly, the teacher passed out lavender sachets for our foreheads during the final relaxation. Slightly bizarre, (for a first-timer especially).

But now, I LOVE teaching class. It’s so wonderful to hear people say

…how great they feel after class.

…how they look forward to this one hour in their week.

…how this class helps them cope with the stress of caring for their invalid husband.

…how they can hold a wall squat for longer than anyone else in a research study they participated in.

It’s amazing, really. And it’s been five years. Wow! Five years since I went through training. I’ll continue my personal BodyFlow story next time… The tears that were shed during training (yes, real tears!); The small world stories from North Carolina to Illinois; and, the pictures from launches over the years. (Trying to round up as many as I can – if you happen to have any, feel free to send them this way!)

But I’d love to know, have you ever taken a BodyFlow class? What did you think?